How To Reduce Heartburn And Acid Reflux

Usually people treat heartburn and acid reflux with over the counter products or drugs that reduce stomach acid or block the excretion of stomach acid. However, there may be a better way to deal with heartburn and acid reflux.

Humans need a highly acidic condition in the stomach to properly digest protein. Using drugs to suppress this stomach acid may not be the correct way to deal with heartburn and acid reflux.

There are several reasons you might have heartburn and acid reflux. One reason is a weakness in the lower esophageal sphincter valve, LES. The LES is a valve between your stomach and your esophagus. When your LES valve is weak, it can allow partially digested food to flow back up into your esophagus. The acid in the food will burn the lining of your esophagus causing the heartburn and acid reflux.

However, one can take steps to strengthen your lower esophageal sphincter valve:

There are foods that can weaken the LES valve - coffee, peppermint, spearmint, sugar, chocolate, onions, and alcohol. Once you have strengthened your LES to help with the symptoms of heartburn and acid reflux, you can return to eating these foods in moderate amounts.

Eliminate foods that are known to create allergic reactions such as cow's milk, wheat, white flour, diary products, and other foods.

To lessen heartburn and acid reflux, avoid overeating. Excess food in your stomach can increase your stomach gas pressure and force your LES valve to open.

Try to avoid using certain drugs. If you take drugs that cause heartburn and acid reflux perhaps you can start looking for and start using some natural remedies. Here are some of the drugs at cause LES problems - NSAID's, bronchodilators, channel blockers, beta-blockers, anti-anxiety drugs, and nitroglycerine. These drugs relax the muscles around the LES valve causing them to open during normal stomach gas pressures.

Watch how you do certain physical activities, such as waist bending, staining during bowel movements, coughing, and lifting heavy objects. This increases the pressure in the stomach, causing the LES valve to open and causing heartburn and acid reflux.

After a meal do not lie down. This causes food to flow back towards the LES valve putting pressure on it.

These are some natural alternatives that strengthen LES valve. Applying some or all these will result in reducing the frequency of your heartburn and acid reflux.