According to the American College of Gastroenterology, as many as 60 million Americans have heartburn every month. That makes it a significant issue, and one that can diminish your quality of life.
Being safe with how you treat heartburn is important, however. This is especially true as we’ve found out in recent years the risks of certain heartburn medications like Zantac.
Zantac’s generic ingredient is ranitidine. One ranitidine tablet has as much as 300,000 nanograms of DMA. DMA is potentially carcinogenic, and the acceptable level of NDMA based on federal standards is only 96 nanograms per tablet.
As a result, the FDA pulled all versions of Zantac on April 1, 2020. Even in small amounts, with long-term exposure, ranitidine is linked to many cancers including stomach, colorectal, kidney, and esophageal cancers.
This risk of this particular medicine is one of the many reasons that you might want to deal with heartburn naturally, and the following is a guide to help you do that.
Understanding Heartburn
Heartburn isn’t a condition on its own but is instead a symptom of other conditions such as GERD and acid reflux.
Heartburn feels like a burning sensation behind your breastbone, in the center of your chest, lasting for minutes up to hours at a time.
The burning feeling can move into your throat and neck, and you may have a sour or bitter taste in the back of your throat.
When you have heartburn, you may feel pain in your chest if you lay down or bend over, and you might also have trouble swallowing.
Acid reflux happens when what’s in your stomach moves into your esophagus. If you have acid reflux symptoms more than twice a week, you could have gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERD. Around 20% of people in the U.S. have GERD.
GERD occurs when the lower esophageal sphincter, which is a band of muscle located at the end of the esophagus, doesn’t close or tighten the way it should.
For most people, GERD isn’t a serious condition but there are rare circumstances where it can lead to complications. Possible GERD complications include Barrett’s esophagus, where there are permanent changes to the esophagus lining. There’s also a risk of esophageal cancer, asthma, and dental problems.
There are over-the-counter medicines that may help with GERD, such as antacids, proton pump inhibitors, and H2 receptor blockers.
There are also natural options and lifestyle changes you can make that may help your symptoms.
Avoid Overeating
When you have acid reflux, if you eat too much, then your symptoms may seem worse. Try to avoid eating large meals, and instead have several smaller meals throughout the day.
The reason a big meal can make acid reflux worse is because too much pressure is being put on the lower esophageal sphincter, which makes acid squeeze through the opening.
Along with not eating too much at one time, watching what you eat can help with acid reflux.
Some of the triggers for many people include fatty and spicy foods, chocolate, citrus items, alcohol, coffee, tea, and mint. Soda can be a trigger as well.
Make Weight Loss a Goal
Your diaphragm is located above your stomach, and when you maintain a healthy weight, it can strengthen your lower esophageal sphincter.
When you have too much belly fat, the abdominal pressure may become located so high that the esophageal sphincter may be pushed upward. This is a hiatus hernia. Hiatus hernia is one of the reasons pregnant women and obese people are more likely to suffer from heartburn and reflux.
Don’t Lie Down Right After You Eat
When you eat and then immediately after, lie down, the contents of your stomach can be pushed up more easily as there’s pressure on your esophageal sphincter.
If you stay upright, you have gravity on your side, helping your food stay down. You should aim to eat at least three to four hours before you’re going to be lying down. This will give your food a chance to digest.
If you do lie down, use a wedge pillow or several pillows stacked on each other to elevate your body.
Eat Bananas
Some citrus fruits can make your symptoms worse, but others may help.
Bananas are an example of a helpful fruit if you have GERD or reflux.
Bananas have the natural properties of an antacid. Apples can also help with discomfort, as can watermelon, cantaloupe, and honeydew.
Tea
Like fruit, some teas can help your reflux symptoms, and some can hurt it.
Helpful teas include ginger tea and chamomile tea.
Ginger tea is a wonderful tea for a variety of stomach and digestive issues, including acid reflux.
You can make your own ginger tea by slicing fresh ginger root and then simmering it in water for around 30 minutes. Try to drink ginger tea before you eat for the best results.
Chamomile tea before bed can help balance the levels of acid in your stomach, and it can also reduce stress. Stress may contribute to heartburn.
Marshmallow Root
Marshmallow root is an anti-inflammatory, and it’s soothing. When you make a tea with marshmallow root it’s very gooey, and that substance then coats the stomach and the esophagus, protecting them from stomach acid.
Marshmallow root can also soothe the irritated mucous membranes and stomach muscles so they can heal.
Chew Gum
Some studies have found chewing gum can reduce the level of acid in the esophagus.
Gum with bicarbonate is especially useful in this area.
Chewing gum may be beneficial because it helps increase the amount of saliva you produce, which can help clear acid from the esophagus.
Finally, avoid sleeping on your right side if you can. Studies show sleeping on your right side can make reflux symptoms worse at night, maybe because the esophagus enters the right side of the stomach. Then when you’re on your right side, stomach acid can cover your lower esophageal sphincter, and that increases the risk of acid leaking through.
Disclaimer: Content from the ConsciousLifeNews.com website and blog is not intended to be used for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. The information provided on this website is intended for general consumer understanding and is NOT intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice. As health and nutrition research continuously evolves, we do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or timeliness of any information presented on this website.
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