The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say more than 60 million American adults lack quality sleep patterns. This means 60,000,000 people have trouble falling asleep, staying asleep or waking up refreshed.

The main culprits are alcohol, caffeine, nicotine or eating too much before bedtime . . . which, among other factors triggers nighttime heartburn.

Researchers in Oklahoma City studied 81 people who complained of sleep problems and found that 30% of them suffered from nighttime heartburn and didn’t even know it.

In Brazilian study, researchers studied nearly 100 adults who had sleep issues and found people with sleep problems were almost ‘twice as likely’ to suffer chronic nighttime heartburn (a.k.a. acid reflux, acid indigestion, gastroesophageal reflux disease) compared to others without sleeping pattern issues.

Leading health experts agree that eating smaller meals more often is better than eating 1, 2 or 3 large meals a day. Nighttime heartburn is associated with eating large meals, especially before lying down.

If you have to eat late, make sure you’re up doing something for at least 3 hours before bed. If you eat something like a snack, make sure it’s at least an hour and a half before you crash out on the couch, floor or bed.

Nighttime heartburn can be activated by sitting down and eating as well. The proverbial coach potato who eats and watches TV will most likely qualify as one of the 60 million Americans who have sleep disorders and odds are they have nighttime heart burn.

Here’s what to do if you want nighttime heartburn:

• Eat a big meal shortly before bed
• Drinking anything but water right before bed
• Don’t raise your head while sleeping
• Eat acid forming foods
• Get a milk or beer belly
• Smoke tobacco
• Consume less than 90% vegetables and fruits
• Mix your carbs and protein together
• Take antacids that cause acid rebound

Living without nighttime heartburn is a natural step you can take that also carries many other benefits such as living longer, being slimmer and having more vitality and overall health.

You were born to heal,

Todd M. Faass

Health Advocate

An acute attack of gastritis is a severe and sudden short term condition, whereas chronic gastritis would be a long term condition.

Acute gastritis may happen suddenly, but usually there have been some underlying factors that built up enough to cause a severe and sudden digestive upset.

Here are some causes of acute gastritis:

• Aspirin and other NSAIDS
• Corticosteroids
• Alcohol
• Consuming extremely acidic substances
• Physical or emotional stress
• Acidosis
• Parasitic, bacterial or viral infestation
• Standard American Diet (SAD)

Even though acute gastritis is sudden, there are signs that will tell you something is out of balance. For instance, if you notice you have hard dark stools that sink, you may be suffering from chronic dehydration and one of its complications is acute gastritis.

If you’ve noticed any indigestive issues like loss of appetite, nausea or vomiting you probably are experiencing the rapid onset of an acute gastritis attack.

Like everything else you have basically two approaches you can take for acute gastritis. The pharmaceutical approach isn’t going to cure the cause of your acute gastritis, but it may cover some symptoms . . . just beware of making things worse from side effects.

The nutritional approach is going to require you looking closely at your personal dietary habits. By using whole foods and the nutrient complexes within them you will naturally reverse all your gastritis pain, whether acute or chronic.

If you choose to ignore the cause of your acute gastritis and continue to try and drug your gastritis pain and symptoms away, your risk of it becoming chronic gastritis is worse.

Unfortunately, unless you address the root cause of your acute gastritis it could advance into a gastric ulcer.

That doesn’t necessarily mean you have too much stomach acid, it could mean you simply have an imbalance of digestive flora.

Only your stomach is acidic by nature, everything else is alkaline. Even the bacteria found in gastric ulcers are there because of the loss of an alkaline balance in your tissues. Once balance is restored the stomach and surrounding organs can function properly and the acute inflammation process will stop.

Acute gastritis improves rapidly with the right treatment, which sometimes involves using antacids to allow the ulcerations to heal. Keep in mind antacids should only be used in emergencies and for a short time.

Many of antacids are useless and often make acute gastric symptoms worse in the long run.

Eating more alkaline producing foods will benefit your recovery from acute gastritis without risking drug side effects.

You were born to heal,

Todd M. Faass

Health Advocate

Sleeping elevated with a pillow on your left side has been clinically proven to reduce acid reflux.

Using a pillow to help reduce acid reflux really works well, in fact I know of one company that has designed an acid reflux pillow called the Medslant Wedge Pillow.

Not only does this pillow help reduce acid reflux attacks, it’s also been shown to help with sleep apnea and more . . .

If you are suffering from acid reflux, heartburn Gastro-Esophageal Reflux Disease (GERD), acid indigestion elevated left side sleeping can really help.

Studies have also shown that stopping the habits that trigger acid reflux will cause acid reflux to go away too. So until you’re able to stop eating animal fat, refined sugar, smoking, taking caffeine and alcohol, using an acid reflux pillow and sleeping on your left side will help.

The worst thing you can do is eat late and lie on your stomach, then you’re sure to be asking for an upsurge of acid reflux.

People who are unwilling to actually cure their acid reflux may end up taking Proton Pump Inhibitor drugs (PPIs). These dangerous drugs block the cells in your stomach from making more acid.

Before you go there be absolutely sure that you are suffering from an ‘over production’ of stomach acid, because a stomach acid deficiency can also trigger the same exact acid reflux symptoms.

There is a well documented danger to taking PPIs. PPIs are drugs that can cause another man-made disease called acid rebound.

Plus a Denmark study recently found patients who have already had a heart attack increase the risk of having another heart attack by 30% more when taking PPIs, acid reflux pillow or not.

These proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are scary. Health experts have shown them to make the heart more prone to palpitations and inflammation because by blocking nutritional cofactors they can lower available oxygen to dangerous levels.

These PPIs block nutrient absorption, interfere with liver function and increase risk of bacteria infestations of the gut.

Clearly making a few lifestyle and dietary changes and sleeping with an acid reflux pillow are the best options . . .

You were born to heal,

Todd M. Faass

Health Advocate

Acid reflux is a terribly common problem among people in today’s fast paced culture of high fat foods and things that can be eaten on the go. There are a number of acid reflux foods to avoid, and certain things that will help eliminate and prevent your heartburn.

First, let’s look at what acid reflux actually is and how it happens. Stomach acid helps to break down food in your stomach so that your body can extract the vitamins and nutrients it needs. Certain things like difficult to digest foods, stress, smoking, or lying down after eating can cause that acid to creep up into your esophagus. This causes pain, indigestion, burping, hiccups and can even result in damage to the esophagus if the reflux occurs frequently.

Trigger Foods

Everyone has their own foods that will set off acid reflux, however there are a few common triggers. These foods should be avoided to help prevent damage to the esophagus, and keep heartburn at bay. They include:

• Garlic
• Caffeine
• Alcohol
• Citrus (including juices that are high in acids)
• Onions
• Meats that are difficult to digest (like ground beef, marbled sirloin and chicken wings)
• Dairy

To help find out what your own triggers are, start a food journal. Keep track of what you eat, how much you eat and when you eat it. That will help you to better understand what sets your acid reflux off, and narrow down your specific triggers. Some of your food triggers may surprise you!

What you can do

Now, just because there are a ton of foods you should avoid doesn’t mean you need to go on an extreme, crash course diet. It’s always best to try to maintain a balanced diet, so things like dairy, citrus and meat that are part of a healthy diet should not be completely cut out. They should just be consumed in moderation, and possibly in tandem with other heartburn preventatives.

Heartburn Preventatives

Sometimes foods that are known to cause heartburn for you just can’t be avoided. Maybe you’re at a friend’s house and they cooked nachos for you with ground beef, onions, and a whole host of other heartburn triggers just waiting to settle into your stomach. So what can you do?

Try taking a papaya enzyme tablet after you eat. Papaya contains digestive enzymes that will help your body to digest foods and prevent acid buildup that causes reflux.

Try drinking a full glass of water after you eat. This will help dilute stomach acids and flush your digestive tract out so you won’t have to experience excess irritation. For more effective relief or prevention, try adding a tablespoon or two of apple cider vinegar to a full glass of water. This will help neutralize the acid in your stomach in addition to washing it away.

Eat an apple before or after your meal. Apparently the old adage “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” has some basis, as many people are finding success with this technique for keeping acid reflux at bay.

There are countless home remedies you can try to prevent and relieve heartburn. The Reflux Remedy Report promotes natural heartburn remedies and can help you prevent your acid reflux, as well as formulate a diet appropriate for acid reflux. For more information on acid reflux food to avoid and other preventative measures you can take, visit refluxremedy.com today!