Is your newborn always coughing and just seems miserable?

It may not just be a case of colic . . . it could be your baby has infant acid reflux.

When I found out that about 50% of newborns and up to 85% of all premature babies suffer from infant acid reflux I was shocked.

Most outgrow the acid reflux symptoms after the first few months, but then there are those who never seem to overcome it. In fact many that receive the best medical treatments continue to suffer from infant acid reflux and its dangerous complications.

Having a child with infant acid reflux can be about the most challenging things you can face as a parent. The constant misery of infant acid reflux symptoms can exhaust both parent and child.

Here are 8 signs of infant acid reflux:

1. Constant crying

2. Irritability and pain

3. Disturbed sleep patterns

4. Arching of the neck and back

5. Vomiting

6. Chronic hiccups

7. Ear infections

8. Sinus problems

Even one of these symptoms could indicate your child may have infant acid reflux.

If the root cause of infant acid reflux isn’t addressed it could lead to these complications:

• Anemia
• Constant drooling
• Sinus infections
• Swallowing problems
• Chronic hoarseness
• Sore throat
• Chronic ear infection
• Sleep apnea
• Lung problems
• Esophagitis
• Failure to thrive
• Eroded teeth
• Sandifer’s syndrome
• Halitosis

The obvious cause of infant acid reflux is generally straight forward. Normally, the ring of muscle between the esophagus and the stomach (lower esophageal sphincter) relaxes and opens only when you swallow.

Otherwise, it’s sealed tightly – keeping stomach acid where it belongs. Until your baby matures, infant acid reflux may cause food to flow up the throat, into the lungs, ears and sinus cavities and out your baby’s mouth.

Sometimes air bubbles in the esophagus may push liquid out of your baby’s mouth. In other cases, your baby may simply drink too much, too fast.

The artificial milk or baby formula you’re using could be the real problem.

Breastfed babies have been shown to have fewer and less severe infant reflux problems than artificially fed infants. Mother’s milk is more easily digested than artificial milk and is absorbed and digested from the stomach twice as fast.

Proper digestion and speed are vital to minimize irritating infant acid reflux. Mother’s milk is by far less irritating and much healthier for your baby than artificial milk products.

The bond between mother and baby is an important factor to preventing and curing infant acid reflux. Unhappy infants get overwhelmed and stress out which can trigger infant acid reflux.

Nursing is nature’s perfect way to protect your infant, plus hormones made when you breastfeed help relax you both . . . another reason to nurture your infant with breast milk.

Here are some tricks to help your infant to nurse:

1. Create a soothing peaceful environment-soft pleasant music helps.
2. Try nursing when your infant wakes from the acid reflux or when sleepy.
3. Give your infant lots of skin-to-skin contact and cuddling.
4. Try to keep your infant upright while your hands are free. Try a baby sling.

Research all the emotional and nutritional benefits of breast feeding . . .

You were born to heal,

Todd M. Faass

Health Advocate

Source: Breastfeeding the Baby with Reflux, La Leche League International, 1999

Acid reflux can hit just about anyone, at anytime.? It can occur occasionally after you?ve had a particularly large, greasy meal, or more frequently becoming disruptive to your daily life. The symptoms can include excessive burping, difficulty swallowing, the feeling that there?s something lodged in your throat, or nausea after eating. Causes are varied, but culprits may be ingestion of fatty foods that the stomach does not have enough hydrochloric acid to deal with; a weakening of the esophageal sphincter (which acts as a gateway through which acid should not pass); hiatal hernias; or esophagitis.

Some of the more popular homeopathic methods for dealing with acid reflux are through the use of lifestyle changes and natural remedies that you can find at a good health food store. For one thing, limit your intake of fatty or processed foods.? They make your stomach work overtime to digest the unnatural substances. Also, try to drink at least eight glasses of water a day; diluting stomach acid can help heal your esophagus to the point where it can be able to do its job correctly again. Try eating smaller meals more frequently, instead of one or two heavy meals in a day; that way your stomach doesn?t have to work so hard to process the little meals. Do not drink alcohol, or greatly curtail your intake. Also, avoid caffeine and try to eat at least few hours before you?re planning on lying down. Gravity will send acid up to your esophageal sphincter, and its job is to keep the acid down, so lying down right after a meal really challenges its ability to do so.

Even controlling the stress in your life is an excellent way to keep stomach acids where they belong.? Stress causes all your systems to go into overdrive, including acid production.? Taking a deep, calming breath can help prevent heartburn pain down the line.

A few dietary supplements are around that might work for you.? These include teas such as chamomile or peppermint, which can soothe the stomach. Eating an apple actually seems to work for some people and barley grass has been shown to be a great acid reducer. Apple cider vinegar, in its organic, unpasteurized state, has been shown to help sufferers, as has pickle juice, orange peel extract, slippery Elm bark, and probiotics.? Papaya enzymes help speed the digestive process, which prevents pressure in the stomach from building to an uncomfortable amount.? Ginger has also been an age old solution for settling an upset stomach, and heartburn is no exception.? Whether it?s tea or candied, it can help relieve pain from acid reflux.

For more information on natural ways to relieve acid reflux, please visit www.refluxremedy.com and read The Reflux Remedy Report.? There you will find a compilation of a huge amount of natural remedies.? The one that will work for you could be waiting for you to discover it today!

Heartburn is a common complaint in today’s fast-paced, fast food world.? The feeling of burning in your upper stomach, perhaps in your throat…the tightness in your chest or even trouble swallowing…all can be symptoms of heartburn. When the acid pumps in your stomach are overactive, it starts to erode the esophagus, which is responsible for keeping acid down in the stomach. Esophagitis can occur, where there are tiny fissures (or tears) in the lining of the esophagus, and other more serious ailments can be caused if this condition is left untreated for a long period of time. Treatments for heartburn vary widely, from homeopathic remedies to prescription medication and even surgery, so first of all, see your doctor if your heartburn persists for more than a few weeks.

If your doctor okays, it you can try lifestyle changes first, including switching your diet away from fatty meals and acid-producers, such as alcohol and coffee. Maintaining a healthy weight is another way to combat heartburn naturally, so limiting fatty foods might have two benefits in your lifestyle. Other tricks include eating smaller, more frequent meals, and even elevating your head a couple of inches when you sleep can help keep acid down in your stomach where it belongs. Other specific food culprits that you might want to avoid include chocolate, tomato and tomato-based products, citrus fruits, fried foods, and pepper. Also, try staying hydrated. Eight glasses of water a day is not only good for your whole body, but it can help your body naturally dilute strong stomach acid and give your esophagus a break.

Other treatments for heartburn include over-the-counter medications, including Pepcid and Zantac. These work by decreasing the amount of stomach acid produced and are effective remedies against gastroesophageal reflux disease (or GERD), where acid from the stomach actually makes it past the esophagus into the throat. Other OTC remedies include antacids, which neutralize stomach acid. Brands include Tagamet and TUMS.? However, these medications are not meant as a permanent solution and should not be taken for more than two weeks, unless otherwise advised by your physician.

Prescription treatments for heartburn can include proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), which stop the release of acid in the stomach; this class is frequently prescribed as well for GERD sufferers. Another class of prescription medication is a promotilty agent, which helps patients who have slowed emptying of their stomach.? These medicineshelp hasten digestion, and are often effective against sufferers of GERD.? Prescription medications can often be pricey, and sometimes taking a pill every day for the rest of your life is not the most appealing option.

In that case, there are a number of natural methods for combating this problem on your own. Homeopathic treatments for heartburn include lifestyle changes, as mentioned above, and supplements like calcium carbonate to quell acid, and deglycyrrhizinated licorice (DGL), which can be found in a natural foods or supplements store. This latter product has inflammatory properties, and lines the stomach, intestines and esophagus, forming a barrier between tissue and acid. Fresh ginger can help some sufferers, which you grind up and add to foods or drinks like herbal tea. Chamomile tea is another good one to try, along with licorice root.

For further treatment ideas, the Reflux Remedy Report contains a host of natural ideas.? Visit their Web site at www.refluxremedy.com.

If you suffer from occasional heartburn, you might be a good candidate for trying natural cures for acid reflux. After you have seen your doctor and ruled out more serious conditions such as esophagitis, hernias, or even cancer, you can talk to your physician about homeopathic remedies, which have helped millions of people.

The problem occurs when your stomach produces more acid than your esophagus and esophageal sphincter can handle, allowing acid to creep up into your throat, and causing burning sensations. You might experience upset stomach, excessive burping, a bad taste in your mouth, tightness in your chest, or feelings like you have a piece of food stuck in your throat. If it is just an occasional occurrence, say after an especially heavy meal, you might be able to get away with a one-time treatment.

If it is more frequent however, diet changes and lifestyle modification may be necessary to completely take care of this problem. Fatty foods and processed, fast food can be a big cause for your stomach?s overproduction of acid. Avoid alcohol, caffeine, tomato-based products, and citrus as they are common acid reflux triggers.? Try tracking what you eat to discover what causes reflux for you most consistently, and then react accordingly.

Natural cures for acid reflux may include supplements from your local natural food store.? These include chamomile tea, slippery Elm, fennel, catnip, and ginger root. Adding chopped ginger to a dish or a tea before a meal can help with an upset stomach, and can give your overtaxed acid pumps a chance to calm down.

Simply changing your daily eating habits may result in relief from acid reflux. Several small meals over the course of the day are much easier for your stomach to process than are large, heavy, fat-laden meals. Your stomach does not have to produce nearly as much acid to take care of the digestion of these smaller meals; therefore, less acid is likely to come up to the top of your esophagus.

Also, try giving yourself a few hours after your last meal before going to bed, so that your stomach has a chance to digest the food at least partially, and it is not working overtime right when you are going to lay down flat.

Another homeopathic remedy involves elevating the head of your bed slightly, or adding a pillow under your head, to bring your head above your stomach. Gravity works here, to keep stomach acid down where it belongs, and give your esophagus and esophageal sphincter a break from the bombardment of acid that occurs when you lay completely flat.

Natural cures for acid reflux can also include actual weight loss. Heavier people tend to get heartburn more often, simply because of the added weight on their abdomens causing pressure on their stomachs. It may help that one of the suggestions is to avoid fatty foods; the dual benefit being reduced acid and weight loss.

Whichever cures you try, check with your doctor first and get his or her advice, then check with the folks at Reflux Remedy. The natural cure you need may be waiting for you at www.refluxremedy.com.