If you constantly have a burning sensation in your chest, hiccup or belch frequently, particularly after a heavy, fatty meal, you may be experiencing heartburn, an ordinary symptom of GERD. Gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERD, is a condition that stems from frequent acid reflux caused when the lower esophageal sphincter operates outside of the ordinary. Instead of tightening to restrict the influx of stomach acid and food that once passed through the esophagus, the loose sphincter or muscular ring allows acid to enter up the esophagus and cause inflammation. When the acid makes contact with the esophagus, a burning feeling begins, and is commonly referred to as heartburn.

Main Symptoms

Heartburn, sometimes referred to as acid indigestion, is primarily felt behind the breast bone but may spread to other nearby areas including the throat and neck. This pain is usually paired with belching. Heartburn is widespread and affects about 40% of the population. Although heartburn alone does not reflect that GERD is present, people that suffer from heartburn several times per week probably have GERD or acid reflux disease.

Gastric acid regurgitation is often associated with heartburn and is a chief symptom of GERD. Regurgitation can be uncomfortable because the acidic content of the stomach has the ability to burn and irritate the esophagus. When this occurs, the esophagus may become inflamed and limit the access of food to the stomach and create pain with swallowing.

Less Obvious Symptoms

Some symptoms of GERD are less-common and may go accidentally unnoticed as a sign of gastroesophageal reflux disease. Chest pain, abdominal discomfort and nausea are among the symptoms that are often misinterpreted as symptoms for other medical conditions and diseases such as a heart attack. The simultaneous onset of these symptoms may be signs of Dyspepsia, where a general stomach ache occurs. Other symptoms for GERD are not typical at all but can serve as a warning sign. These atypical symptoms include but are not limited to asthma, sinusitis, a persistent cough, laryngitis and dentine hypersensitivity.

Defensive Treatment

Regulating the symptoms of GERD can be done through diet and habit. Eating meals that are less acidic a few hours before bed is a great way to reduce heartburn. Refraining from alcohol, fattening meals and chocolate can limit the frequency and intensity of heartburn and GERD. Over the counter medications like ibuprofen found in Advil and other pain relievers can exacerbate the symptoms of GERD. Drinking large amounts of water can neutralize the acidity of the stomach’s natural juices. Preventing GERD may be easier than treating it.

If you are not incorporated in your daily lifestyle and gastroesophageal reflux disease goes untreated, this may lead to gastritis and other complications of the esophagus. This can eventually cause difficulty with breathing and swallowing, essential everyday functions.

The Reflux Remedy Report contains more information on the symptoms for GERD and can assist you in determining your risk level. Go go to refluxremedy.com to view additional tips and methods of treating these symptoms.

Indigestion relief and eating right go hand in hand. Indigestion isn’t caused from any one food more than it is simply from over eating and lying down on a full belly.

It is no secret that the Western pattern diet and it’s ‘food pyramid’ were both designed to sell food, not nurture or preserve optimum health.

There are super foods, good foods, neutral foods and poor foods. The Standard American Diet (SAD), promotes mostly ‘sad’, poor and neutral foods at best.

The result is millions of Americans are looking for digestive relief every day. Fact is 65% of Americans are overweight and about 37% are obese because of foods laden with empty calories, food additives and sugar.

All of these processed food types from super markets and fast food franchises tax the body of vital enzymes, vitamins and minerals, which leads to indigestion and poor health.

In fact indigestion is a symptom of poor diet and failing health.

When seeking relief for indigestion, be careful not to take any antacid gimmicks that cover your symptoms . . . that isn’t real relief. Real relief means your indigestion isn’t going to spring up again or get worse. Antacids have been proven useless and in fact are suspected of making indigestion symptoms eventually worse.

The best way to relieve indigestion is by resorting to eating less, but more often and eating more raw plant-based foods that will alkalize your inner terrain.

The SAD diet depletes you of enzymes, vitamins and their co-factors like potassium and magnesium. Cooked foods require that you make your own enzymes to break down the food into nutrients. Raw plant-based foods carry their own enzymes thus saving yours.

Relief for indigestion is simple but it takes commitment and courage to make the needed dietary and lifestyle changes. Don’t wimp out for the temporary kind of relief, simply cure your indigestion and optimize your health too.

Drinking half your weight in ounces with naturally alkaline water is a great way to improve digestion and relief digestive issues, just be sure to only drink fluids in-between meals to conserve digestive juices . . .that goes for fruits too, it best to eat them in-between meals.

Snacking all day, reducing the size of your meals, hydrating with natural mineral water and eating more raw plants based foods is the key to indigestive relief . . .because you’ll rarely if ever even need relief because you’ll never have indigestion again.

You were born to heal,

Todd M. Faass

Health Advocate

They call it heart burn because acid indigestion causes pain in your chest right behind your heart.

Your heart is actually located in the center of your chest, right behind your sternum, it’s just that the upper part of your heart is turned a little to the left, even though we’ve been told it’s on the left side.

It’s not unusual for people experiencing chest pain from indigestion to panic, thinking it’s a heart attack.

When your stomach has difficulty digesting large amounts of food, it tends to stretch like a balloon forcing pressure on the large muscle surrounding it.

The chest pain from indigestion is sometimes from this larger muscle, called the diaphragm being forced outward. The chest pain can also be from your stomach being pushed upward toward the opening in the diaphragm where your throat is.

Sometimes the pushing is so strong the stomach literally escapes the surrounding diaphragm, near that opening causing a hiatal hernia . . .

Another cause of chest pain from indigestion is acid reflux, which is when the flap that seal the bottom of your throat, to protect stomach acid from passing upward, get’s over come with pressure.

This produces that burning pain you can feel right behind the heart in the middle of your chest, called heart burn.

All this indigestion and chest pain is from your inability to release pressure and digest food fast enough to empty your stomach.

You can either eat less over all or break your meals down into smaller meals throughout the day, or both.

Some people have chest pain from lack of digestive juices causing undigested food to pile up; others just eat too much through the day, or at the last minute before bed.

Your chest pain may not be a heart attack, but indigestion that triggers chest pain has been known to trigger heart attacks . . .

Also eating a large meal before exerting yourself can cause chest pain too.

So learn to relax, breathe deeply, eat small meals of diverse foods and try to go for a casual walk after eating. Chest pain is a serious issue whether it’s indigestion, poor circulation or a heart attack . . . always see your doctor if it recurs or won’t go away.

You were born to heal,

Todd M. Faass

Health Advocate

If you’re searching for a natural treatment for gas, belching and heartburn, look no further! There are a huge number of ways you can neutralize heartburn and its associated symptoms without reaching for a bottle of pills.

1. Ginger is an age old remedy for all types of stomach ailments, including heartburn, gas and belching. It can be found in tea or candied forms and is equally effective across all mediums. If you’re experiencing heartburn, simply drink a glass of ginger tea, or eat a few pieces of candied ginger to help relieve the pain.

2. Modify your eating habits. If you’re a sucker for that fifth cup of coffee, extra onion on your burger, or extra lemon juice in your tea, you may want to rethink things. Coffee, garlic, onion, citrus and alcohol are all common causes of heartburn and indigestion. Additionally, you can modify your eating habits by watching how much you eat how often. If you’re in the habit of eating a lot just a few times a day, try the opposite and see how that helps. Eating less, more can help your body better deal with the food it’s given, preventing acid buildup and subsequent gas and heartburn.

3. Try drinking a glass of water. The water will help to dilute harmful stomach acids and flush out your digestive system. For extra benefits, add a tablespoon or two of apple cider vinegar to the water. This will help to neutralize stomach acids and bring fast relief from gas and heartburn pain.

4. Aloe vera juice is also helpful to some people when it comes to relieving heartburn and the associated belching and gas. A quarter of a cup before or after meals can help neutralize acids. However, it’s important to note that this is aloe vera juice, not gel. Aloe vera gel should never be consumed as it can cause additional digestive problems. Only drink aloe vera juice that is labeled as juice and meant for consumption.

5. Exercise regularly. Not only will this routine help you to maintain better health, but it will provide a stress release, which will keep stomach acids from building up.

6. This leads us to stress relief. Stress is a major cause of heartburn and indigestion. So, focus on reducing your stress levels to provide heartburn relief. Go for a walk, take up yoga or meditation, practice deep breathing, listen to soothing music or get a massage. Doing these types of things will help you to keep stress at bay, and provide a natural way to deal with your heartburn.

7. Papaya can also help relieve your gas, belching and heartburn symptoms. Papaya contains a digestive enzyme that helps your body break food down and prevents the buildup of stomach acids.

8. Some people have even found success with naturally relieving heartburn by eating an apple before or after each meal. Apparently, at least for some, an apple a day really does keep the doctor away.

These are just a few suggestions for natural treatment for gas, belching and heartburn. For more information, visit refluxremedy.com.