Acid Reflux Disease happens when the sufferer has heartburn more than twice a week, or chronically.? There are a number of ways to approach finding relief for this painful problem.? Most people will immediately go for medication, be it over the counter antacids or prescription medications.? However, there are a surprising amount of natural remedies that can prevent ever needing to reach for a bottle of pills.

• Changing your eating habits can be the first step, and easiest way, to alleviate heart burn. Eating smaller more frequent meals can prevent overloading the stomach all at once and causing a buildup of pressure and acid. Also, eating 2 to 3 hours before bed can help prevent that night time heartburn from creeping up.
• Smokers should quit smoking, as it has been shown to worsen acid reflux.
• People who are overweight can try losing a few pounds. The extra weight puts added pressure on the chest and abdomen, causing reflux.
• Tight clothing should also be avoided. Similarly to extra weight, it puts pressure on the abdomen.
• Drinking a glass of chamomile or fennel tea can help soothe an irritated esophagus when sipped slowly at a warm temperature.
• A few tablespoons of apple cider vinegar can help during heartburn, and when diluted in a cup of water before meals can help prevent future reflux.
• Aloe Vera juice can help when consumed before meals. However, the gel from an aloe plant will not. It’s a powerful laxative and shouldn’t be consumed to relieve heart burn. Only drink Aloe Vera juice.
• Ginger has been found to help with many stomach problems, including acid reflux. It can be taken in pill form, drank in tea, or consumed in candied form. When taken before meals it acts as a preventative, and can help soothe when taken during heartburn.
• Almonds contain natural oils found to help alleviate heartburn. A handful is all it takes to calm an upset stomach.
• Papaya contains an enzyme that has a digestive enzyme to help break down foods and prevent pressure build up. When taken before meals it can help prevent the onset of acid reflux.
• For long term prevention and healing damage done to the esophagus by chronic heart burn, the amino acid glutamine can help. It promotes healing and eliminates damaged cells in the esophagus.
• Unflavored yogurt has helpful bacteria that promote healing in the esophagus and tightening of the muscles, preventing future onsets.
• Some people have even found eating an apple helps rid them of heartburn.
• Drinking a glass of milk – some recommend skim, some recommend whole – may help relieve acid reflux.
• Something as simple as drinking a glass of water can help. By diluting the stomach acids and flushing the system faster it can be an excellent way to soothe heart burn.

The Reflux Remedy Report contains even more ideas for getting rid of acid reflux disease.? Check it out!

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.

Heartburn is the uncomfortable result of stomach acids backing up into the esophagus.? While medicines are widely used to treat heartburn, there are a number of inexpensive home remedies that can be tried before rushing out and spending a healthy sum on a month’s supply of medication.

• First of all, try changing your eating routine a bit. Eat smaller more frequent meals instead of a few giant ones. This helps prevent the buildup of acid and pressure in the stomach from too much food. Also, avoid eating before bed. Gravity helps keep acids where they belong, and lying prostrate allows them into the esophagus if the stomach is full.
• Watch your weight. Extra pounds on the chest and abdomen create pressure build up in the stomach causing reflux.
• Try putting a few pillows under your head when you sleep. This will help gravity do its job. In addition, when napping during the day, sleep in a chair or in a semi-upright position.
• Stop smoking. Heartburn is only one of the many health issues caused by smoking.
• Watch what you eat. Certain foods can trigger heartburn. Garlic, caffeine, alcohol, citrus and onion are a few common triggers. Monitor what sets you off and then stay away from that food.
• Don’t wear clothes that are too tight. They put pressure on the abdomen, causing acid to back up into the esophagus.
• Avoid medications known to cause heartburn, like calcium, iron, potassium and NSAID pain relievers such as aspirin and ibuprofen.
• Drink a glass of water. This helps dilute the stomach acids and flush contents through the system.
• Chew gum. Your body responds similarly to drinking water when chewing gum. Excess saliva helps flush your stomach contents and dilute acids.
• Ginger is an effective natural remedy for many stomach conditions, including heartburn. When taken in pill form, as tea, or candied it can help treat and prevent heartburn.
• Fennel or chamomile tea, when sipped warm, can help soothe acid reflux.
• Milk can help absorb stomach acids, but should be used in moderation as it also contains fats that are difficult to digest and causes acid production.
• Papaya contains a helpful digestive enzyme that aides in the breakdown of foods. When taken before meals, it helps prevent the buildup of pressure in the stomach.
• Glutamine, an amino acid, can help heal damage done to the esophagus as a result of frequent acid reflux and eliminate damaged cells.
• Just a few tablespoons of undiluted apple cider vinegar can eliminate heartburn. When diluted in water, it acts as a preventative.
• Just a handful of almonds contain soothing oils that help relieve heartburn.
• Unflavored yogurt has helpful bacteria that aid in the healing process of the esophagus and helps tighten esophageal muscles.

For more ideas on natural heartburn remedies, please see our Reflux Remedy Report.

Heartburn and stomach viruses have more in common than you may first think.

Most people are discovering that it’s easy to be immune to viruses; it doesn’t matter if you are exposed to them. In fact the whole flu virus vaccine is a scam. Most people that get the shot are now carrying the live or attenuated virus . . . along with mercury and other poisons.

There is no scientific proof the viral shot even helps-at best it might protect you for a week and a half.

But there’s something else you need to know about viruses and heartburn . . . neither one can harm you if your internal “environment” is healthy.

Let me explain. If your saliva, tissue and blood “environment” is balanced at about pH 7.4 even cancers cells are dormant. Viruses, like cancer cells, require a low oxygen, high acid and low pH to thrive.

Stomach viruses can’t even reproduce unless they take over your cells, which they cannot when your pH is “salty” or alkaline.

When I say “salty” I don’t mean table salt, I mean, mineral rich, sea salty. Your healthy blood, tissue and saliva are nearly identical to sea water as far as composition and pH.

Your heartburn also depends on a healthy pH. Only your stomach environment should have a low pH, which means high acid levels.

However your “gut,” or digestive system, needs to be more “salty” and less acid. Only your stomach lining is tough enough for stomach acid. The rest of your digestive tract is gradually less acidic and more alkaline because it has to support delicate flora and microorganisms that help break your food down even further, after your stomach acid and powerful enzymes get first shot.

The two are connected because if your gut is out of balance, that means the good bacteria and micro-organisms are being overrun by bad bacteria and evil microorganisms.

Once the bad guys take over, your digestive system, or gut, fails to pull enough minerals, nutrients and cofactors from your food as it goes through your long plumbing system.

This means that your immune system is compromised and to make things worse, now you may be suffering from heartburn caused from your stomachs inability to properly digest your food.

Yes, that’s right, more often than not; heartburn is actually caused from lack of stomach acid. You see, to make stomach acid, your gall bladder and other organs need plenty of minerals, vitamins and enzymes.

So stomach acid is eventually connected to viral infections.

The last thing you want is Candida albicans growing in your gut. Candida is the bad micro-organism, not to mention E. coli and viruses. Candida is yeast that turns into a fungus that puts holes in your gut and allows undigested food molecules to get in your blood.

While your immune system is burdened with fighting this problem, it uses up what nutrient stores you had left.

Once your system bogs down because of low oxygen, low pH and low nutrition, acid wastes build up inside your cells.

Viruses like acidic cells; they can compromise them and eventually take them over to help reproduce more viruses.

So learn how to stay alkaline and eat more “raw,” nutrient rich, food sources to promote your minerals and all that good stuff-your body will take care of the rest.

You were born to heal,

Todd M. Faass?

Health Ecologist