Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) is generally characterized by the onset of heartburn more than twice a week. Its symptoms can be very bothersome and painful, including heartburn, nausea and regurgitation.

Heartburn occurs when acid makes its way back into the esophagus, irritating the nerves found there. GERD sufferers most commonly feel this irritation as pain. The pain of heartburn is generally described as burning in the center of the chest that can start high and move up to the throat.

Regurgitation is when the feeling of acid coming back into the mouth occurs. It can be characterized by a bitter our sour taste accompanied by a wet burp.

Dyspepsia happens to many people with GERD. It is just a general way of defining an upset stomach. It includes burping, nausea, excessive hiccups and an overall feeling of discomfort in the stomach.

Symptoms occur as a result of many day to day things.

? Eating too much results in pressure buildup in the stomach, causing reflux.

? Eating right before bed can also cause heartburn.

? Smoking can aggravate GERD symptoms.

? Certain over the counter medications can also exacerbate GERD. NSAID pain relievers ? such as ibuprofen and aspirin ? as well as vitamins ? like potassium, calcium and iron ? can cause acid build up.

? Some people with certain health problems are more likely to experience symptoms of GERD. Those with Type 1 Diabetes may have a digestive condition that slows the flow of food through the stomach causing pressure to build and acid to move into the esophagus. Pregnant women may also experience a high volume of heartburn. Additionally, there is a link between Hiatal Hernia and symptoms of GERD. A Hiatal Hernia happens when part of the stomach is displaced ? either into the esophagus or up next to it. This condition can cause acid flow and production to be disrupted causing heartburn.

? People who are overweight may experience heartburn simply as a result of the added weight on their chest and abdomen. The weight puts pressure on the stomach, causing reflux.

? Certain foods can also aggravate GERD and bring the symptoms on. Foods like citrus, caffeine, alcohol, garlic and onion are common ones, however GERD sufferers all have their own unique food triggers for heart burn.

If you experience chest pain associated with arm numbness and shortness of breath, please see a doctor immediately. It can be a sign of a heart attack, and not simply heartburn.

For more information on the symptoms of GERD, please reference our Reflux Remedy Report.

If you suffer from acid reflux, acid indigestion, acidosis, digestive upset, dyspepsia, flatulence or heartburn you should know not to eat foods high in animal fat, wheat gluten or refined sugar or salt, to name a few.

On the other hand do you know what foods you can eat that will help prevent or cure your acid reflux, heartburn dilemma?

This whole acid causing food thing can be a little confusing, but I?m going to clear that up for you real fast today. I get a lot of people asking me about this, but it?s really quite simple to understand. You see many foods that are ?acidic? actually create an ?alkaline? condition inside your body and alkaline is good, that?s what you want.

This includes heirloom tomatoes, organic lemons and oranges . . . basically all citrus fruits. Once you know this, the rest is straight forward.

Now that we have that cleared up let?s take a closer look at what having an ?acid condition? or an ?alkaline condition? really means and why it?s important to know.

A Comparison: Acid Vs. Alkaline

First, an acid or alkaline state are opposite poles on a scale measured according to the ?pH,? which is short for ?potential of hydrogen.? Pure, living mineral water, which is made of hydrogen and oxygen, should have a natural pH of 7.0 representing the neutral, or half way mark on the pH scale.

A neutral 7.0 pH is neither in an acid or alkaline state. When the pH reading drops below 7.0 it?s considered to have an acidic pH and when the pH reading rises above 7.0 it is said to have an alkaline pH. So as you can see the entire pH scale is only from 1.0 pH being the most acidic to 14.0 pH reading being the most alkaline.

Your optimum health depends on you having a slightly alkaline reading, a 7.4 pH is good. This will naturally fluctuate from 6.5 to a 7.5 pH depending upon the time of day, your metabolic cycle and what you just eat.

The pH reading of your blood, urine and saliva determines your health.

Your urine will naturally become temporarily acidic in the morning because that?s when you carry the most acid waste.

If your blood pH becomes too acidic the hemoglobin is destroyed making it impossible for your red blood cells to carry oxygen to your cells. This is called acidosis and ignored will cause illness, cancer and even sudden death.

Perhaps now you can see why eating the wrong foods could cause an illness like acid reflux disease.

Bottom line is you need to know which foods will cure acid reflux and most of them are alkaline foods that create a slightly alkaline pH, the one exception being citrus fruits as I mentioned above.

German researchers discovered eating acid forming foods flushes the magnesium out of your kidneys, leading to magnesium deficiency. Magnesium is vital for heart health, for proper gastric acid balance and helps maintain optimum pH levels. So naturally, food rich with magnesium and other minerals will qualify as alkaline producing foods. Actually most raw green plants are rich in alkaline minerals.

Here?s a list of 9 very alkaline foods:

• Organic bananas or plantains
• Organic dark chocolate (70%+)
• Organic figs
• Natural mineral water
• Fresh squeezed orange juice
• Organic potatoes
• Organic spinach, kale or collards
• Seeded watermelon
• Organic dandelion greens

I hope you?ve found this information useful. On a final note, keep in mind that anything with refined sugar in it will tend to give your urine a more acidic pH. I would suggest supplementing with agave nectar, raw palm sugar or raw honey, at least these provide a lower glycemic load and provide useful minerals, vitamins and cofactors, whereas refined sugar and artificial sweeteners actually deplete these.

Live well,

Todd M. Faass?

Health Ecologist