Different Ways to Stop Heartburn

Are you thinking of ways to stop heartburn? Well, before you take a bite of that piece of pizza, or go to your favorite buffet restaurant, learn some valuable ways to defeat heartburn.

Heartburn affects 15 million Americans on a day to day basis. It's not much of a problem when people experience heartburn on occasion, it's when a person feels the symptoms on a more consistent basis (two or more days a week). People sometimes over look their symptoms thinking it's maybe something they've eaten.

Of course this is true in some cases, but if you continue to experience symptoms of heartburn after trying different OTC treatments, then your body is trying to tell you something I believe you should take serious heed to.

There's a small muscular ring at the junction of your esophagus and your stomach. This is called the LES (lower esophageal sphincter). This ring is suppose to keep food and stomach acid in your stomach.

If the LES is weak or relaxed, then food, liquids, and stomach acid will travel up to your esophagus. As a result you feel a bad burning sensation. That burning sensation you feel is commonly known as heartburn.

I'm sure you've heard and read a lot of this before, but hey, the more you read, the more you learn, right? If you want to learn some easy ways to stop heartburn then here are some ways I hope you find helpful.

1. Smoking - I'm sure it's easier said than done to simply quit smoking. However, smoking relaxes your lower esophageal sphincter. When this happens stomach acid will sneak up to your esophagus.

2. Create a food diary and pay very close attention to certain foods like chocolate, milk, sodas, fruits and vegetables that are high in acids like oranges and tomatoes. Spicy foods can also irritate your esophagus which causes heartburn.

3. Drink more water - Some may feel there's no sugary or strong taste with water. Water not only is a benefit to your kidneys, but it also helps neutralizes stomach acid.

4. One important thing to consider is that you may have a more serious condition, especially if you experience heartburn more than twice a week. If your esophagus is damaged, like mine was, then you may need surgery to repair it.

There are some other things you may try to stop heartburn, like cucumber juice. Cucumber juice (freshly squeezed) can help put a stop to heartburn. Try to exercise a bit more to lose some weight.

If you were to lose 10lbs. that would help relieve pressure off of your LES. Herbs like agrimony, aloe vera, angelica, fennel, garlic, gentian etc., can help treat your heartburn symptoms.

Even though it's not always talked about homeopathy treatment is pretty good for heartburn. Arsenicum album – for heartburn accompanied by anxiety, chills and thirst, abdominal cramping.

Nux vomica – for heartburn caused by fats or sour foods. Sulfur – for heartburn caused by overeating and/or accompanied by burping.

Nutritional supplements, probiotics, soil-based organisms and stress reduction are four others way to bring an end to heartburn. The best type of nutritional supplements you can try are digestive enzymes and calcium carbonate. The calcium carbonate should be taken every 2 to 3 hrs. until symptoms ends.

Acidophilus and Bifidobacteria, are probiotics that can also be helpful, as can fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) and soil-based organisms.

Now, FOS is an all-natural carbohydrate type of microorganism that serves as a fertilizing agent that helps Bifidobacteria to thrive in the large intestine, where it helps to protect against harmful bacteria.

Soil-based organisms detoxifies your gastrointestinal tract while eliminating fungi, molds, parasites, viruses, and yeasts. With the high price of gas and foreclosures all everywhere, it's pretty hard not to be stressful.

The good news is there are some stress reduction techniques that can maybe help you in ending your heartburn. There are people who practice holistic health. They help their patients reduce stress through the use of various mind and body medicine techniques, like:

* Biofeedback
* Hypnotherapy
* Relaxation exercises

I hope some of these tips will assist you in your fight to stop heartburn. Have a wonderful day and a better tomorrow.