Promotes Better Nutrition Absorption
The digestive tracts of American adults are frequently acidic, which reduces the bodys capacity to absorb nutrients from the diet. As the GI tracts helpful bacteria multiply, intestinal inflammation starts to decline, and symptoms of digestion, including gas, constipation, and diarrhea, start to lessen.
Alkaline water hydrates the colon, changes its pH level, and flushes toxins and free radicals from the digestive system. Additionally, it includes minerals like magnesium, calcium, and others that have moderate laxative effects to aid digestionbacteria in the colon aid in food digestion and the delivery of nutrients to circulation.
When the digestive system is in good shape, it can raise metabolism and improve food digestion. The pace at which your body consumes calories and extra fat is known as metabolism. Slow digestion makes it difficult for the body to use its energy efficiently. However, ones resting metabolic rate can be raised with proper water.
Why Does Acid Reflux Occur
Heartburn occurs because of the following factors:
- Stomach Abnormalities
Hiatal hernia, a condition wherein the upper part of the stomach enlarges through the large muscle that separates the chest and abdomen, may cause acid reflux.
Heartburn can also occur during pregnancy because of the increasing levels of progesterone and the pressure from the growing child inside the womb. The symptoms of acid reflux could get worse in the third trimester but may go away after giving birth.
- Eating Large Meals
Stuffing the stomach with too much food forces the intestine to stretch, putting pressure on the lower esophageal sphincter , the muscle that keeps acid from going in the wrong direction. This triggers the acid juice from the food to reflux.
- Lying Down Right After a Large Meal
Lying down immediately after a meal can overwhelm the LES, forcing food back into the esophagus and triggering heartburn.
- Eating Acid Reflux-Triggering Foods
Eating tomatoes, chocolate, garlic, onions, or spicy or fatty foods and drinking soda, alcohol, coffee, or tea can also contribute to heartburn. Smoking and obesity can trigger acid reflux as well.
How Does Berkey Increase The Ph Level Of Water
Berkey removes hundreds of contaminants, most of them being acidic. When those contaminants are trapped by the Berkey filter elements, the remaining water has less acidic compounds, thereby raising the pH and making it more “basic” or alkaline. Depending on what was in the water to start with, the Berkey can raise the pH level by half to one point on the pH scale. Water in its natural state is a neutral seven on the scale. Alkalized water is somewhere between an eight and nine.
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Why Do Millions Of People Suffer From Acid Reflux
Home> Latest Posts> Why Do Millions of People Suffer from Acid Reflux?
Some 60 million Americans suffer from heartburn at least once a month, according to the American College of Gastroenterology. Heartburn is the burning pain one experiences in the lower chest area due to acid reflux.
Acid reflux is described as stomach acid coming back up the throat.
Acid reflux is often interchangeably used with gastroesophageal disease , although both are not technically the same. A person diagnosed with GERD experiences acid reflux at least twice a week.
Another figure indicates that about 20% to 30% of the population in Western countries suffer from GERD. That would translate to about 66 to 99 million in the United States.
Chronic acid reflux could become a serious health issue.
What Are The Symptoms Of Acid Reflux
Acid reflux symptoms commonly include the following:
- Heartburn a burning pain or discomfort that can move from your stomach to the middle of your abdomen and chest.
- Regurgitation the sensation of acid backing up into your mouth or throat, producing a sour or bitter taste.
- Dyspepsia a term for stomach discomfort. This includes burping, experiencing nausea after eating, bloating, and suffering from abdominal pain.
Other symptoms like the following may accompany the above-mentioned as well:
- dysphagia or the feeling of having something stuck in the throat
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Dont Overeat Or Eat Too Quickly
If your stomach becomes too full during one meal, it is possible that the food or acid will reflux into the esophagus. As such, it might be beneficial to slow down while you are eating to better gauge when you become full.
It takes about 20 minutes from when you start eating for your brain to send signals that you are full, which is why many North Americans actually eat too much too fast. Thus, eating at a slower, leisurely pace will not only reduce your calorie consumption, it will also aid in reducing the symptoms of acid reflux.
Eating too much too quickly can be a result of distractions during meals, like cell phones or television.
In an effort to slow down during mealtime, it might benefit you to turn off the TV and cell phone. This will help you concentrate on what youre eating and help you to listen to your body and its signals.
Eating slowly is definitely not as easy as it sounds. Eating less at each meal might also make you feel hungrier sooner. Thus, you should be prepared to eat smaller, more frequent meals throughout the day an act commonly referred to as grazing. Grazing during the day will allow your body to conduct its processes in a healthy time frame and reduce some of the pressures that often lead to acid reflux.
Proper Hydration For Good Health
Our bodies are between 55 and 60% water. When you dont drink enough to keep well hydrated, you can experience headaches, dry mouth, sleepiness, and lack of alertness. Not getting enough to drink can also impede proper digestion, which can lead to constipation and poor nutrition. But, water has to be consumed at the right times to help with GERD symptoms.
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Weighing The Pros And Cons Of Alkaline Water For Health And Beauty
Hydration is necessary to maintain the skins healthy state. Whether we use humectants, drink water, eat water-rich fruits , moisture is key to maintaining our skin barrier and preventing premature aging.
Water means serious business for both our health and skin thats why alkaline water is on our radar. Not only is this water meant to hydrate us, its meant to provide plenty of other extra benefits however, theres evidence for both sides of the coin. Understanding the pros and cons of alkaline water will help you identify if its right for you, and were here to help!
Can You Get Heartburn From Drinking Water
When you drink water to relieve the pain of heartburn, be careful not to drink too much and too fast.
This can aggravate acid reflux for multiple reasons:
- The excess water might be messing with the electrolytes in the body.
- Your stomach might get full faster, pushing undigested food and acids back to the esophagus.
- Water also makes it easier to swallow food, without properly chewing it. Chewing helps to break down food, mixes it with saliva, and reduces the swallowing of air. All of these help digestion, so if you dont chew your food well, you are more likely to digest slower and experience acid reflux.
For these reasons, excess water can increase the possibility of acids flowing back to the esophagus, therefore causing acid reflux.
The signs will worsen if you drink even more water in response to the symptoms, so you should always pay attention to the amount of water you consume.
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C Make All The Necessary Lifestyle Changes
There are many things you can do besides maintaining a healthy BMI and following a GERD friendly diet. Here is a short list of recommendations you should consider:
- If you smoke, stop immediately
- Leave at least 3 hours between your final meal and bedtime
- Wear loose-fitting clothes
For a more thorough list of recommendations, we recommend you read Acid Reflux Remedies Questions, Answers, Stages & Treatments.
The Truth About Drinking Water During An Acid Reflux
Heartburn is due to the flow of the acid in the stomach back into the esophagus. Drinking water can provide relief. It can raise the pH level of the stomach. It can dilute the acid. Also, it can clear out the esophagus.
The pH level of water is neutral, which can raise the pH level of acidic food.
Recently, there is a buzz about drinking alkaline water and its promise to help ease heartburn. Alkaline has a higher pH level and lower acidity. According to some people, it can neutralize the acid and relieve the symptoms.
Drinking alkaline water will indeed neutralize the liquid for a few minutes only. However, it will not solve the main reason why there is acid in the stomach. Furthermore, drinking too much water can mess with the balance of the minerals in the body. As such, it can most likely increase the chances of experiencing acid reflux.
If you wish to consider alkaline water to treat heartburn, talk to your doctor first. Make sure to partner it with other remedies to solve the signs and symptoms right away.
Water likewise blends well with fiber in your stomach. This not just aids control of your craving, so you don’t consume a lot of food, but on the other hand, it’s a decent way of absorbing excess stomach acid. That way, the acid will not spill up to your esophagus, creating that terrible burning sensation and numerous different symptoms. Subsequently, consuming food sources rich in fiber in blend with some water is an incredible way to fight heartburn symptoms.
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Alkaline Water Vs Ionized Water
Its important to know the difference between alkaline water and alkaline ionized water.
Essentia is one of the few bottled water brands selling alkaline ionized water.
My reflux and heartburn didnt go away until I began drinking alkaline ionized water.
Ionized water has undergone a process called electrolysis thats all-natural.
Alkaline water is simply water with an alkaline pH. You can make alkaline water at home with baking soda, but you cant make powerful ionized water without an ionizer.
You have two options:
My Top 10 Water Ionizers is a good place to start to learn everything you need to know about ionized water. There are ionizers there that fit all budgets.
The problem is if you go back to drinking slightly acidic or neutral water after getting rid of your reflux, the pepsin can easily creep back in.
Remember, pepsin can survive in a slightly alkaline environment.
Plus, the alkaline minerals in ionized water including calcium, magnesium, and potassium are easier for our bodies to absorb.
The bottom line is you want a steady supply of alkaline ionized water to banish your reflux for good.
Are There Any Risks Associated With Alkaline Water
Drinking too much alkaline water can lead to a number of issues:
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Lowering your stomachs natural acidity. While this might be a good thing for people with acid reflux, its not necessarily helpful for everyone. The acid in the stomach serves a specific purpose outside of just breaking down your food. It also kills bacteria and other pathogens.
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Irritated skin. Think: A red and flaky reaction caused by high alkalinity in the body.
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Metabolic alkalosis. A condition where your blood pH is too alkaline. Which can cause nausea, confusion, hand tremors, and other issues.
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When Does Acid Reflux Get Serious
Acid reflux that is persistent and occurs more than twice a week may lead to gastroesophageal reflux disease . Symptoms of this condition can include chest pain, difficulty in swallowing, and a sensation of a lump in the throat.
When GERD is left untreated, it can cause damage to the esophagus over time. It can also lead to tooth decay as the acid from the stomach can wear down the enamel.
How To Know Your Water Is Actually Alkaline
Well any water that has a pH of 8 or above is alkaline and that is exactly what you want to aim for. The thing is you wont know for sure unless you check the pH yourself.
It is quite common even when you buy bottled water that it says it has a pH of 8.0 on the bottle and when you test it yourself it turns out to be a 7.0 pH. Therefore, you must test it yourself to know for certain.
The best way to test the pH is by using an electronic pH meter like this one. The other option that you may have seen or heard of before is pH strips but simply put these are not accurate enough. That is why I recommend you go for an electronic pH meter instead.
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Water Can Clear Out The Esophagus
If stomach acids can enter backing up to the esophagus, they start to irritate the lining of the esophagus. This is the unpleasant feeling we call heartburn.
Drinking water can provide relief for acid reflux as it can raise the pH level of the stomach acids, but only for a short period. Water can also dilute the acid in the esophagus and help clear it out.
Is Alkaline Water Good For Heartburn
People suffering from acid reflux consider alkaline water to be an effective treatment. It is known to reduce the symptoms of heartburn.
The theory behind this is that alkaline water reduces the acidity of the gut while denaturing all the pepsin present. Alkaline water has a higher pH than regular tap water. At nine, it has a remarkable capacity to buffer acid, thus reducing the effects of acid reflux.
When the alkaline water denatures the pepsin and renders it permanently inactive, the acid levels in the stomach are better managed, and you get relief from heartburn. However, like any other water used to counter the effects of heartburn, you should not take alkaline water in excessive amounts.
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How Can I Tell The Difference Between Alkaline And Non
A good question considering standard water and alkaline water look exactly the same. Short of using pH test strips every time you drink water, there’s no surefire way to determine if you’re drinking true alkaline water or not. What can you do? Do your homework and find a brand you trust . If the label says the pH is above 7, then chances are youre drinking the real thing.
Heartburn & Alkaline Water
But does alkaline water really help relieve heartburn symptoms? There is a lot of debate surrounding this topic on the internet as well as in the medical community. While there is no concrete answer as of current, there have been independent studies that indicate drinking alkaline water can mitigate heartburn. For instance, refluxmd.com did a small study that included individuals that suffer from heartburn and take medication to help reduce symptoms. The study had these individuals drink alkaline water for a 12 day span while tracking their heartburn / acid reflux symptoms & medication use. According to RefluxMDs article, they concluded The participants give substantial credit for their reduced symptoms and lower medication use to their use of alkaline water. 87% reported that alkaline water reduced their symptoms, and 56% reported a reduction of at least 40% of their symptoms.
But Why Does Alkaline Water Seem To Help With Heartburn?
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How Does Alkaline Water Help Acid Reflux Symptoms
Alkaline water has a higher pH level than regular drinking and mineral water. This also means that it has more alkaline-forming properties, which can help in reducing and even preventing the symptoms of acid reflux and GERD.
This type of high-pH water instantly lowers the levels of pepsin, which is a stomach enzyme that digests protein and other nutrients in your digestive system. This means that drinking alkaline water might give you immediate relief from acid reflux symptoms.
On top of that, if the inflammation and irritation arent treated, it may lead to more serious conditions, including cancer.
Its also important to remember that drinking alkaline water wont completely eliminate your acid reflux or GERD symptoms. Instead, it will provide you with some temporary relief, but the symptoms will return later on.
As a result, its important to consult your doctor if you have persistent symptoms that dont go away after a couple of days. You might need prescription medication to treat the underlying problem.
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Get Help For Your Acid Reflux Today
Acid reflux is incredibly bothersome & inconvenient. While diet & lifestyle changes may help, your best option to treat acid reflux is to speak with a doctor.
Schedule a virtual visit with one of EMDs reputable doctors & get a personalized treatment plan that works.
Stop living with acid reflux. Get help, today!
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Ways To Alleviate Acid Reflux
Patients suffering from acid reflux may try the below steps:
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