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 experiencing intense stomach pain after eating, you may have a stomach or gastric ulcer. Pain after eating is one of the main symptoms of this condition, as well as nausea, weight loss, heartburn or acid reflux, loss of appetite, vomiting, blood in your stool, or you may not have any symptoms at all.

Gastric ulcers occur when the delicate lining in the stomach becomes damaged or torn. This can be the result of too much acid in the stomach that wears away the lining or some other trauma.

The most common cause of gastric ulcers is the H. Pylori bacteria. The bacteria are fairly common in most people. It becomes a problem when it runs rampant and causes damage to the stomach lining. Although some people can get ulcers from too much stress or too much spicy fooulcer, it’s much more common to get an ulcer as a result of H. Pylori.

So, what can you do about it? If your ulcer is in fact due to H. Pylori, you’ll have to undergo a series of tests, antibiotics and more tests to make sure the bacteria is in fact gone. In the mean time, or if your ulcer is the result of something other than H. Pylori, you can help your body heal itself by following a few simple steps.

1. Be careful of what you eat. Certain foods, like fatty foods, some types of meat (ground beef, marbled cuts of meat, etc.), whole milk and other fatty dairy products, and some vitamins (like iron and calcium) are very difficult to digest and can exacerbate an ulcer. Use caution when consuming these foods if you have an ulcer. You may want to focus your diet on more easily digestible foods, like those that contain whole grains, fish, and other foods that are high in vitamins that your body needs to heal.

2. Avoid pain killers. Although your intense stomach pain after eating may have you reaching for a bottle of Aspirin, you should resist that urge. Pain killers are known to cause gastric ulcers, and can significantly worsen existing ulcers. So, use other methods to relieve your ulcer pain.

3. Eat smaller meals. This will help your body better handle the digestive process. When your stomach is already injured, adding large amounts of food can stress the area and slow the healing process dramatically, as well as worsen your pain. So, simply eat less more frequently to help your body heal.

4. Focus on lowering your stress levels. Stress can worsen an ulcer by increasing the amount of acid in your stomach. So do what you can to mellow out. Get a massage, take time to curl up with a good book, add exercise to your daily routine, practice meditation and deep breathing, or listen to some soothing music at work. Do whatever you need to in order to take the focus off the stressful situation and place it back on your overall mental health. Your body will thank you for it.

You don’t need to continuously suffer intense stomach pain after eating. See your doctor and take steps to help your body heal from its ailments. For more information on intense stomach pain after eating, and healing the condition naturally, visit refluxremedy.com.

Acid reflux is a terribly common problem among people in today’s fast paced culture of high fat foods and things that can be eaten on the go. There are a number of acid reflux foods to avoid, and certain things that will help eliminate and prevent your heartburn.

First, let’s look at what acid reflux actually is and how it happens. Stomach acid helps to break down food in your stomach so that your body can extract the vitamins and nutrients it needs. Certain things like difficult to digest foods, stress, smoking, or lying down after eating can cause that acid to creep up into your esophagus. This causes pain, indigestion, burping, hiccups and can even result in damage to the esophagus if the reflux occurs frequently.

Trigger Foods

Everyone has their own foods that will set off acid reflux, however there are a few common triggers. These foods should be avoided to help prevent damage to the esophagus, and keep heartburn at bay. They include:

• Garlic
• Caffeine
• Alcohol
• Citrus (including juices that are high in acids)
• Onions
• Meats that are difficult to digest (like ground beef, marbled sirloin and chicken wings)
• Dairy

To help find out what your own triggers are, start a food journal. Keep track of what you eat, how much you eat and when you eat it. That will help you to better understand what sets your acid reflux off, and narrow down your specific triggers. Some of your food triggers may surprise you!

What you can do

Now, just because there are a ton of foods you should avoid doesn’t mean you need to go on an extreme, crash course diet. It’s always best to try to maintain a balanced diet, so things like dairy, citrus and meat that are part of a healthy diet should not be completely cut out. They should just be consumed in moderation, and possibly in tandem with other heartburn preventatives.

Heartburn Preventatives

Sometimes foods that are known to cause heartburn for you just can’t be avoided. Maybe you’re at a friend’s house and they cooked nachos for you with ground beef, onions, and a whole host of other heartburn triggers just waiting to settle into your stomach. So what can you do?

Try taking a papaya enzyme tablet after you eat. Papaya contains digestive enzymes that will help your body to digest foods and prevent acid buildup that causes reflux.

Try drinking a full glass of water after you eat. This will help dilute stomach acids and flush your digestive tract out so you won’t have to experience excess irritation. For more effective relief or prevention, try adding a tablespoon or two of apple cider vinegar to a full glass of water. This will help neutralize the acid in your stomach in addition to washing it away.

Eat an apple before or after your meal. Apparently the old adage “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” has some basis, as many people are finding success with this technique for keeping acid reflux at bay.

There are countless home remedies you can try to prevent and relieve heartburn. The Reflux Remedy Report promotes natural heartburn remedies and can help you prevent your acid reflux, as well as formulate a diet appropriate for acid reflux. For more information on acid reflux food to avoid and other preventative measures you can take, visit refluxremedy.com today!

When some people are suffering from heartburn, the last thing they tend to reach for is a glass of water, especially when we’re talking about severe heartburn pain. However, water can often be a very effective way to resolve heartburn.

Heartburn happens when stomach acids are allowed to escape the stomach and make their way into the esophagus. This causes pain and discomfort that often radiates from the stomach or mid chest area through the neck. It can be accompanied by burping, reflux (which means acid makes its way all the way into the mouth), and hiccuping.

Heartburn’s Causes

Heartburn has a number of causes, ranging from foods to clothing and stress.

Everyone has their own food triggers for heartburn, and frequent heartburn sufferers might want to keep a log of what they eat in order to identify their specific triggers. However, some common heartburn instigators are caffeine, alcohol, garlic and citrus fruits.

Your daily habits can also cause heartburn. If you go to bed right after eating, stomach acid can creep up into your esophagus, causing heartburn. To avoid this, try sleeping propped up a bit, or just don’t eat less than 2 hours before bed. Additionally, don’t overeat. Large meals are more difficult for the body to digest, and can cause acid to back up. Smaller, more frequent meals are an excellent way to prevent heartburn before it happens.

Don’t wear clothes that are too tight for you. Constraints on the stomach can force stomach acid into the esophagus even if you’re eating all the right foods.

Smoking also causes heartburn, in addition to all the other potentially fatal health problems it causes.

Stress can easily cause the body to go into overdrive when it comes to acid production, so try to stay as calm as possible to avoid feeling the burn later in the day. Take deep breaths, listen to soothing music, try some yoga, count to 10, do whatever you need to in order to keep stress at bay.

Pouring Water on the Fire

Staying properly hydrated is a constant battle for many people. Recommended portions of water continuously change, and vary from person to person. Generally speaking though, you should drink 8 to 10 glasses of water every day. Practicing this technique can help keep a number of conditions at bay, including heartburn. It works by keeping toxins out of your body by diluting them or flushing them away.

This also applies to stomach acid. When it comes to heartburn, drinking a large glass of water can help to wash stomach acids that are causing pain and discomfort away. It’s such a simple solution most people overlook in favor of popping an antacid.

However, depending on the cause of your heartburn an antacid may not always work, especially if your heartburn is due to dehydration. Occasionally, your body will signal dehydration with heartburn, and if you simply pop an antacid your problem won?t be solved and most likely your symptoms won’t be relieved.

When it comes to relief, heartburn and water go hand in hand. For more tips on relieving heartburn naturally, read The Reflux Remedy Report at refluxremedy.com today.