Acid Reflux Remedies – Natural Ways That Really Work
Acid reflux, also known as “Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease” (GERD) or as “reflux esophagitis” is the leaking or reflux of the stomach contents and digestive acids from the stomach, up into the esophagus, due to the loosening of the lower esophageal sphincter muscle, which is present right at the junction of the esophagus and the stomach and guards the passage, allowing the food contents to pass only in one direction, that is, from the mouth towards the stomach. This gives rise to several different symptoms, the most painful and distressing of them all being the heartburn. Heartburn cures are possible through the use of antacids and acid suppressants. However, in some people, acid reflux becomes a severe and frequent experience with little or no relief at all, in spite of the use of several different prescription medicines. In such cases, natural acid reflux remedies are found to be extremely effective.
Adopting a natural remedy for GERD is considered much better than the proton pump inhibitors (such as “Prilosec” and “Prevacid”), and the histamine antagonists (such as “Zantac”, “Pepcid” and “Tagament”) in terms of reliability and effectiveness because these drugs drastically cut down on the production of digestive acids in your stomach, which is very dangerous in the long run because the digestive capability of your stomach gets hampered. The diminished levels of digestive juices in your stomach also increase the risk of developing infections from the food we eat. These complications can be avoided altogether with the use of an effective natural remedy for GERD. Home remedies for heartburn not only ease and soothe the symptoms of heartburn, but they also reach the root cause of the problem and treat it completely to give a permanent cure from acid reflux disease. This is the reason why more and more population suffering from acid reflux is shifting to these viable heartburn cures. Some of the best herbal acid reflux remedies include drinking apple cider vinegar, licking the juice of ginger sweetened with a little honey, taking papaya enzymes, clove oil, fennel tea, eating almonds, apples, bananas, using turmeric in cooking, eating garlic, etc.
Some people also use gluten-free cornmeal diet to reduce the frequency of acid reflux episodes. However, the relationship between acid reflux and cornmeal is still not clear, but in some people, it has been noted that the symptoms of acid reflux and heartburn tend to recur on consuming a diet containing cornmeal. Studies are in progress to assess the relationship between acid reflux and cornmeal but meanwhile, such patients must best avoid taking cornmeal lest the acid reflux symptoms get aggravated.
There are several other acid reflux remedies such as drinking cold milk or water, eating a cupful of yogurt, standing or sitting upright, instead of lying down, as soon as you begin experiencing the reflux symptoms. Simultaneously, people with heartburn problem should always avoid eating spicy, oily and high calorie greasy foods, because such type of foods tend to aggravate the acid reflux problem.