What Is The Cause Of Heartburn?

By Andrew Benford

Heartburn is a painful condition involving the upper digestive system. It is the result of stomach acid reflux when the LES (lower esophageal sphincter) weakens.

There are several causes of heartburn. The food you eat is the most common factor. Drinking coffee, tea, soda and other drinks that contain caffeine will weaken the LES (lower esophageal sphincter) and cause the stomach acid to reflux.

You should stay away from foods that are spicy, fatty and greasy. It takes longer for these foods to be digested and pressures the LES (lower esophageal sphincter).

Dining in an Italian restaurant may not be a good idea because dishes with tomatoes or tomato sauces relax the LES (lower esophageal sphincter) and can trigger heartburn.

Citrus fruits and juices like orange, lemon, lime and grapefruit relaxes the LES (lower esophageal sphincter).

Drinking milk and eating dairy products slows down the digestion process and incites acid production.

It is not advisable to keep any booze in your fridge. Alcoholic beverages heighten acidity in the stomach and relax the LES (lower esophageal sphincter).

Don't be tempted to eat chocolate. Chocolate makes the LES (lower esophageal sphincter) relax.

Food may be the biggest contributor in causing heartburn but there are other factors such as cigarette or cigar smoking. The chemicals in the cigarette smoke weaken the LES (lower esophageal sphincter).

Eating within 2 to 3 hours before bed time can also cause heartburn. When you are lying down with a full stomach, the stomach contents are pushed to the LES (lower esophageal sphincter).

Wearing tight fitting clothes like girdles, corsets and belts squeezes the stomach and causes the food to reflux into the esophagus.

Tough exercises can force your stomach and LES (lower esophageal sphincter) to go into spasm. Avoid exercise after meals.

If you are suffering from other illnesses, ask your doctor if the medicines you are taking can trigger heartburn. - 32390

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Managing Pregnancy Heartburn

By Keira Adams

Pregnancy and heartburn all too frequently seem to go hand in hand. One of the reasons for this is the elevated hormone levels in a pregnant woman's body. This leads to softening of the ligaments that are responsible for regulating the passageway that leads from the stomach to the esophagus. Therefore, gastric acid is able to travel up the esophagus and throat more easily. A further reason why women who are pregnant experience heartburn is due to more pressure in the stomach area resulting from the development of the baby. Often this can push the contents of the stomach up to the esophagus.

There are plenty of choices when it comes to relieving the pain of heartburn throughout pregnancy. Following are some strategies that will offer some relief.

* Keep your head elevated at least six to eight inches while sleeping. A special acid reflux wedge pillow might be helpful to help you maintain this position. This will assist gravity to prevent the acids in your stomach from making their way up the esophagus.

* Keep away from alcoholic beverages. It is hazardous to your baby and is also a contributor to heartburn.

* Stay away from foods that produce heartburn. This includes chocolate, highly spiced foods, citrus, tomato based foods, along with fatty and fried foods.

* Don't bend from the waist; use your knees instead. This puts less pressure on your stomach.

* Don't slouch when seated. Sit straight in a comfy chair.

* Avoid tight clothing. Constriction around the waist and stomach will lead to heartburn.

* Don't lie down to sleep until it's been three hours since your last meal. This will help you avoid nighttime heartburn.

* Sip a minimum of 8 to 10 glasses of water a day. But be careful that you don't drink while eating if you can possibly help it. This will lead the abdomen to swell too much and push out the stomach acids.

* Do not eat too fast.

* Eat smaller portions of food. Eating small meals spaced throughout the day will alleviate the pressure on the stomach.

* Do not gain an exorbitant amount of weight. All that surplus fat puts extra pressure on the stomach.

* Stop smoking. This isn't only bad for the baby, it is a frequent trigger for heartburn.

* Avoid caffeinated beverages such as coffee, tea, and soda. - 32390

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Acid Reflux Alternative Treatment: How To Treat Acid Reflux From Home The Easy Way

By Billy Brown

There will always be people who suffer from acid reflux for years. It won't matter what medications they take or what they try. The pain they have will not go away easily. For many people acid reflux can not be cured from medication. In fact, some people will find that the medication may make things worse!

Now is a good time for you try some home treatments. Many of these work and they cost allot less to experiment with. Some of these remedies may even offer you long term results. Here are 5 of the best home remedies that you can try out for yourself.

#1: The most popular natural cure for acid reflux is apple cider vinegar. It can be very fast and very effective. This might seem strange because you are adding acid to the stomach when you drink this. However, in many cases your stomach is burning because it needs more acid. Give it a try for yourself.

#2: Fennel seeds are an excellent herb that help boost your digestive system. It is believed that they have the ability to stop spasms in the stomach. You can add fennel seed to your food by sprinkling them on it.

#3: Ginger root is a great herb for some conditions of acid reflux. What it will do is help absorb much of the acid that is in your stomach. Of course it could also cause your stomach to produce more acid in some cases. You have to experiment with it a little.

#4: I have personally found red tea to be very good for dealing with stomach problems. It can be good for the digestive system and it is a very relaxing tea. You can drink red tea without having to worry about caffeine.

#5 Many people could avoid acid reflux by eating smaller meals. When you eat larger meals your stomach has to produce more acid and work hard to digest the foods. So keep your meals small and eat more frequently if you need too.

There are lots and lots other remedies that you could try, but those 5 should give you a good start. - 32390

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Avoiding Heartburn Throughout Pregnancy

By Keira Adams

Pregnancy and heartburn all too often seem to be related. Among the reasons for this is the increased hormone levels in a pregnant woman's body. This causes softening of the ligaments that are responsible for regulating the passageway that leads from the stomach to the esophagus. Consequently, gastric acid is able to travel up the esophagus and throat with less difficulty. A further reason why women who are pregnant suffer from heartburn is due to more pressure in the stomach region caused by the growth of the baby. Often that can trigger the stomach acids to climb up to the esophagus.

There are lots of options when it comes to relieving the pain of heartburn throughout pregnancy. The following guidelines ought to give you some relief.

* Keep your head elevated at least six to eight inches while sleeping. You may find a specially made acid reflux wedge pillow to be useful in these situations. This gives gravity some assistance in preventing your stomach acids from climbing the esophagus.

* Keep away from alcoholic beverages. It is harmful to your child and is also a factor in heartburn.

* Stay away from foods that are known to bring about heartburn. This means chocolate, spicy foods, citrus, tomato based foods, as well as fatty and fried foods.

* Do not bend from the waist; use your knees instead. This keeps pressure off the stomach.

* Watch your posture while sitting. Sit straight in a comfy chair.

* Choose loose fitting clothes. Restricting the abdominal area will often lead to heartburn.

* Do not go to sleep for at least three hours following eating. This will help prevent nighttime heartburn.

* Sip a minimum of 8 to 10 glasses of water each day. But do not drink too much while you're eating. This will cause the abdomen to swell too much and expel the stomach acids.

* Eat your food in a leisurely manner.

* Consume smaller portions. Having several mini meals during the day will keep the pressure off your abdomen.

* Keep weight gain to healthy levels. All that surplus fat puts added pressure on the stomach.

* Stop smoking. This is not just bad for the baby, it's a frequent cause of heartburn.

* Stay away from caffeinated beverages such as coffee, tea, and soda. - 32390

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Acid Reflux Alternative Treatment: How To Treat Acid Reflux From Home The Easy Way

By Billy Brown

Let's face it, acid reflux is becoming a bigger and bigger problem for many people. Although, there are many different medications on the market, not all of them are effective. In fact, many people try several different drugs and still have a hard time getting rid of the symptoms of acid reflux.

Now is a good time for you try some home treatments. Many of these work and they cost allot less to experiment with. Some of these remedies may even offer you long term results. Here are 5 of the best home remedies that you can try out for yourself.

#1: Apple cider vinegar is the closest thing most people well ever get to having a miracle cure for acid reflux. Take one or two teaspoons whenever you feel the burning starting. It will help sooth your stomach. Don't believe me? Give it try for yourself.

#2: Fennel seeds are an excellent herb that help boost your digestive system. It is believed that they have the ability to stop spasms in the stomach. You can add fennel seed to your food by sprinkling them on it.

#3: Ginger root is a great herb for some conditions of acid reflux. What it will do is help absorb much of the acid that is in your stomach. Of course it could also cause your stomach to produce more acid in some cases. You have to experiment with it a little.

#4: Red tea come with a long list of health benefits. One of those benefits happens to be helping with your digestive system. You could have a red tea after each meal. It's important to know that red tea has no caffeine it it. You should be able to drink as much of it as you like as long as it doesn't bother you.

#5: One of the absolute basic things you should do is look after your lifestyle. This means reducing stress, avoiding spicy foods, stop smoking, and stay away from caffeine as much as you can. For some people the basics will be enough to get rid of their acid reflux.

That should give you a good start towards treating your acid reflux from home. Just keep in mind that there more ways to cure acid reflux then just taking medications that your doctor recommends. - 32390

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