The Best Ways To Get Rid Of Heartburn Fast
What should you take to quickly get rid of occasional symptoms of heartburn and acid reflux? One of the best and quickest ways to treat acid reflux naturally is to drink a glass of baking soda and water. The neutralizing effect of baking soda helps to stop burning sensations in your chest fast and the other symptoms of acid reflux.
How Do I Choose The Best Antacid For Heartburn
When choosing an antacid for heartburn, your options include chewable tablets, time released pills, and liquid antacids. You can consider whether instant relief is needed, whether you need to be able to use the antacid on the go, or if you need an antacid that lasts for a long time. It’s also important to look at the ingredients in antacids, as some are not suitable for those with certain medical conditions.
If you require antacid relief on the go, chewable tablets that come in a roll can be convenient. These small packs can easily be placed in a purse or pocket. Time-released tablets may work for up to 12 hours, allowing you the freedom of not having to take frequent doses. If you have trouble swallowing pills or prefer a medication that does not have to dissolve in the stomach, you may want to choose a liquid antacid for heartburn.
If you are also experiencing diarrhea, avoid antacids that contain any type of magnesium. Taking magnesium in excess may cause loose or watery stools, which may lead to dehydration. Look for ingredients such as aluminum hydroxide when selecting your antacid for heartburn.
Best Natural Antacid Foods & Remedies
Do you know acidity is a fairly recent disease? It is the most common condition we face due to the changing lifestyle. The older generation jokes about acidity as a result of technology, and rightly so.
To affirm their assumptions, the Norwegian University of Science and Technology conducted a study on 30,000 people for 15 years, and the results are shocking. Here are a few of their findings.
- The last 10 years saw a drastic increase in acid refluxes.
- Almost 60% of the people complained of acidity.
- Out of these, at least 24% registered severe acid refluxes
- Around 52% confirmed experiencing acid refluxes once every week
- The most shocking result was that people under 45 years were experiencing recurrent acidity instances
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Top 15 Heartburn Remedies
Just because heartburn is common doesnt mean you have to suffer with it. Left untreated, frequent acid reflux can develop into more serious health problems. Here are the top 15 heartburn remedies
Despite humorous commercials touting heartburn remedies with funny words like plop-plop and fizz-fizz, heartburn is no joke. More than 60 million Americans suffer from it at least occasionally, according to the American College of Gastroenterology.Heartburn, also known as acid indigestion, occurs when acidic stomach juices flow backward into the esophagus, irritating the esophageal lining. The resulting pain can be uncomfortable, annoying or excruciating. It can hurt as much as a heart attack, says Paige Hastings, a certified nurse practitioner at The Little Clinic in Nashville, Tenn.But not everyone has such pain you could also feel a bitter or acidic taste in the back of your throat or the awful sensation of food or liquid washing back into your mouth and down the gullet.In fact, frequent heartburn and food sticking in the throat are signs of gastroesophageal reflux disease .Untreated, these problems can lead more serious problems, including strictures , ulcers, cancer and pneumonia, explains Patricia Raymond, MD, a gastroenterologist based in Virginia Beach, Va.
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Types Of Natural Antacids Including Homemade Antacids
What are the types of natural alternatives to antacids that you can use to treat acid reflux pain and discomfort? Here are a few remedies that have an antacid effect that many people have found effective.
- Yogurt as a natural antacid. Raw, natural yogurt contains healthy bacteria that can improve your digestive health. Doctors say that the beneficial enzymes in raw yogurt help to improve the microflora of the gut. Yogurt is also a good source of calcium which has been connected with improvement in reflux symptoms.
- Baking soda. Baking soda is a tried and tested method to relieve reflux symptoms and stop a burning feeling in your chest. Baking soda neutralizes stomach acid to prevent heartburn pain and discomfort.
- Ginger. Ginger is a natural anti-inflammatory ingredient that can help to boost your digestion and stop indigestion. Doctors from Harvard Health say that ginger has been used for centuries as a natural heartburn remedy.4
- Aloe vera. Another natural soothing remedy that can be used as a burning throat remedy is aloe vera. Aloe vera juice not only helps to relieve irritation in your food pipe, it can improve your digestion and help your stomach work better.
- Apple cider vinegar. One natural remedy you can drink for heartburn is diluted apple cider vinegar. Apple cider vinegar also contains probiotics, and there is anecdotal evidence that regularly drinking apple cider vinegar can help to reduce heartburn symptoms.
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How Common Is Heartburn And Gerd
Heartburn, due to acid reflux or GERD, affects one in four people on a regular basis. At least one in ten adults experience heartburn every day, and 40% have heartburn at least once a month.
Men are twice as likely as women to report sleep disturbances every night due to heartburn, and in surveys, almost one in five say theyve needed to take time off work as a result of heartburn. Four out of five people avoid foods they enjoy for fear of developing symptoms.
Heartburn becomes increasingly common with age, as the muscles that usually close the entrance to the stomach, and downward movements of muscles in the oesophagus which normally prevent reflux, naturally weaken.
Key Points To Remember
- GERD symptoms may not get better on their own. It’s important to treat GERD, because it can lead to more serious problems, such as inflammation or narrowing of the esophagus.
- Most people can control symptoms of GERD with over-the-counter medicines and lifestyle changes.
- Stronger prescription medicines often work when over-the-counter medicines don’t.
- You may decide to have surgery if:
- Medicine doesn’t completely relieve your symptoms.
- Medicine works to stop your symptoms but for other reasons you can’t or don’t want to take the medicine.
- You have other symptoms, including asthma or hoarseness, that do not get much better with medicines.
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Ease Off The Drugs Gradually
Quitting heartburn drugs can be difficult because you might get rebound symptoms. They cause your stomach to produce less acid, and stopping suddenly can cause it to overproduce acid. If youre taking a PPI or H2 blocker once a day, ask your doctor about cutting back, perhaps to every other day, and then every few days.
For more detailed information on drugs to treat heartburn, GERD and acid reflux, see our free Consumer Reports Best Buy Drugs Report on these medications.
What Medication Should You Use For Your Heartburn
Prescription Drugs for Heartburn and Reflux
- Histamine-2 Blockers for Heartburn and Reflux. In prescription form (usually higher doses than the over-the-counter
- Proton Pump Inhibitors for Heartburn and Reflux. Depending on the source of your heartburn or reflux, your doctor
- Promotility Agents for Heartburn and Reflux. Promotility agents work by
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Natural Antacids What Are They
Natural antacids are used to neutralize the acid in your stomach juices to alleviate the symptoms of heartburn and GERD.
Many people with occasional symptoms of acid reflux choose to use natural antacids for heartburn relief, as some commercially available antacids have some side effects. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases reports that some antacids cause diarrhea, constipation, and nausea.3
How Is Gerd Treated
Treatment usually starts with lifestyle changesâsuch as quitting smoking and losing weightâand with medicines that you can buy without a prescription. These medicines reduce or block stomach acid. They include H2 blockers and proton pump inhibitors .
Talk to your doctor if over-the-counter medicines aren’t controlling your symptoms. In most cases, he or she can prescribe other medicine to help control your symptoms.
The most common surgery for GERD is called fundoplication surgery. It involves wrapping part of the stomach around the esophagus to strengthen it. If you have a hiatal hernia, it also will be fixed.
This surgery is often done laparoscopically. Instead of making a large cut in the belly, the doctor puts a lighted tube, or scope, and surgical tools into small cuts in your belly. This allows the doctor to see into your belly to do the surgery.
You may decide to have surgery if:
- Medicines don’t relieve your symptoms enough.
- Medicine works to stop your symptoms, but for other reasons you can’t or don’t want to take the medicine.
- You have other problems that don’t get better with medicine, such as asthma, hoarseness, or a cough caused when the acid backs up in your throat.
Treating GERD in pregnant women
Be careful when you take over-the-counter antacid medicines. Many of these medicines have aspirin in them. While you are pregnant, do not take aspirin or medicines that contain aspirin unless your doctor says it is okay.
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Antacid Treatment For Gerd
GERD is a chronic form of heartburn. It occurs when stomach acids leak back up into the esophagus. Over time, this causes potentially damaging inflammation or swelling.
While many people occasionally deal with the pain and irritation associated with heartburn, you might have GERD if these symptoms occur more than twice a week on a regular basis. The consequences of this digestive disease can be serious because it can damage the esophagus over time.
In most cases, GERD can be diagnosed and managed by your primary care doctor. When it is severe or unresponsive to first-line medication, you may need referral to a gastroenterologist, which is a type of doctor who specializes in digestive diseases. Treatment focuses on a combination of lifestyle changes and medications. Antacids are usually the first line of defense because theyre readily available over the counter. They may also be more affordable than prescription medications. Let your doctor know if you are experiencing heartburn symptoms on a regular basis.
Final Thoughts: Choose Nature First And Skip The Antacid Tablets
The first thing that you want to do is run to the drugstore to get antacids when your heartburn flares. However, you are only masking the real problem. You are either producing too much or not enough acid, or the little flap between the stomach and esophagus is not working correctly.
You need to take control of the situation, and nature is there to help. By using one of these ten listed methods, you can bring relief. You can also fix the problem by changing your sleeping position, diet, and adding exercise.
When you maintain a healthy weight, avoid fatty foods, and throw the soda to the curb, you can live a life without heartburn. If you continue to have issues even after exhausting all the items on the list, speak to your doctor.
Conditions like Barretts esophagus shouldnt be messed around with as it can quickly turn to esophageal cancer. Stomach acid can do a significant bit of damage, and its more harm than antacids can manage.
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What Medications Can I Take For Heartburn During Pregnancy
Its important to be extremely careful about the medications you take when pregnant.
For heartburn relief, over-the-counter antacids are all considered safe medications to use during pregnancy.
As always, consult with your provider about any medications youre taking even if theyre considered safe.
If you experience any unusual symptoms while taking an over-the-counter medication, call your doctor immediately.
Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease Treatment
Patients at Johns Hopkins benefit from our unique multidisciplinary center, specializing in GERD and other reflux disorders. Specialists from different fields, including surgery, gastroenterology and ear, nose and throat, meet to talk about challenging reflux cases. We discuss the cases and create individualized treatment plans. Our high volume and advanced technology combined with expert specialists means you are getting the superior care you deserve.
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Holistic Solutions To Cool Down Your Heartburn
Another standard option is to take antacids from the drugstore. Unfortunately, these do little to help the long term. They may calm the acids in the stomach temporarily, but its just a band-aid to the problem.
While medications and antacids seem to be the first choice in the Western world, we can learn a lot from Eastern culture. Many things in nature can cure heartburn that doesnt have such devastating side effects. Here are ten things that you should try for your acid reflux.
How Well Do Medicines Work For Gerd
Medicines relieve GERD symptoms for most people.
Proton pump inhibitors may work better than H2 blockers depending on your GERD symptoms, but you may need to try more than one medicine to find one that works well for you. And you may still sometimes need to take an antacid to stop heartburn.
The medicines
- Antacids, such as Gaviscon or Rolaids. Antacids work very well for people who get mild to moderate heartburn now and then. They relieve symptoms quickly. You can buy these without a prescription in grocery stores and drugstores. Antacids probably won’t help people who have bad symptoms.
- H2 blockers, such as Pepcid or Tagamet. H2 blockers help most people with mild to moderate heartburn. You can get them with or without a prescription.
- Proton pump inhibitors, such as Prevacid or Prilosec. These medicines are used to treat GERD symptoms and inflammation of the esophagus . Some are available without a prescription.
No matter which medicines you try, making lifestyle changes is still an important part of your treatment.
If your GERD symptoms are very bad, you will probably need to take medicines every day. That’s because symptoms tend to return if you stop taking medicine.
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Types Of Otc Heartburn Medicines
There was a time when the most common OTC remedies for heartburn were either chalky antacids or medicinal effervescent tablets. Anything stronger was usually very expensive, available only by prescription, and reserved for those who were diagnosed with bleeding ulcers or other serious digestion-related conditions.
In the 1980s, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration started approving OTC versions of several of these medications. Here are the three most popular types available without prescription:
Acid neutralizer
Acid neutralizers use chemical bases, such as calcium carbonate, to reduce the stomachs acidity level. When a base interacts with an acid, the pH level moves closer to neutral, thus reducing the effects of stomach acid on the esophagus. Antacids provide almost immediate relief because they interact directly with stomach acids, unlike the medicines described below, which must first enter the bloodstream. The soothing effects of antacids can be short-lived, however. Common antacids include Tums, Rolaids, and Alka-Seltzer.
Proton pump inhibitor
Histamine 2 receptor antagonist
Ppis Can Change The Way Other Drugs Work
PPIs interact with some common prescription drugs. For example, some PPIs can reduce the blood-thinning effect of the drug Plavix , according to the US Food and Drug Administration. This can increase the risk of heart attack and even death. If you take Plavix, talk to your doctor about whether you should take a PPI.
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Sleep On Your Left Side
Its crazy to think that your sleeping position can matter when it comes to heartburn. However, sleeping on your back is out of the question with GERD. Sleeping on your left side causes the esophageal sphincter to relax.
When you keep the sphincter above the gastric acid level, its more difficult for the fluid to pass. Many have found that adjusting the way they sleep improves their heartburn, and there are no harsh side effects with position adjustment either.
Consume Foods That Help With Stomach Acid
Another way to treat acid reflux at home without medicines is to include foods in your diet that help with stomach acid. Certain foods can help to reduce stomach acid, prevent gas, and prevent you suffering from a sour stomach.
Researchers from the International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders reported on some of the best foods to reduce reflux symptoms. Some of these are:18
- Non-citrus fruits like bananas, apples, melons, and pears because of their high fiber content.
- Lean protein sources that are grilled, broiled, or poached because they put less pressure on the stomach muscles.
- Consume complex carbs like whole grains and oatmeal because they are high in fiber.
Scientific studies have shown that foods rich in fiber help with stomach acid and can reduce heartburn and indigestion symptoms. Scientists proved that fiber-rich foods are associated with low levels of stomach acid which can protect against GERD symptoms.12
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