Have Heartburn? How I Cured it Fast--Natural Remedies for Health in Everyday Life - Men Women and During Pregnancy

Heartburn is so painful, it really does feel like your heart is burning a path up through your throat That acid taste in the back of your throat, the constant swallowing to get rid of the burn, and the feeling that there is a small volcano erupting in your stomach--not very pleasant. Also, There are different ways to go about combating heartburn. You can use any of the remedies, or all of them. Of course get regular checkups, but --most important-- try to prevent visits to the doctor by taking charge of your own health.

Men -- this is from a woman's point of view, but all this information is right for you too. (Except maybe the teapot photo). If you feel acid in your throat, and you know what that feels like, it is not a good thing, especially long-term. Men, you need to take care of your health, and even though heartburn and/or acid reflux sounds so common, not that big of a deal, it can be if you don't figure out how to prevent it. Crikey, sorry-- I am not trying to tell you what to do -- I am thinking about trying to get my husband to see a doctor about his torn shoulder. "Just a flesh wound! I'll do some stretches." He injured it two months ago, and now can't put his arm behind his back. I'm just saying-- if you feel acid and burn, it is time to calm all that stuff down.

This was written from my experiences in pregnancy, and wanting to use real foods in my diet rather than introducing medication. I think most people prefer food to medicine. If there is nothing on this list that you like-- then don't give up. These are the things that I like, and that worked for me. Don't struggle forcing yourself to eat papaya or drink vinegar in water if you hate the flavors -- find the things you love (or at least like) and put them into your regular diet. (Note -- I really do love vinegar in water. I drink a tablespoon in half a glass of water and then quickly fill the glass and drink again. Short strong, weak long.

Prevention:

• Drink water between meals rather than with them... and try adding a spoonful of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice. It seems like it would make your stomach have more acid, but this really worked for me: it makes your digestion better... and that is key to preventing acid reflux and heartburn. Your stomach works hard for you! Give it some good tools to combat whatever it is you eat.
• Limit food that doesn't agree with you. (Or try drinking vinegar water or you apple cider water an hour before you eat. Maybe you and your food will now agree.
• Eat smaller meals, and eat more often. (I eat my main meal in the morning and then have toddler sized snacks the rest of the day-- my husband is the opposite: big meal at night and small ones otherwise.
• Try not to lie down for at least an hour after eating -- Keep those juices settled towards the bottom (no pun intended) rather than refluxing up to your throat
• add a spoonful of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice to a glass of water.

Cure:

• Mint tea
• Ginger
• Orange peel
• Pineapple
• Papaya
• Apple cider vinegar

Try papaya enzyme tablets instead of antacids. A lot of people use antacids as a remedy for heartburn, and I used them occasionally. The best tyoe are the calcium tablets, not the ones with aspirin. I also occasionally used a pinch of baking soda in water--this is useful if you don't have anything else on hand, but may cause water retention because it contains sodium. If you have them, though, papaya tablets work better.

If you are pregnant, heartburn feels like a way of your body telling you that the space in your stomach, previously used for comfortably digesting food, is now being taken over by a newcomer! When this happens, certain foods will react differently in your body. Stomach acid gets pushed up in an uncomfortable way into your throat and mouth, burning along the way.

I know the scientific explanation of the hormonal changes going on at this time which encourages heartburn, and how digestion might not be happening as well as usual, but to me it always felt like the baby (even as a tiny sprout!) was pushing up into my throat. I had to calm the fire with my key helper food: peppermint.

Interestingly enough, even though I craved peppermint everything, and it made me feel better, peppermint is on a lot of no-no lists for those suffering for heartburn and nausea. For me it worked! Peppermint increases bile, which might help you digest fatty acids, but might make some people just feel worse. Test it out and see what works for you. For me, antacids did nothing, but peppermint really really helped me every day for the last six months of pregnancy.

For me, peppermint when I was pregnant was key. Weird smells, spray peppermint extract. Weird taste in my mouth, peppermint candy. Peppermint tea, peppermint lotion, I loved it all. I have since cut back on all the peppermint products; my husband is probably relieved-I think he was tired of me misting the bed every night with essential peppermint spray. I ate those fat white and red chalky peppermints (yum, want some now thinking about them, but haven't had any since baby was born!), and peppermint tea. I had a great, easy pregnancy, and I felt really healthy. Maybe cravings can tell us what we need? Obviously, if you're craving a non-food when you are pregnant that you know is not healthy, then you should talk to your doc.

Now, even almost two years after the birth of my last baby, I occasionally get heartburn. It seems to me to usually be from some bad eating choices. I'm not saying you are eating the wrong things, and sometimes it happens and I can't figure out the reason. In general, however, I get heartburn if I eat processed food, don't drink enough water, or don't get enough sleep.

Whether you're in the mood for hot or iced, mint tea is wonderful for soothing the savage stomach.

Winter tea: teabags are easy, but loose dried mint leaves have a mintier flavor. For loose leaves, use a tea egg or tea strainer, or pour the boiling water directly on them and strain after the tea steeps. Add orange peel for an extra boost.

Summer tea: Tea made with fresh mint leaves is the way to go. Gather a handful of mint, give it a rinse, and then crush it in your hands to release its minty power (and make your hands smell amazing). Put the crushed mint in your tea egg, strainer, or directly in the teapot or teacup, pour on the boiling water, strain and enjoy. One of my favorite parts of drinking tea is holding the warm cup in both hands and inhaling the scented steam. Ahhhhh.

If you have any little corner of earth where you can plant mint, you will be able to enjoy it fresh daily. (Be careful where you plant mint-- it will try to escape and spread if it is not properly contained).

Ginger has been used for ages for improved health, and is especially known for its power in helping digestive problems, the problem for some people is that they don't like the taste! If you're not sure about ginger, then start with a small amount and see how it goes. I like to use fresh ginger root in a few different ways.

Ginger tea: Easy! Thinly slice a couple of pieces off of a fresh ginger root, put in a mug and pour on the boiling water. Good with a bit of lemon juice and orange peel. The size of the pieces does not matter-- I generally put in two pieces about the size and thickness of a quarter.

Papaya is a tropical fruit that is very helpful for good digestion. Unfortunately, unless you live in the tropics, the quality of papaya you can find may not be great--and may be expensive. Once in a while I get a good one and this is a very good day. To eat a papaya, slice it in half and scoop out all those slippery black seeds, then enjoy. I like mine with a little lemon juice squeezed on top.

If you can't find any good papayas in your area, you might be able to find papaya enzyme tablets. Same effect except you don't get the pleasure of papaya-eating. No seeds though!

Don't throw away that orange peel! The peel of the orange, like that of many fruits and vegetables, contains a lot of the good stuff.

Orange peel in tea. Grated orange rind in cakes, cookies, breads, and salads. Have a juicer? I use the whole orange, peel and all (Yes, it is strong! Has a definite zip to it, but wow, what a powerhouse of energy and nutrients).

My recommendation for preventing and curing heartburn:

• drink a lot of water between rather than with meals, (have a glass with meals for small sips), and try adding a spoonful of apple cider vinegar, lime juice, or lemon juice. It really works.
• limit the processed food
• have a magic helper (ginger, peppermint, apple cider vinegar, etc) on hand for help.
• be aware of what you eat and how you eat it (slowly!)
• be careful using any medicinal proucts when pregnant, natural or not.
• research research research
• take a deep breath and relax