Natural Remedies For Acid Reflux

Before you can treat any disorder you must understand it. You've heard the terms heartburn and acid reflux? Are they the same thing?

The fact is they are all facets of the same condition. It's an unpleasant one in which the stomach contents reflux into the esophagus - the tube that connects the mouth to the stomach.

Acid reflux describes the actual backing up of the stomach contents, and heartburn is the symptom that usually results - a burning pain and discomfort behind the sternum. Acid reflux is also used as an abbreviated from of acid reflux disease to describe a chronic condition.

Unlike many convoluted medical terms, acid reflux is self-explanatory. It refers to a condition in which the stomach contents move back into the esophagus - the tube which connects the throat to the stomach. It's an unpleasant often painful condition which results in the symptom known as heartburn.

So why does it happen?

A valve called the lower esophageal sphincter allows the one-way flow of food from the esophagus into the stomach. Positioned at the end of the gullet, this muscular valve controls the traffic of food. Its job is to see that this traffic is one-way. But it's not perfect.

For one thing, it can weaken with age.

Also a number of popular food and beverages can cause it to malfunction. Coffee and chocolate are two of the most famous.

Another factor is the nature of the stomach contents themselves. Overeating, fizzy drinks and fatty foods which take a long time to digest can build up pressure in the stomach. Other factors that can cause pressure on the stomach and possible reflux include the posture and the clothes worn.

If you suffer from heartburn you know what an unpleasant symptom it is. But imagine suffering from it daily. This is the situation for those who have severe acid reflux.

What's worse, this disease can lead to serious even life-threatening complications. So what can you do to keep this condition at bay? Natural remedies for acid reflux are founded in the diet. Clearly for a digestive disorder, what you eat is of prime importance. Of equal or greater importance is what you avoid eating.

First, the bad news. The traditional rogue's gallery for acid-reflux inducing foodstuffs contain some of our favorite items. On this list are such joys as chocolate, peppermint, and caffinated and alcoholic beverages. Add to this your favorite junk foods which includes anything fried and you may wonder if you'll have to enjoy all the gastronomic pleasure of a Carmelite nun, and your gourmet years are behind you. And what of spicy foods. Do you have to give up your favorite Thai Tom Yam or fiery Indian Vindaloo?

So what can you enjoy? Don't despair.

Traditionally, health care specialists advocate an alkaline diet. This consists principally of fruits and vegetables, though they suggest avoiding citrus fruits owing to their acidity.

However recently published research by physicians at the Stanford University School of Medicine revealed that there was little correlation between what patients ate and the incidence of heartburn. The research reveals that people with heartburn can safely eat spicy foods. The review revealed that reducing consumption of chocolate, caffeine, spicy foods, and citrus fruits doesn't stop heartburn symptoms or lower esophageal acidity.

So be flexible in what you eat. If a food or beverage gives you heartburn, give it up. A good idea here is to keep a heartburn diary. Recording everything you eat and any resulting symptoms is a great way to find out what's triggering your heartburn.

Remember that better food selection is one part of a range of lifestyle factors that can work together to relieve and hopefully eliminate acid reflux.

Firstly, there are those fruits and vegetables that that weaken the esophageal sphincter muscle. This is the muscular valve that controls the flow of food into the stomach. If it malfunctions, acid reflux can result. Major culprits here are garlic and onions.

Then there are those flora which can irritate a damaged esophageal lining. The main offenders here are citrus fruits such as oranges, grapefruit and lemons. These are highly acidic fruits that are unfriendly to the lining of the esophagus. Remember that juices and shakes are acidic too. Acidic vegetables include tomatoes (including extracts) and not surprisingly chilis and pepper. Being acidic themselves, citrus fruits are also said to increase the production of gastric acid with negative consequences for acid reflux sufferers.

The good news is that recent findings by medical researchers cast the above beliefs into doubt. Researchers from the Stanford University found that eating the above culprits had no effect on heartburn.

But remember that we're all different. If you find your heartburn flaring up after eating oranges then it's best to give them up whatever the researchers say.