In fact, you can get rid of heartburn quite quickly, it is only important to follow simple rules in a disciplined manner.
Avoid starchy carbs
Starchy carbohydrates are the ones with the highest glycemic index.
They include foods with refined sugar and flour, which significantly increase insulin levels, potentially causing damage to the stomach. Removing them from the diet will help get rid of heartburn and indigestion. Instead, eat low-glycemic carbohydrates, lean protein, and healthy fats.
Don’t go to bed right after eating
Some people usually experience heartburn before bed.
In many cases, this can be the result of going to bed within an hour or two of eating. People with chronic heartburn feel pain when stomach acid enters the esophagus. This happens most often when a person lies down after eating. It is best to give the body three hours to digest dinner before going to bed.
Lose weight
Overweight and obese people suffer from heartburn more often than those who maintain a healthy weight.
Excess abdominal fat can force acid out of the stomach into the esophagus, worsening heartburn. One of the best heartburn relief methods is to follow a healthy diet and exercise program to help you lose weight.
Drink aloe vera juice, pineapple or vegetable juice
Each of these juices has different benefits that can heal heartburn naturally:
- Aloe vera juice has the same cooling effect on the esophagus as it does on sunburn, providing relief from acid reflux and heartburn;
- Pineapple juice is a natural antacid because it contains bromelain, a mixture of enzymes that control hydrochloric acid levels in the stomach. A small amount of pineapple juice after meals can reduce heartburn;
- Vegetable juice is not acidic, but alkaline, so it can help neutralize stomach acid levels and reduce heartburn.
Eat fruit
Some fruits can help treat heartburn as they act as natural antacids. Include the following in your diet:
- Apples reduce stomach acid production and can also reduce the feeling of heartburn in less than ten minutes;
- Bananas also help reduce acid reflux and heartburn. If you don’t have fresh bananas, you can eat dried bananas;
- Grapes can help relieve heartburn, indigestion and nausea if you eat 10-20 grapes as a snack.
Don’t forget aromatic herbs and spices
Some of them have properties that can relieve and heal heartburn naturally. Many herbs and spices are best consumed as a tea, but there are some exceptions:
- Chew fresh basil leaves to control digestion and balance stomach acid, which will ultimately relieve heartburn;
- Chamomile tea helps to neutralize stomach acid. Chamomile also relieves stress, making it a great choice before bed;
- A cup of tea with cinnamon or cardamom reduces the burning sensation associated with heartburn;
- Fennel and cumin seeds reduce acid reflux. Just add a couple of teaspoons to a cup of boiling water, wait ten minutes and enjoy your tea;
- The benefits of ginger for the digestive system are well known. If you feel heartburn or indigestion, grind or grate fresh ginger, mix it with lemon juice and honey in a cup of warm water. You can also chew one or two pieces of ginger.
Try essential oils
There is one essential oil that can help relieve heartburn naturally. Many heartburn remedies contain mint, making it an ideal natural remedy for heartburn. Add a few drops to a diffuser to help relieve indigestion or heartburn, or chew on a mint leaf.
Coconut oil is another remedy for acid reflux, but it works indirectly. Some believe that coconut oil is an appetite suppressant that causes people to eat less food so overeating does not cause heartburn.
How to get rid of heartburn at home
Explains the head of the gastroenterology department of the First City Clinical Hospital named after E.E. Volosevich” Anna Beskaravaynaya:
First, let’s try to understand the causes of heartburn.
Heartburn can be an independent symptom and be episodic, periodically appearing in a person under various physiological conditions, errors in lifestyle, and may be one of the manifestations of a chronic disease – gastroesophageal reflux disease.
What mechanisms can contribute to heartburn?
Heartburn may be due to decreased pressure in the lower esophageal sphincter, an increase in the number of episodes of its relaxation, or structural disorders (eg, hiatal hernia).
In addition, the following conditions lead to heartburn:
- Disturbance of the motility of the esophagus and stomach as a result of a weakening of the peristalsis of the thoracic esophagus and changes in the secretion of saliva towards a decrease in it or a violation of the evacuation of food from the stomach to the intestines.
- Increased intra-abdominal pressure (e.g. during pregnancy).
- Decrease in the protective properties of the esophageal mucosa.
How to get rid of heartburn at home?
1. First, let’s get on the scale and calculate your body mass index (BMI) using the following formula: BMI = weight, kg / height, m2
For example, the BMI of a person weighing 80 kg and height 165 cm would be calculated as follows:
- First, 165 cm will be converted into meters = 1.65 m;
- now 1.65*1.65 (square) = 2.7225 m2
- last action 80/2.7225 = 29.38
BMI 29.38 according to the criteria proposed by the World Health Organization (WHO) corresponds to overweight (pre-obesity).
- 16 or less – Severe underweight
- 16 – 18.5 Underweight
- 18.5 – 25 Normal
- 25 – 30 Overweight (preobesity)
- 30 – 35 First degree obesity
- 35 – 40 Second degree obesity
- 40 or more Obesity of the third degree (morbid)
By the way, you can use calculators to calculate the body mass index, of which there are plenty on the Internet.
Conclusion on BMI: excess body weight should be gradually reduced.
2. Smoking: it has been proven that normal digestion is incompatible with smoking, which has an irritating effect on the mucous membranes of the stomach and intestines and is one of the factors contributing to heartburn.
3. Features of nutrition.
- Eating should be done in moderation: when the stomach is full, acidic contents may be thrown into the esophagus, which will manifest as heartburn.
- It is better to eat 5-6 times a day in small portions.
- Eat slowly: 25-26 chews in 1 minute will help your gastrointestinal tract work without undue stress.
- After eating, it is better to avoid leaning forward (for example, when tying shoelaces) and a horizontal position (it is better to stop eating 3 hours before bedtime).
- It is better to limit the consumption of foods that reduce the pressure of the lower esophageal sphincter and irritate the esophageal mucosa (tomatoes, carbonated drinks, fruit juices, fatty foods, coffee, chocolate, very hot or cold foods, etc.).
4. Analyze situations that contribute to an increase in intra-abdominal pressure (tight belts, corsets and bandages, work associated with torso bending, lifting heavy objects, exercises associated with overstrain of the abdominal muscles, etc.).
5. Remember, if you have heartburn, how you sleep. For people with heartburn, it is better to raise the head of the bed (you can put a pillow under the mattress, for example).
6. Read the instructions for the medicines you are taking. Some medications (tricyclic antidepressants, anti-inflammatory drugs, and others) cause heartburn by relaxing the sphincter, while others can irritate the lining of the esophagus.
If you cannot get rid of heartburn at home, it is better to consult a gastroenterologist in order to undergo an examination and prescribe the necessary treatment.
How to get rid of heartburn forever
Explains doctor gastroenterologist-hepatologist of the hospital. V.V. Vinogradova Arisheva Olga Sergeevna:
There can be several reasons for heartburn and it is better to consult a doctor to identify the risk of a serious pathology and prescribe competent treatment.
In any case, in order to reduce the frequency of seizures and bring them to naught, it is worth making changes to your lifestyle. If you smoke, give up this habit. It is worth refusing to wear tight belts and corsets. Perhaps it makes sense to take care of your diet and lose weight. A good way that can help is to put something under the legs of the bed so that the head end is higher.
