The Lowdown On The Best Acid Reflux Remedies
Let’s face it. Acid Reflux is one of the most painful and difficult to get rid of conditions. People suffering from
it complain of frequent heartburn that is caused by the backing up of digestive acids from the stomach, up into the esophagus and the throat. There are some common acid reflux remedies that are used to assuage these symptoms, let’s find out what they are and how effective they can be.
But before we talk about the remedies, first let’s take a look at the common symptoms of this condition, so that you can be sure it’s Acid Reflux you’re experiencing.
Various key indicators can signal that someone has this condition. These can include heartburn, stabbing pain in the chest, difficulty swallowing, a sore throat or hoarseness and in more severe cases asthma and erosion of the gums and teeth caused by the acid getting as far as the mouth. Asthma can be a result of the acid finding its way into the bronchial tubes causing breathing problems. Erosion of the teeth and gums is commonly seen in a person who has had the condition for an extended period of time with no treatment.
Quick relief with Antacids
Antacids are one of the most common acid reflux remedies out there. These medicines consist of compounds like Aluminum Hydroxide or Magnesium Hydroxide, which have the ability of neutralizing the acid in your stomach. This can provide relief from the heartburn very quickly.
The downside is, this treatment is just a quick fix for the superficial symptoms. The antacids do nothing to solve the root cause of the problem, and can actually cause problems with digestion because of their effect of neutralizing the digestive acids.
Prescription drugs
Next in the list of common acid reflux remedies, come the heavy duty medications like Histamine antagonists and Promotability agents. Histamine antagonists are highly effective at reflux control. Also known as H blockers, these drugs prevent histamine from stimulating the acid producing cells in your stomach. The reduction in acid levels helps in reducing the pain and burning sensation.
Promotability agents help by speeding up the digestive process. This reduces the amount of time that digestive acids spend in the stomach and so reduces the chances of their backing up into the throat.
The problems are the same as with Antacids – no permanent solution and a less effective digestion.
Effective Diet control
The best thing you can do in the fight against heartburn is controlling your diet. There are certain foods one can eat that have been proven to be helpful in regulating the reflux. These include fruits and vegetables such as apples or bananas, baked potato, green beans, peas, carrots, broccoli and cabbage. Additionally, certain meats and dairy products are helpful as well, including extra lean ground beef, egg whites, fat free cream cheese, fat free sour cream and goat cheese.
If you wish to consume grains, you should consider rice or pretzels. Mineral water is useful in decreasing the acidity of the liquid which in turn reduces the severity of the problem.
Avoid these foods
Specific foods can increase the problem such as tomatoes or lemons, raw onion, anything that is deep fried such as french fries or chicken nuggets. Spicy foods can contain a lot of additional fat which increases the acids, thereby compounding your original problem.
It is actually the foods that have a high fat content that create the biggest problems such as macaroni and cheese or doughnuts. The higher the fat content, the more stomach acids are produced to digest it. When there is more acid being produced, there is a higher likelihood that reflux will occur.
Targeted exercises
By doing the right kind of exercises, you can make sure the acid doesn’t come out of your stomach. Not many acid reflux remedies address this simple solution. By strengthening the right muscles, you can effectively end the problem of reflux for good.
A holistic treatment that addresses both – dietary changes and the correct exercises is what’s needed for permanent relief from acid reflux. Combine this with a quality Prebiotic that can turbo charge your digestive system, and you won’t have to worry about heartburn for a long, long time.
Image by Shawn Campbell
