Acid Reflux Disease is a painful disorder where the sufferer encounters heartburn at least twice a week. Treatments for this problem are wide ranging, from over the counter medications to natural solutions, to changes in the sufferer?s daily routine.

Medications

? There are several over the counter options that help neutralize stomach acid, like Tums or Mylanta.

? Prescription options can help target the specific cause of reflux.

o Proton pump inhibitors ? like Nexium and Prilosec ? and H2 blockers ? such as Zantac and Pepcid ? halt the production of stomach acids.

o Prokinetics ? like Reglan ? help push food through the system and strengthen the lower esophageal sphincter (the muscle that moves food into the stomach and helps prevent it from backing up into the esophagus).

o Foaming agents help coat the stomach and prevent the onset of reflux.

Natural Remedies

? Warm chamomile or fennel tea, when sipped, can help soothe a stomach irritated by heart burn.

? Apple cider vinegar has also been helpful during heartburn and with prevention of heartburn. Take 2 to 3 tablespoons to help relieve reflux, and dilute the same amount in a cup of water for prevention.

? Ginger can help alleviate all kinds of stomach discomforts, including heart burn. It can be mixed with hot water in tea form, consumed in candied form, or taken in pill form. All help relieve and prevent heartburn.

? Drinking a quarter of a cup of aloe vera juice may also prove to be helpful. Be careful though, as aloe from a house plant contains a powerful laxative and isn?t recommended for consumption. Only drink aloe vera juice that is meant for drinking.

? Yogurt that?s unflavored has helpful bacteria that aide in tightening stomach walls, preventing acid from being allowed up into the esophagus.

? Milk has been shown to help soothe heartburn. Drinking a glass may help relieve symptoms.

? Drinking a glass of water may also help. It dilutes the stomach contents and flushes them through the system, preventing pressure and acid to build.

Daily Changes

? Quit smoking! Among other detrimental health problems caused by smoking, heartburn has been shown to be caused by it.

? Less is more! Eat smaller meals more often. Eating a few large meals a day has been shown to overload the stomach, creating pressure and acid buildup which results in reflux.

? Don?t be a Scrooge! Avoid eating right before bed. Gravity helps keep acid where it belongs and lying down right after eating allows it into the esophagus where it can cause irritation.

? Watch what you eat! Track the foods you eat to help pinpoint which specific foods are triggers for heartburn.

? Beware! Monitor your intake of certain over the counter pain medicines ? like aspirin and ibuprofen ? as well as vitamins ? like calcium and potassium ? as they?ve been shown to spur acid reflux.

Surgery

While rare, sometimes reflux is so bad surgery is necessary. The procedure involves wrapping a portion of the upper stomach around the lower esophagus. This solution aids in tightening the muscles located in the lower esophagus and prevents acids from migrating out of the stomach. This is often a last resort of treatment.

For additional treatment ideas, please see our Reflux Remedy Report.

Most corn these days is full of pesticides and herbicides and it?s not beyond the possibility your cornmeal is from a genetic modified source (GMO). Most people think cornmeal is good for them, thinking it?s just another yellow vegetable, but don?t forget corn is not a vegetable, it?s a grain.

Grains can trigger allergies, asthma and acid reflux disease symptoms.

Funny thing about grains, their seeds that have built in plant-made herbicides and pesticides called phytotoxins. One of the most common of these plant-made toxins is called phytic acid.

Phytates are toxins that are designed to protect the seed.

You see Mother Nature designed the seeds of fruits and vegetables to be spread around by those that eat them, often discarding the pit or passing the seeds in their body waste.

The problem with grain/seeds is if they get eaten, they can?t grow knew plants and would become extinct. That?s where phytotoxins come in–they help ensure the future propagation of the species.

Acid reflux can have many causes, but one of the most common causes of acid reflux is a mineral deficiency.

Phytates are found in very high quantities in all the processed cereals, especially cornmeal. These phytates, or phytic acid, actually keeps the corn kernel, or seed, in a hardened, dormant state. Phytates ward of mold, fungus and are designed to absorb certain minerals.

This way, when the corn falls upon fertile ground rich with the perfect growing conditions, the phytates will dissolve and allow the corn seed to sprout and grow. What happens when people eat unsprouted seed or in this case cornmeal flour, is that all their minerals are inhibited or blocked from being absorbed into the body.

Acid reflux is triggered from a ?lack? of stomach acid, in most cases. Your body requires specific minerals to make bile ?salts? and other digestive acids. Once these mineral salts are depleted from your body?s store house of nutrients, it causes a chain reaction of other deficiencies.

Your enzymes, hormones and stomach acids depend on minerals and their cofactors to help run and regulate all your metabolic processes.

I like cornbread as much as the next guy; however, if you are older, your minerals, nutrients and cofactors are usually on the low side.

So if cornmeal triggers heartburn, acid reflux or indigestion, better not eat it until you get your body?s nutritional storehouse restocked with viable essentials.

Always go into any subject, whether it?s acid reflux or anything else, do your due diligence. Don?t just take my word or anyone else?s word for it . . . look into the matter yourself. I apologize if I?m preaching to the choir.

Obviously you know what you?re doing or you wouldn?t be here now reading this article, right?

Anyway, keep searching, the root cause of your acid reflux exists and perhaps it?s even from eating too many unsprouted grains like cornmeal and not enough enzyme rich fruits and vegetables, who knows?

Truth is YOU are the last authority of your own health . . . read on and live well!

You were born to heal,

Todd M. Faass?

Health Ecologist

So you finally figured out what was ailing you.

Having a hiatal hernia isn?t as bad as it feels if you know what to do to reverse it.

The most important thing about being diagnosed with a hiatal hernia is staying optimistic. In other words the first step to curing your hiatal hernia is in actually believing it can be cured.

Otherwise you?re typically stuck with watching your underlying hiatal hernia symptoms get worse as you treat those symptoms. The absolute worst thing you can do is ignore the root cause of your hiatal hernia symptoms by ignoring it.

The root cause of your hiatal hernia is, simply put, your diet.

The best diet for hiatal hernia is a diet that gives back to your body, rather than take away. Basically that?s the key to unlocking your body?s own inner hiatal hernia cure . . . stop taking and start giving back.

Through the years you?ve eaten things you shouldn?t have eaten and as a direct result you triggered critical deficiencies of nutrients, including enzymes, minerals and their cofactors.

The big problem is there are a lot of mixed messages out there concerning hiatal hernia and the best diet. Perhaps knowing the worst diet for hiatal hernia will help you by process of elimination to learn what the best diet is for you.

Too often I hear people with hiatal hernia come back from the hospital, or doctor?s office, saying they can?t have any acid foods.

Avoiding entire food groups is more than unrealistic, it?s incorrect.

You see some foods are acidic, but they produce a non-acidic or alkaline environment in your body.

For example if you eliminate all citrus foods, you?ll not only create more nutritional deficiencies, you may even make your hiatal hernia and acid reflux issues worse than before.

Vitamin C is necessary for optimum cellular health. One of the easiest sources of vitamin C is from citrus fruits. Many leading health experts insist vitamin C is necessary to help prevent heart disease, oxygenate blood and promote healthy digestion.

Besides, the best diet for hiatal hernia is not necessarily creating less gastric acid. The key is to enjoy a diet that helps create a non-acidic or alkaline pH, in your blood, saliva and tissue. You need stomach acid to digest your food to take pressure away from your hiatal hernia. The acid reflux effect is usually caused from a gastric acid deficiency triggered from eating a diet that was high in bad fats and low in minerals and enzymes.

The best diet to reverse hiatal hernia is to eliminate foods that take away nutritional factors like enzymes, minerals and their various co-factors.

Here?s the best diet for hiatal hernia menu:

? Eat slowly and chew your food extra well

? Eat until your 75% full, stay a little hungry.

? Eat your raw fruits an hour in between meals.

? Don?t mix nuts with fruits.

? Don?t mix protein with fruits.

? Drink half your weight in water ounces daily

? Drink your water in between meals and snack, don?t dilute gastric acid.

? Avoid alcohol, tobacco and caffeine; they relax your esophageal seals.

? Eat raw vegetables like avocado, broccoli and spinach after you?ve eaten your protein.

? Avoid artificial sweeteners and MSG.

? Avoid pharmaceuticals if you can.

? Eat steamed yams, potatoes and brown rice sparingly.

? Avoid refine salts and sugars.

? If you eat grains, use sprouted grain sources.

? Eat your salad last.

? Use Celtic or Himalayan sea salts.

These are a few tips for the worst diet and the best diet for hiatal hernia. You?ll have to make adjustments for your lifestyle and tastes.

You were born to heal,

Todd M. Faass?

Health Ecologist

Heartburn happens when stomach acids enter the stomach and irritate the nerves in the esophagus, causing a painful burning sensation. There are many ways to approach eliminating heartburn, including routine changes, dietary changes or solutions, over the counter and prescription medicines and surgery, in extreme cases.

Routine Changes

? Instead of sleeping lying flat, try propping yourself up with a few pillows, or sleeping in a chair to nap. Gravity prevents acids from escaping the stomach, and lying prostrate can allow them to creep into the esophagus where they don?t belong.

? Don?t smoke. Smoking has been shown to cause heartburn, in addition to other serious health problems.

? Lose a few pounds. Added weight on the chest or abdomen puts strain on the stomach, causing acid reflux.

? De-stress. Stress can encourage stomach acid production. Something as simple as taking a few deep breaths can help prevent the onset of heartburn in the near future.

Dietary Solutions

? Don?t eat large meals. Try smaller, more frequent ones. Large amounts of food bombard the stomach causing pressure and acid to accumulate.

? Watch the foods you eat. Certain foods can trigger heartburn. Common ones include onion, caffeine, garlic, alcohol and citrus. Keep track of what sets you off and avoid those foods.

? Drink a cup of fennel or chamomile tea. When sipped, it has been shown to soothe or prevent heartburn.

? Take ginger. All three forms ? pills, tea and candied ? can help relieve heartburn pain.

? Drink a glass of water. It will help flush the stomach of excess acids.

? Eat an apple. Some people have had great success with just a few slices.

? Apple cider vinegar can help with both prevention and treatment of heartburn. A few tablespoons, though bitter, will help soothe heartburn pain. When added to water and taken before a meal, it will help prevent it altogether.

Medicines

? Many over the counter medicines, like Tums and Mylanta, can help alleviate heartburn, and some even come with the added benefit of an extra dose of calcium.

? Prescription medications can help target the specific thing causing heartburn.

o For example, drugs like Nexium, Prilosec and Pepcid block the production of acid. This helps people with too much stomach acid.

o Foaming agents help coat the stomach and protect it from damaging acids.

o Drugs like Relgan can help move things through the digestive system and strengthen esophageal muscles.

Surgery

Surgery is often a last resort. Most people will be able to find a solution or combination of things to solve their heartburn problems. However, if severe enough, a procedure called fundoplication can be performed. It involves using a portion of the upper stomach to help tighten the esophageal muscles, thus preventing acid from getting into the esophagus. Surgery for heartburn is rare, and generally a more natural or medicinal approach is recommended.

For another resource on curing your heartburn, please reference our Reflux Remedy Report.