Heartburn, unfortunately, is very common and very unpleasant. If you suffer from heartburn you no doubt recognise the onset of symptoms. The burn! The burn that feels as if someone has started a fire in the middle of your chest. This fire then moves and gives the sensation of flames rising from your chest and into your throat.
Pretty nasty stuff. But help is at hand with 7 home remedies for heartburn that really work!
While your chest and throat are not on fire, the sensation you feels exactly like being burnt. The burn is not from a fire but from the acids produced in the stomach and used to help break down food.
For the sufferers of heart burn the stomach acid is actually building up and making its way into your oesophagus. What is needed are methods to neutralise the stomach acids, which is where our remedies for heartburn can help.
You are probably well aware that there are a multitude of prescription and over the counter medications that can be used to neutralize and stop that burning sensation. What many are unaware of is that there are a number of natural heartburn home remedies that combined with some simple lifestyle changes are just as effective.
Plus by trying the natural remedies you help prevent another type of burn. The wallet burn. They are far less expensive than medications and some are completely free!
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Solving The Heartburn, Reflux or Indigestion Riddle!
Many people confuse the terms. So before starting on any course of treatment, be it medicinal or natural, we need to be sure we identify and treat the correct condition.
Heartburn:
Heartburn is also known as Gastric Reflux. As mentioned earlier we can identify this condition because of its characteristic burning sensation that begins in the chest area, and rises into the back of the throat. It is caused when acid from your stomach refluxes. Meaning it rises up, and makes its way into your food pipe (known as the esophagus).
Heartburn, also known as acid indigestion, is a common condition characterized by a burning sensation in the chest. Here are some typical symptoms of heartburn:
- Burning Sensation in the Chest: A painful, burning feeling just below or behind the breastbone, which can last from a few minutes to several hours.
- Chest Pain: Discomfort or pain in the middle of the chest that can sometimes spread to the throat.
- Regurgitation: A sour or bitter-tasting acid backing up into your throat or mouth.
- Bloating: A feeling of fullness or tightness in your stomach.
- Burping: Recurrent burping or belching.
- Nausea: Feeling sick to your stomach.
- Dysphagia: A sensation of food being stuck in your throat.
- Chronic Cough or Sore Throat: Persistent cough or throat irritation, especially if the heartburn is caused by gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).
- Hoarseness or a Change in Voice: A raspy or hoarse voice, particularly in the morning.
Reflux:
Reflux and Heartburn are different, but we are still talking about the same condition.
Heartburn is the symptom you feel when Reflux is happening. The word reflux means “to flow back”, so it is referring to whats happening i.e. the stomach acid coming up into the oesophagus. Heartburn is caused because of this reflux.
Indigestion:
Indigestion, or dyspepsia, is pain or feelings of discomfort in the upper middle part of your abdomen.
The actual cause of indigestion is not yet known. However it is believed to be a symptom of other underlying problems. Medical experts suggest that indigestion is caused by your body responding to an infection, to stress, to changes in your digestive system or other conditions such as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), ulcers, or gall bladder disease.
How To Recognize Indigestion:
Indigestion, also known as dyspepsia, refers to discomfort in your upper abdomen. Here are some common symptoms of indigestion:
- Abdominal Pain: A feeling of discomfort or burning in the upper abdomen.
- Bloating: A sensation of fullness or tightness in the stomach.
- Belching: Frequent burping or belching, sometimes bringing up bitter-tasting acid or partially digested food.
- Nausea: Feeling sick to your stomach, which can sometimes lead to vomiting.
- Early Satiety: Feeling full sooner than expected when eating.
- Heartburn: A burning sensation in the chest, often after eating.
- Flatulence: Excess gas in the stomach or intestines causing bloating and discomfort.
- Uncomfortable Fullness: A heavy or bloated feeling in the stomach that lasts longer than it should after eating.
- Acidic Taste: A sour or bitter taste in the mouth, often accompanied by regurgitation.
- Growling Stomach: Audible rumbling or gurgling noises from the stomach.
Unfortunately for some people, whatever underlying problem causes them to experience indigestion, can lead to the indigestion causing them to experience heartburn.
Pin1. Risks Associated With Long Term heartburn and acid reflux.
If you have been suffering with heartburn regularly, meaning two or more times per week, for a prolonged period of time it is time to take action and start using our home remedies for heartburn. And we recommend visit a doctor!
Long term heartburn may be a disorder known as GERD or Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease. It could also be the symptoms of peptic ulcer. Frequent heartburn is serious and can lead to long term health problems. It can cause strictures in your esophagus. In rare cases, it may even lead to cancer.
By taking action and reducing or eliminating the acid reflux can help you prevent any unwanted health complications in the future.
Here is our recommended home remedies for heartburn. You may be surprised just how easy they are to implement and rest assured we have selected only those known to be effective.
Pin2. Home Remedies For Heartburn And Sleep.
While this may sound overly simplistic, the link between sleep and heartburn is a major factor in ridding yourself of reflux. Sleep, or the way your sleeping habits, are so important and so easy to implement, that it may be the number 1 remedy for resolving the burn.
2a. Wait Before Going To Bed.Â
If you have recently eaten, or taken alcohol, you should avoid laying down too soon. Just the act of sitting upright or laying prone after meals can determine if you induce heartburn. It is recommended that you do not go to bed or lay down bed for at least two or three hours before you sleep.
When you lay down the muscles of the lower sphincter in your oesophagus relax. This leads to the natural barrier to avoid reflux does not stay tightly sealed. After a large meal the acids migrate through this opening and heartburn ensues.
2b. Elevate The Head Of Your Bed.Â
In a study1Effect of bed head elevation during sleep in symptomatic patients of nocturnal gastroesophageal reflux “Effect of bed head elevation during sleep in symptomatic patients of nocturnal gastroesophageal reflux” published in the Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, the people who usually suffered from night reflux were found to have reduced acid reflux.
This was measured by the comparing the amount of reflux (or esophageal acid exposure) and then the time it took for the symptoms of this acid exposure to clear. The optimal level of heartburn reduction was shown to occur when the head end of the bed was elevated with by 20cm.
There are several methods you can use to elevate the head of your bed. You can use Blocks of wood or purpose built bed risers. Other less obvious methods are to elevate your head, rather than the bed through using wedge pillows or a mattress wedge which lifts the mattress up from the bed base.
This method is predominantly for those who find their heartburn usually occurs once they go to bed. It is also perfect for those who are woken from sleep because of the symptoms.
2c. Sleep on Your Left Side.Â
Always try to build a habit of sleeping on your left side. This is a medically recognised relief from heartburn and is known as “left lateral decubitus position”.
Sleeping on your right side relaxes the lower oesophageal sphincter, between the stomach and the oesophagus, allowing acid to pass into the throat. By sleeping on your left side you keep the junction between your stomach and oesophagus closed and above the level of your stomachs gastric acid.
Pin3. Ginger Home Remedies For Heartburn.
Many of you have probably experienced being told to drink a glass of flat ginger ale if you ever had an upset stomach.
There is truth in this! Ginger is well documented and proven to be an effective natural remedy for digestive problems such as stomach bloating and acid reflux.
The reason you were told to drink flat ginger ale is because carbonation combined with sugars aggravate the stomach.
To make an easy and highly effective remedy for soothing acid reflux we recommend warm (or cold) Ginger Tea. You can find our recommended recipe for a delicious heartburn soothing Ginger tea below.
Ingredients
1 Inch ginger root
1 cup water
½ tsp honey
lemon juice to taste
Instructions
- Peel the 1 Inch ginger root and mince (or cut into thin slices).1 Inch ginger root
- In a small saucepan boil 1 cup water and add the minced or sliced ginger. Continue to boil the water and ginger for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cover with lid. Let the ginger mix steep for at least 20 minutes.1 cup water
- Strain the liquid through a sieve or muslin cloth to remove all ginger sediment. Stir in 1/2 tsp honey and add lemon juice to taste.1/2 tsp honey, lemon juice
Notes
- The honey is recommended.
- Lemon juice is optional but provides a taste balance to the tea.
- You can also add Slippery Elm or Chamomile to the tea for extra heartburn relief
YOUR RECIPE NOTES:
Nutrition
Pin4. Baking Soda For Heartburn.
Baking soda is one of the of the “original natural remedies for heartburn” and is simple to prepare. Just mix it with water. The reason it is recommended, is for the same reason that it has been handed down over many generations, because it works!
The science behind the remedy is due to baking soda being able to balance and offset the acidity in your oesophagus and gut. For fast relief mix a teaspoon of baking soda in a regular glass of water (8 oz).
It is important that you regulate this remedy and not add more than a teaspoon or use it too often during the day. Taking too much baking soda may undo the benefits it provides heartburn and be detrimental to health. This may include nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
If you are pregnant or have a diagnosed chronic medical condition such as heart disease, high blood pressure or kidney disease, you should consult with a medical professional before using baking soda as one of your remedies for heartburn.
Pin5. Apple Cider Vinegar.
This is one of our remedies for heartburn that may seems counterintuitive. It would seem logical that a product that is essentially acidic, like apple cider vinegar, would not be suitable for use in the treatment of heartburn.
However it may be that for those people who find no relief using traditional remedies that this is the one that will work. And this is the reason why.
For some people the painful sensation and acid reflux occurs because your stomach doesn’t have sufficient acid for the digestion of food.
Without enough stomach acid, your body has trouble breaking down the food you eat, leading to a burning sensation.
Brenda Rea, M.D., R.D Professor of Medicine, Loma Linda University, California.
The longer any food stays undigested in your stomach the greater the risk of it being the cause of your heartburn. And then by treating it with traditional means, such as lowering acid levels, you may unknowingly be making the condition worse.
To use this home remedy taking a teaspoon of diluted unprocessed apple cider vinegar may provide your stomach with the acid it needs to properly digest the food.
It is important that if you try this remedy you pay close attention to symptoms and whether they improve or worsen as if too little acid is not the cause it may make your heartburn worse. It is however worth trying if other methods have not helped. There are a huge number of people who swear by this as the remedy that finally helped them deal with their acid reflux.
6. Aloe Vera or Lemon Juice For Heartburn.
If Apple Cider Vinegar is not working for you, or you simply cannot stand swallowing a teaspoon of vinegar, you may find that lemon juice is a better acidic replacement.
Drinking the juice from half a lemon is said to yield similar results to Vinegar. With the lemon remedy it is best to drink the juice before you eat as this will help prepare your stomach for food digestion.
6a. Pickle home remedies for heartburn.
And for those who cannot find heartburn relief from using apple cider vinegar or lemon juice you may actually find that pickle juice is another good option.
This may sound very uninviting however the benefit is that as well as its acidic base the juice from homemade pickles contains Lactobacillus bacteria. This probiotic forms in the skin of the pickle when it ferments.
It is worth noting that this healthy bacteria is often not found in those commercially processed, so it is recommended that you use homemade pickles if possible.
7. Chewing gum.
This is a good temporary relief for when you are in the midst of a bout of heartburn. That burning is caused by the potent stomach acid irritating your oesophagus and the lining of your stomach.
To quickly reduce irritation and soothe heartburn you need to neutralize acidity through balancing acid levels by adding something alkaline. We have a naturally occurring alkaline substance, and it is the final of our home remedies for heartburn.
The alkaline is Saliva.
When chewing gum we stimulate the production of saliva. The salivation process helps to neutralize the acidity and soothes your oesophagus. The additional benefit of gum chewing is that when we swallow the increased saliva we are also washing the acid back down to where it belongs, the stomach.
I hope you will try one, or all, of our home remedies for heartburn. If you do please let us know your results in the comments below. Do you know other effective natural remedies? Share with others in the comments section also, please!
Remedies For Heartburn Relief FAQ
How do I stop heartburn ASAP with Natural Remedies?
Drink aloe vera juice.
What can I drink to relieve Heartburn?
Water, herbal tea, ginger tea, chamomile tea, and aloe vera juice.
What’s the best home remedy for heartburn?
Avoiding trigger foods, such as fatty or spicy foods, and eating smaller, more frequent meals can help alleviate heartburn. Additionally, drinking chamomile tea or consuming a teaspoon of baking soda mixed with water may provide relief.
What food helps heartburn fast?
Add ginger to your meals.
If you suffer from heartburn and acid reflux, you know just how unpleasant and uncomfortable it can be. That burning sensation that rises from your chest to your throat is not something anyone wants to experience. Luckily, there are effective natural remedies that can provide relief. Try incorporating these 7 home remedies into your routine and say goodbye to heartburn:
- Apple Cider Vinegar: Mix a tablespoon with water and drink it before meals to help balance stomach acid.
- Ginger: Brew a cup of ginger tea or chew on ginger candies to soothe inflammation.
- Baking Soda: Mix half a teaspoon with water and drink it to neutralize stomach acid.
- Aloe Vera Juice: Drink a quarter cup of aloe vera juice to reduce inflammation and promote healing.
- Slippery Elm: Take slippery elm supplements or drink it as a tea to coat and soothe the esophagus.
- Chamomile: Sip on a cup of chamomile tea to relax the muscles and reduce acid reflux symptoms.
- Licorice Root: Chew on licorice tablets or consume licorice tea to help increase mucus production and protect the stomach lining.
By incorporating these natural remedies into your routine, you can find relief from heartburn and acid reflux without relying solely on medication. Give them a try and see which ones work best for you. Follow us on social media for more tips and tricks to support your digestive health.
References
- 1Effect of bed head elevation during sleep in symptomatic patients of nocturnal gastroesophageal reflux
