February 22, 2011
Holistic Remedies for Acid Reflux
Acid reflux is a condition that can cause severe discomfort and harm to your body. When the corrosive acid in your stomach gets into your esophagus and goes up towards your mouth, this can have damaging effects. Stomach acid is designed to chemically deconstruct foods to expose useful nutrients for your body. When stomach acid makes contact with your esophagus and throat, it can essentially break down these parts of your anatomy. A problem with your lower esophageal sphincter could be the reason that you are suffering from acid reflux. If you continuously experience acid reflux, it is likely that you could develop gastroesophageal reflux disease.
Modifying Your Lifestyle
There are certain activities that can encourage or suppress acid reflux. You should use holistic remedies for acid reflux as a first resort.
- Don’t eat right before bed. Eating before sleeping in a flat position makes it easier for food and acid to spill from the stomach. Each time you eat, your body naturally produces gastric acids to digest the foods. Lying down only allows the acid to escape.
- Eating smaller meals that are low in fat will help to treat your acid reflux. Larger meals promote the production of more stomach acid that can end up in your esophagus.
- Investigating your food choices is of utmost importance in remedying acid reflux. Everything that enters your body will have a positive or negative effect. Some foods may trigger your acid reflux more than others. Keep a daily food log to discover what foods may promote acid reflux and eliminate those foods from your diet.
- Leave bad habits behind if you want to reduce your risk of acid reflux. Smoking is unhealthy for your respiratory and digestive systems. When you smoke, the lower esophageal sphincter loses strength and will permit gastric acids to escape from the stomach to the esophagus.
Natural Treatment
You should use holistic remedies for acid reflux as a first resort in combating this disease.
- Aloe Juice can minimize the symptoms of acid reflux. Heartburn, a major symptom of acid reflux will decrease when aloe juice is incorporated in your diet. Aloe, in juice form only, acts as a neutralizer, and counteracts the effects of acid in the esophagus.
- Ginger, candied or in your tea, is great for relieving acid reflux and other digestive problems. Ginger can have a calming and settling effect on your stomach. Although ginger has a very strong flavor, it will not leave your mouth with an awful odor.
- Drinking water is one of the easiest and least expensive holistic remedies for acid reflux. When large amounts of water contact your stomach acid, it has a diluting effect that soothes the esophagus.
- Papaya in your diet will aid daily digestion and discourage the body from producing as much stomach acid. Papaya consists of an enzyme that is well suited for breaking down foods, preventing the presence of unneeded gastric acid.
There are many other options for treating acid reflux. Seeking out holistic remedies for acid reflux is the safest way to bring this disease under control. For more information on acid reflux and other natural remedies, visit reflexremedy.com.
Filed under Acid Reflux Remedy by admin
February 21, 2011
Cause of Reflux
A well functioning digestive tract requires that each component run smoothly. The minute you put food in your mouth, the digestive process begins. Chewing your food alerts the stomach that gastric acid needs to be produced to break foods down into smaller pieces. After food is chewed, you swallow the food, passing it down to your esophagus. The food travels within the esophagus and eventually goes into the stomach. The pathway between the esophagus and stomach is regulated by the lower esophageal sphincter, a muscle that opens and closes to let food exit the esophagus.
A strong LES is ideal because it tightly closes and prevents stomach acids from escaping into the esophagus. When acid goes into the esophagus, this is considered reflux. A weak LES is the main cause of reflux. Reflux can be induced by many things ranging from anatomical irregularities to unhealthy habits. Learning about the causes of reflux can give you the warning signs to help you prevent the disease.
The food you eat can prompt acid reflux to occur. Foods that are high in fat increase the potential for reflux. Specific foods can trigger reflux. Foods that trigger reflux in you may be harmless in someone else. Common foods that trigger reflux include garlic, onions, caffeine, chocolate and alcohol. Spicy or acidic tasting foods don’t necessarily cause reflux.
Pregnant women have a higher risk of refluxing acid. The development of the fetus causes movement of other organs in order to give the baby enough space. The stomach, in an effort to make room for the ever expanding womb, will move and compress. When that movement is coupled with pressure from the baby, the stomach is vulnerable to having gastric acid escape to the esophagus, causing reflux.
Pain relieving medications can have a negative effect on your digestive system. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are terrible for preventing reflux. These drugs include ibuprofen and aspirin. Surprisingly, taking certain vitamin supplements can promote reflux. Avoid ingesting iron, calcium and potassium tablets.
Obesity can cause reflux. This health condition is characterized by being excessively overweight. Additional weight that presses on the stomach, builds pressure. If the stomach cannot maintain its normal size and pressure, gastric acid can be pushed out through the esophagus and cause irritation and inflammation. Hiatal hernia and diabetes can trigger reflux as well.
Behavioral routine can affect reflux. Smoking tends to make the LES lose strength. If you eat a meal only a few hours before bed, this can allow acid to easily leave the stomach because you are now in a flat position. Lifting things that are heavy and drinking alcohol can generate reflux.
Usual symptoms of reflux are heartburn, dysphagia, nausea, chest pain, regurgitation, sore throat and hoarseness. There are natural treatments for reflux that take into account specific symptoms. The best way to handle acid reflux is to find out what foods, conditions and habits may be the cause.
For more information on the causes, symptoms and remedies for reflux, visit refluxremedy.com today.
Filed under Acid Reflux by admin
Reflux happens when the lower esophageal sphincter does not do its job well. This muscle is supposed to block stomach acid from going where it does not belong, in the esophagus. The LES should allow food to leave the esophagus by contracting to open, and then contract to close tightly right after. Acid in your esophagus can be damaging. The esophagus will become inflamed and irritated. Constant reflux can lead to gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and even cancer of the esophagus.
Heartburn is a likely symptom that you will have if you have reflux. Dysphaia, or difficulty swallowing, will make eating foods unpleasant because of the feeling that food is stuck in your throat. Another symptom of reflux is regurgitation. This happens when food and acid is brought up to the mouth from the stomach, giving your mouth a nasty sour taste. Other symptoms like nausea and chest pain can occur but are less common.
If you have reflux there are several steps you can take to treat this disease. Some holistic remedies can discourage reflux from occurring or treat symptoms that have already been experienced. Natural remedies are the safest line of defense against reflux, GERD, and many other physical ailments.
- Aloe has many healing properties. When juiced and consumed, liquid aloe can reduce reflux symptoms. Aloe juice is a neutralizing force in the stomach and decreases irritation in the esophagus.
- Water can neutralize stomach acid too. Water dilutes gastric acid and makes it less acidic and corrosive. Drinking water before and after a meal is a great way to minimize the acidity of acid produced to digest that specific meal.
- Papaya enzymes are great for digestion. These enzymes assist the body with digesting foods naturally, therefore telling the body that a smaller amount of gastric acid should be generated to digest that meal.
- Ginger has multiple purposes and is a great remedy for reflux. Drink ginger tea or eat ginger root to calm your stomach when you have dysphagia or nausea. A settled stomach will reduce your discomfort.
- Eat meals several hours before you plan to go to sleep. Eating before bed is a bad idea. When you put food in your mouth and chew, the body begins to make gastric acid in preparation for digestion. Eating, then lying down for bed encourages the newly produced acid to slip by the loosened LES.
- Try eating smaller meals. Instead of eating three large meals per day, eat five smaller meals. Large amounts of food put stress on the stomach and increases stomach acid production. The presence of a lot of stomach acid can contribute to reflux.
- Eat foods that are right for you. Your body may react negatively to certain foods and cause acid to reflux. The most common food triggers for reflux are caffeine, garlic and onion. Reducing the amount of alcohol you digest can reduce reflux too.
These are just a few of the ways that you can treat reflux. For more information on these and other treatments and remedies, visit www.refluxremedy.com.
Filed under Acid Reflux Treatment by admin
February 17, 2011
Acid Reflux Foods
Acid reflux disease can be very harmful to your body, possibly causing long-term effects. Stomach acid in your throat and esophagus is dangerous and can cause inflammation. Acid reflux can affect you physically, mentally and socially. Heartburn, difficulty swallowing, regurgitation, sore throat, chest pain, hoarseness and nausea are just some of the symptoms of acid reflux that can leave you in significant pain.
Humans need the right balance of foods in order to be healthy. A heavily acidic diet is not good and can cause acid reflux, stress and imbalance. The kinds of food you eat are closely linked to acid reflux. A balanced diet should include foods that are alkaline and acidic. Alkaline foods are foods with a pH above seven. Naturally, human blood is just slightly acidic. Acidic foods are considered those with pH levels below seven. Having a seven pH is neutral. A high presence of hydrogen in your body increases your risk of having acid reflux. When you eat acid forming foods, hydrogen levels increase.
Most people think that acid forming foods are all acidic tasting. This is not true. Many acidic tasting foods, once combined with gastric acids are more alkaline than acid. The nutrients that come from some of these foods don’t always have the effects you think they will. If you are unsure about which foods are acid forming, make sure to eat a balanced diet that is full of vegetables. Vegetables have a lot of minerals and encourage alkaline formation within the body. Minerals are essential to the body but can’t be absorbed properly when acid levels are high.
Some vegetables that will help to fight acid reflux are: cucumbers, pumpkins, lettuce, eggplant, and all kinds of greens. In each meal make sure to eat a protein, fruit/vegetable and carbohydrates. It is okay to eat most foods in moderation. Foods that are generally bad for reflux are fatty foods. Fatty foods stress the digestive process and increase the likelihood of reflux.
Since acid reflux can be triggered by different foods, keep a record of the foods you eat every day. When reflux happens, write down the food that may have caused it and try to eliminate that food from your diet. Find a substitute for that food item that has similar nutritional value. Make sure to incorporate water into your diet. Water counteracts acid and has a diluting effect. Drink water after a heavy meal when the stomach is producing acid for digestion.
Leaving acid reflux untreated is very risky. If you ignore your acid reflux, this can lead to more harmful conditions. Understanding how diet can affect acid reflux should be your first priority. Doing something about it is the next step. Be proactive about your diet and make the necessary changes to help you control your acid reflux symptoms.
If you would like to find out more information about the types of food that can help you to prevent acid reflux, review The Reflux Remedy Report today.
Some vegetables that will help to fight acid reflux are: cucumbers, pumpkins, lettuce, eggplant, and all kinds of greens. In each meal make sure to eat a protein, fruit/vegetable and carbohydrates. It is okay to eat most foods in moderation. Foods that are generally bad for reflux are fatty foods. Fatty foods stress the digestive process and increase the likelihood of reflux.
Since acid reflux can be triggered by different foods, keep a record of the foods you eat every day. When reflux happens, write down the food that may have caused it and try to eliminate that food from your diet. Find a substitute for that food item that has similar nutritional value. Make sure to incorporate water into your diet. Water counteracts acid and has a diluting effect. Drink water after a heavy meal when the stomach is producing acid for digestion.
Leaving acid reflux untreated is very risky. If you ignore your acid reflux, this can lead to more harmful conditions. Understanding how diet can affect acid reflux should be your first priority. Doing something about it is the next step. Be proactive about your diet and make the necessary changes to help you control your acid reflux symptoms.
If you would like to find out more information about the types of food that can help you to prevent acid reflux, review The Reflux Remedy Report today.
Filed under Acid Reflux by admin