Gerd, a Natural Treatment – Some Natural Treatment Tips

If you suffer from acid reflux, heartburn or GERD you more than likely take medication for it. There are effective ways that can rid you of the painful symptoms of acid reflux, heartburn and GERD, a natural treatment.

First, we will take a look at how we eat our food and why it is important to chew our food properly. Next, we will identify a few of the foods that we should avoid if we suffer from these diseases. And, finally, we will examine a few tips on what to do after we eat our meals.

Don’t Eat and Run

Never eat on the run. Eating while preoccupied in some other activity most often neglects proper chewing. It is very important that we chew our food thoroughly before we swallow it. Why? Because, in chewing our food the enzymes that are in our saliva, attach themselves to the food and assist the stomach in sorting out the different proteins that are eventually broken down by the hydrochloric acid (stomach acid) in our stomachs. And, chewing helps control the proper stomach acid balance.

Another reason we want to thoroughly chew our food is that if we don’t, food particles can pass from the stomach into the intestines without being broken down into the nutrients we need and the whole food particles can eventually damage the intestinal tract and cause more problems.

Many of us like our tall glass of iced tea, water, soda, or hot coffee with our meals. Ponder this, drinking a large amount of fluids with our meals dilutes the natural stomach acid and prevents it from doing its job of breaking down our food. So, watch the amount of drink you take in when you eat your meals. It can help prevent bloating and gas and the dreaded resulting heartburn.

Foods to Avoid

We all like to eat and you probably already know this from experience. It doesn’t hurt to repeat it. If you chronically suffer from acid reflux, heartburn, or GERD you should avoid spicy foods and fatty foods.  Not surprisingly, alcohol will also cause heartburn and acid reflux. One food that is surprising to me is chocolate and mints.

Chocolate and mints cause the valve that controls the backup of acid from the stomach into the esophagus to relax and thus allow stomach acid to flow more easily into the esophagus. Chocolate and mints also increase the amount of hydrochloric acid in the stomach.

Although these are foods to avoid, life without good and tasty food can surely be boring.  But for heartburn and acid reflux sufferers, the consequences are very painful. Once you have the condition under control without drugs, an occasional meal of your favorite food may not cause any adverse affects. Moderation is king. Except for severe and extreme cases the natural treatment of heartburn, acid reflux, and GERD need not be overly restrictive.

Additional Tips

Nutritionists and physicians agree that it is best to eat at least three hours before you go to bed. You should not eat just before you go to bed and certainly no late night snacks.

Here’s an unusual tip: when you do go to bed, sleep on your left side. Why? The valve like opening from the esophagus to the stomach is at the top of the stomach on your left side. Sleeping on your left side reduces the chance of stomach acid backing up into the esophagus through that valve.

Finally, if all else fails, raise the head of your bed about six inches. Again, this is to reduce the possibility of stomach acid flowing back up into the stomach.

As I mentioned earlier there are alternatives to drug treatment for acid reflux, heartburn, and GERD, a natural treatment. Explore natural alternatives to costly pills, visit Heartburn No More now for more information.

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