Natural Heartburn Relief

It starts with a burning sensation in your chest, a kind of prickly tingling that happens when you lay down or after a spicy meal.

What's commonly known as heartburn can be discomforting from the onset, but also dangerous with prolonged cases. While heartburn or indigestion can happen naturally, those suffering from it may have trouble relieving the symptoms depending on the trigger. Certain foods, behaviors or conditions can cause the acid in our stomachs to move into the esophagus, which causes the burning sensation, but the trick is to identify the source, then find relief.

Prevent Yourself from Getting Burned

Spicy foods, or foods with high acidity such as peppers and tomatoes, can cause heartburn, as can overeating. If spicy food tends to cause these symptoms, try enjoying smaller quantities or avoiding them all together. Some of these foods may include:

• caffeinated beverages and alcohol
• citrus fruits
• chocolate
• fried foods
• garlic
• mint
• onions
• peppers
• spices
• tomato-based foods such as spaghetti sauce, salsa, chili, pizza and soup

Overeating is also a common cause of indigestion, which can be easily avoided by eating slowly and stopping before you feel full. Both avoidance and moderation are easy and common methods of naturally preventing heartburn before it starts.

If, however, giving up the foods you love is not your first choice, consider eating the foods that cause you discomfort earlier in the day, as heartburn can be brought about by lying down horizontally at night. Lying down can sometimes hinder the sphincter separating your stomach from your esophagus from creating a tight seal, allowing some of the acid from the stomach to leak into your esophagus. This may lead to discomfort, and possibly keeping you up at night. Eating the spicy foods you enjoy earlier in the day gives your body more time to digest and break down the food.

If you still experience heartburn at night, lying slightly upright with your torso higher up can allow gravity to help keep the acid in your stomach.

Put Out the Fire

Quick heartburn relief can come from foods with basic chemical properties that balance the acidity in the stomach. Dairy products, especially milk with a fat content, can actually help coat the throat and put out the fire at the onset of indigestion. Adding more vegetables to your diet balances out the heavily acidic foods, while getting enough vitamin D can help eliminate any infectious component that may be contributing to the heartburn.

The cause of heartburn is often that there's too little acid in the stomach. If your body is not naturally producing enough acid for proper digestions, you may consider incorporating unprocessed salt or sea salt - which contains chloride, a key mineral your body needs for natural acid production - into your diet. Adding apple cider or raw honey can also increase the natural stomach acids. Additionally, incorporating a natural hydrochloric acid supplement is another way to increase your body's acid production.

Aside from what we eat, lifestyle can also play a major role in heartburn. In fact, smoking, alcohol and obesity can all be major contributors. If a small change in your eating habit isn't enough to relieve the burn, consider stopping smoking, avoiding alcohol and losing weight. Wearing lose fitting clothing to relieve pressure on your body can also help ease heartburn.

If any of these methods cannot aid your symptoms or worsen your condition, see a medical professional, as you may be suffering from a more serious case of indigestion or condition.

Sources:

http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/gerd/

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/06/05/natural-ways-to-relieve-heartburn-symptoms.aspx

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/35613/natural_ways_to_relieve_heartburn.html

http://www.articlesbase.com/nutrition-articles/natural-heartburn-relief-learn-how-to-cure-heartburn-naturally-461724.html

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