Natural treatments and Home Remedies for Acid Reflux

There are many people around the world who are familiar with the symptoms of acid reflux. There are more than 60 million Americans who experience acid reflux at least once per month. This is a chronic digestive disease. Acid reflux is also known as GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease). It occurs when the stomach acid or in some cases the stomach content flows back into your esophagus (food pipe). The backwash (reflux) irritates the lining of the esophagus and causes acid reflux. One of the most common causes of this condition is a stomach abnormality which is known as hiatal hernia. This condition happens when the upper part of the stomach and LES move about the diaphragm which is a muscle that separates the stomach from the chest. Our diaphragm helps keep acid in the stomach. If we have a hiatal hernia, then the acid moves up into your esophagus and causes symptoms of acid reflux disease.

The most common symptoms of acid reflux are a burning sensation in your chest which sometimes can spread to your throat, along with a sour taste in your mouth; chest pain’ difficulty swallowing; dry cough, etc. If you suffer from acid reflux, then you need to talk with your doctor about the best treatment for you. Here are some home remedies for acid reflux:

17 Acid Reflux natural cures and home remedies

Baking soda

The gnawing heartburn sensation that is perpetuated by acid reflux can be effectively treated using a tablespoonful of sodium bicarbonate. Being a base substance it is effective in healing your reflux condition, this is because it has a pH of more than seven and this makes it effective in neutralizing the acid condition in your stomach. The practice required to prepare this medication is to add one spoonful of baking soda to eight-ounce of water. Steer this mixture thoroughly and drink it. It is recommended that you repeat this practice several times a day. [1]

Aloe juice

This herb has been used to soothe burns since ancient times, in fact, some people do use it to soothe sunburns. It is effective in soothing sunburn because it has the ability to curtail inflammation [2]. This is important because only a glass of its juice is effective to eliminate and treat tummy irritation and inflammations. To use it prepare a half glass of the juice and drink it whenever you have the effect of heartburn.

Chew Gum

They are very important as a treatment for Acid Reflux, this is because chewing sugar-free, and chewing gum helps to stimulate the salivary gland to produce extra saliva. This is important in helping neutralize or dilute acid build-up in your stomach. This is then washed away as well as eliminated completely. You can adapt the best practice to follow is to give yourself some sugar-free chewing gums after your meals. These should be done for a period of thirty minutes and the outcome will be very impressive. [3]

Chin-up

When lying down there is a high likelihood that the food we ate can back up into our esophagus. This can happen with acid as well. The main reason behind this is that gravity is working against you and it is likely to facilitate this condition. The best practice to adopt in this situation is to raise your head slightly using a pillow. You can also avoid the condition by not lying down for about four hours after meals.

Induce more acid

In most cases, the condition of acid reflux is caused by limited acid in your gut. It is therefore recommended that whenever you experience the condition it is important that you induce some into your tract to help supplement the high requirement. This can be achieved by mixing around one teaspoonful of apple cider vinegar into eight-ounce of water. After this drink, the mixture or solution is prepared. This should be done before you take your meals.

Gingerroot tea

It has the ability to act as an acid buffer, it also has the capacity to calm down your tummy and ensure that you are not woes by acid problems. It is therefore recommended that when you are using this remedy, it is important to take a cup of this freshly prepared tea around twenty minutes before taking your meal. This can be prepared by slicing around a three-quarter piece of gingerroots. Add this to two cups of water then allow it to simmer. After this cover, it for around a half an hour, remove the ginger roots then drink the liquid before taking your meal.

Banana

It is well staffed with antacids and these are an effective buffer for Acid Reflux. This can be achieved by eating ripe bananas on a daily basis. [4]

Apples

Apples have similar components that react against Acid Reflux, and this makes it an important treatment to Prevent Acid Reflux. The practice which should be adopted is by taking some slivers of apple on a daily basis sometime before going to bed. This will help to eradicate discomfort that is caused by Acid Reflux.

Dressing code

Clothing that since your waist has the potential to make your heartburn condition grow worse. This normally forces the waistband to sink into your abdomen and this is likely to steer up the condition. This will force the content of your stomach to push through and increase the severity of Acid Reflux.

Smoking & Drinking

Smoking and drinking have the potential of exposing you to dangerous reflux [5]. This is because the nicotine, as well as the alcohol content in these items, has the effect of making you weak. This makes you susceptible to a splash up of stomach content as well as the acid in your stomach. Alcohol can also make your stomach to be irritated. Therefore it is recommended that you quit smoking and reduce the rate at which you drink.

Cutting weight

When you are overweight you are at risk of suffering heartburn more often, the reason behind this is because an increased weight has the effect of exerting pressure on your lower esophageal sphincter. This makes it easy to loosen and with time it becomes weak hence making you be prone to Acid Reflux.

Mustard

Being an alkalizing food that is endowed with a lot of minerals, mustard has weak acid. This makes the consumption of mustard an effective remedy because; it works by neutralizing the acidic content that is likely to creep up through your throat. This is important because it helps to make the pain caused by the Acid Reflux neutral. You are only required to take a little amount straight for you to kick off your healing process.

Almonds

After every meal, appreciate the art of eating some almonds, this should be a culture in that every time you eat something you follow it with an almond. It is effective because it works by neutralizing the acidic condition of the juices in your stomach. This gives you faster relief hence preventing Acid Reflux. [6]

Chamomile

It reduces inflammations in your stomach and this initiates balance in the stomach acidity. It is also an effective treatment because it helps to eliminate stress which always is associated with the secretion of acid in the stomach. It is therefore recommended that taking chamomile tea does not have any negative effect but rather helps you to recover from Acid Reflux. [7]

It is prepared by boiling some water after that add to it one teaspoonful of chamomile petals. Leave these to simmer for around one hour. Get it out of the fire and allow the petals to soak for around two hours. Strain the petals and pour the resultant strain into a glass and add honey to it. Drink and wait to feel the effect.

Yoga

This is important because it helps to relax your body and mind, these are important in ensuring that there is effective functioning of your esophageal muscles. The muscles are significant in ensuring that the acids are kept lower in the track so as to prevent instances of reflux. [8]

Betaine

Betaine which is a hydrochloric supplement is also another significant medication for this condition because only a single capsule of the medicine has the potential of reducing Acid Reflux. This it does by ensuring that your digestive system properly digests the food that you take in. it is also well known because of its ability to wage destruction on the pylori bacteria. In this way, it emerges to be a very effective medication. What you are required to do while using it is to take a capsule before taking any meal to increase its ability to act on the food that you will eat.

References:

[1] Kaechele B. Does baking soda for acid reflux actually work? Reflux MD. Retrieved from www.refluxmd.com/baking-soda-for-acid-reflux/

[2] Grundmann O. Aloe vera gel research review: An overview of its clinical uses and proposed mechanisms of action. Natural Medicine Journal. 2012;4(9).

[3] Avidan B, Sonnenberg A, Schnell TG, Sontag SJ.  Walking and chewing reduce postprandial acid reflux. Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics. 2001;15(2):151-5.

[4] Davenport T. Why bananas are a good choice for people with acid reflux. Health Central. 2015. Retrieved from www.healthcentral.com/article/why-bananas-are-a-good-choice-for-people-with-acid-reflux

[5] Kahrilas PJ, Gupta RR. Mechanisms of acid reflux associated with cigarette smoking. Gut. 1990;31(1):4-10.

[6] Ros E. Health benefits of nut consumption. Nutrients. 2010;2(7):652-82.

[7] Srivastava JK, Shankar E, Gupta S. Chamomile: A herbal medicine of the past with bright future. Molecular Medicine Reports. 2010;3(6):895-901.

[8] Woodyard C. Exploring the therapeutic effects of yoga and its ability to increase quality of life. International Journal of Yoga. 2011;4(2):49-54.