If you want heartburn relief, there are some tangible things you can do to stop the burning! Its the job of the lower esophageal sphincter to seal off the stomach from the esophagus. In people with acid reflux, the muscle either relaxes before it's supposed to or is weak to begin with.
The churning and burning you might feel is a direct result from either eating the wrong foods or from failure of your body to correctly protect you from it. You may not have enough digestive enzymes to keep your body functioning properly!
If you have heartburn more than twice a week, you may have gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD), which presents when the muscles at the end of your esophagus do not close tightly enough. This allows the contents of the stomach to back up, or reflux, into the esophagus and irritate it.
Pregnancy, alcohol, certain foods, and some medicines may initiate heartburn. Treating heartburn is important because over time reflux can damage the esophagus and it's protective lining.
If you suffer from indigestion or heartburn, you can try these easy tips to get heartburn relief before reaching for that Antacid.
Tips for Heartburn Relief
Take off the tight pants! If you are wearing tight pants and have indigestion, there shouldn't be too much of a mystery for you! If you have constant pressure pushing your food upwards, i.e. pants that are tight around the waist, then you are adding to the distress. Unbutton your pants or just simply put on some relaxing sweat pants or that favorite pair of flannel jammies.
Sleep on an incline! If you are still suffering from indigestion or heartburn at bedtime, try sleeping with lots of pillows underneath your upper back, shoulders and head. This will keep your body positioned in an incline to help keep your food down!
Try Acidophilus! If symptoms present after consuming dairy foods, try taking Acidophilus supplements before you consume dairy foods! Probiotics can really help your digestive system. If this seems to help your heartburn, try taking Acidophilus daily for heartburn relief.
Heartburn may be a sign that there is not enough friendly bacteria, (flora), in your system to properly digest dairy foods. You may need more of them to keep your digestion on track. Recently I stumbled upon a testimonial about how much digestive enzymes had helped a man who had suffered from digestive problems all his life. The formula that he used, which his wife bought for him was Isotonix Digestive Enzyme Supplement. You can read the testimonial on the referring page! The product I use for chronic constipation is multienzyme probiotics. Once I started taking these regularly, I got rid of my constipation altogether. Of course, there are many probiotic digestive enzymes on the market that work well!
Try Dairy Products! If you haven’t consumed any dairy products and you still have indigestion, then try dairy products. If you love milk, then this is a great tip. This really works for many people! If you wake up and feel uncomfortable with a little indigestion or queeziness, simply drink a glass of milk. A little while later your heartburn should be gone! I don’t know why this works exactly, but it does!
Eat Your Foods Slowly! This is one suggestion worth repeating! Eating slowly really does help all your bodily processes, including digestion. Slow down! Enjoy your food!
Try Taking Food Enzymes! Try taking some enzymes before your eat! These include Lipase, Amylase and Protease.
Digestive enzymes have three main jobs: digesting proteins, carbohydrates, and fats. Protease digests protein; amylase digests carbohydrate, and lipase digests fat.
Naturally occurring foods with high enzyme content are: bananas, avocados, grapes, mangoes, olives, fresh raw dates, fresh raw figs, raw honey, raw butter, unpasteurized milk, raw cereal grains and seeds, raw nuts are endowed with both calories and enzymes.
Recommended amounts are about 30,000 USP IU. Check with your Health Food Store for good sources of each!
Eat More Fibrous FoodsHigh fiber foods are more easily digested. Add more fiber to your diet where and when you can. Add flax seeds where and when you can. These are easily digested and you can add them to smoothies or shakes. You can also find cookies, cereals, and bars, that contain added flax.
*Beano is a product that is supposed to help promote enzymes in the body. I tried it a while back and got a terrible tummy ache. If you have a similar reaction from it, it may be a good suggestion to get regular amounts of raw, unprocessed foods instead.
Exercise If you're able to, get moving. When you exercise, you help burn off calories and help speed up circulation which helps aid in digestion. Strength training is the best type of exercise to do. Get moving and you'll be less likely to have an upset stomach!
All of these alternatives will save you money on having to buy antacids all the time if they work for you! If you want heartburn relief, try thinking outside the box of antacids!