What Is Frequent Heartburn And How To Cure It?

There are times when you may experience a burning and painful
discomfort just behind the breastbone. This burning sensation
that you are experiencing is commonly called heartburn, and most
people tend to suffer from frequent heartburn.

Heartburn doesn't have anything to do with your heart. Rather
heartburn is what occurs when digested food juices go back into
the esophagus. The esophagus is the tube like structure that
connects the throat to your stomach.

When the digested food juices go back into the esophagus it is
called reflux. The stomach has a high amount of acid within it
to help breakdown the various foods that we eat. There is a
valve called the lower esophageal sphincter or LES that normally
separates the esophagus from the stomach. It is when the LES
fails to work correctly or when it relaxes frequently at the
wrong moment that we experience frequent heartburn.

There are certain triggers in our lifestyles and eating habits
that cause heartburn. The triggers vary from person to person,
and from lifestyles and dietary habits. However there are some
common factors.

They include the following. Eating foods such as citrus fruits
and drinks, chocolate, peppermint, tomatoes or tomato-based
products and fatty or spicy foods. Drinking beverages such as
coffee, tea, and sodas that have caffeine substances in them.
Also drinking carbonated fizzy drinks and alcoholic beverages
can relax the LES.

Heartburn has varying degrees to it. There is episodic
heartburn which is generally experienced. There is the more
serious GERD disease. Then there is frequent heartburn. This is
the type of heartburn that occurs two or more days a week.
Frequent heartburn affects people who may be using medication
for heartburn symptoms at least two or more days of the week.

For sufferers of frequent heartburn there is at the moment only
one type of relief. This is the proton pump inhibitor or the PPI
as it is also known as. PPIs are powerful inhibitors of stomach
acid production. They virtually shut down the acid pumps in the
cells of the stomach. As this is where stomach the acid is
produced, the PPIs eliminate the excess amounts of acid leaving
only enough acid for the normal digestion of food.

Prilosec medication is the only over the counter medication
that you can get for frequent heartburn. Prilosec is
specifically indicated for frequent heartburn usage, and can
provide 24-hour relief from the symptoms of frequent heartburn.
You will only need to take one pill daily as medical directions
state for 14 days.

For frequent heartburn sufferers a complete change in their
lifestyles and eating habits may not be enough. Should there be
an increase in the pain then having a medical diagnosis may be
helpful in correcting your frequent heartburn pain. Stop
procrastinating, and delaying, go to your doctor today and get
yourself relief from your heartburn.

About The Author: Author's sites: http://www.easyhomeremedy.com
, http://www.myanxietyguide.com ,
http://www.home-remedies-for-heartburn.com

The High Cost of GERD Medications

The High Cost of GERD Medications
The presidential candidates are talking more and more about the high cost of medical care and offering their proposals. I hope the candidates realize how high prescription drug prices for patients with chronic conditions such as Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) can be. Even patients with health coverage end up paying a great deal of money in prescription co-pays and out-of-pocket expenses. It is not uncommon for children and adults with...

Acid Reflux Recovery - Simple and Easy!

Acid reflux is a condition that plagues millions of people
worldwide. It is caused by stomach acid splashing up into the
esophagus. The lower esophageal sphincter (LES) is a ring-like
valve at the bottom of the esophagus. It opens to allow food to
enter the stomach and then closes to keep it there. When the LES
becomes damaged and, or relaxed, stomach fluids are refluxed up
into the esophagus and throat. The hydrochloric acid in this
fluid has been compared to the corrosive acid in a common car
battery.

It is important to remember why this condition usually exists in
the first place. In most cases it is due to a damaged esophagus
and LES. These can easily be scratched by eating foods with
jagged edges like corn chips or crackers. Even crusty bread
which has not been chewed properly can cause this type of damage.
These little lacerations can then be irritated by acidic foods
which are spicy or fried. Before you know it, you have a full
fledged case of acid reflux. Once this cycle begins, it is not
that easy to stop.

Let the esophagus heal by not eating the same foods in the same
manner that caused the damage in the first place. Losing
weight, exercising, chewing properly, drinking sufficient amounts
of water and eating in a pleasant atmosphere are all simple
things that anyone can do to improve this condition.

There are also many natural ingredients found in any grocery
market or health food store, which can help during the acid
reflux recovery period. Herbs, like slippery elm and marshmallow
have wonderful healing properties. Aloe vera juice, licorice and
natural honey can sooth the esophagus and assist in the healing
process.

By eating dinner at least three hours before retiring, one can
drastically reduce the chances of acid reflux. Chewing gum
between meals actually reduces stomach acid. Saliva is extremely
alkaline in nature and chewing stimulates its production causing
the system to be more alkaline.

Eat smaller, more frequent meals. Forget the "Three Big Meals"
we have been taught to indulge in. Try eating four or five
little meals each day. Start the day with Kukicha Twig tea
instead of acidic coffee. This tea has been used for hundreds of
years to make the body more alkaline. For breakfast, banish that
cereal and instead eat fruit, like bananas and melons. Have
several snacks of walnuts, almonds and more fruit during the day.
For lunch have a salad, made with grilled chicken breasts, or
tofu, mixed with hearts of romaine tossed with a little lemon
juice and olive oil. Lemon juice is preferable to vinegar, as it
is more alkaline in nature.

During this reflux recovery period, eating anything which could
irritate or damage the esophagus must be avoided. Until the
lacerations have had a chance to heal, spicy foods, such as
acidic tomato products, hot peppers, raw garlic and raw onions
should be eliminated from the diet. They just further irritate
the condition. Eating chocolate, smoking and drinking alcohol
relax the LES, allowing stomach acid to splash up into the
esophagus, thus impeding the healing process.

The key to acid reflux recovery is to eat only mild, easy to
digest food until the esophagus has healed. Eat early and
slowly, chewing your food completely. Last, but not least, try
to eat in a relaxed, pleasant and stress free environment.

There are many things one can do to improve the chances for
success in defeating acid reflux. The choices in behavior that
we make like exercising, losing weight, wearing loose clothing,
eating and chewing properly and avoiding carbonated drinks are
all very important. There is still another very potent technique
for managing this condition. It is called meditation.

Meditation has the power to eliminate any unpleasant side affect
of our stressful lives, including acid reflux. Try this out; in
a quiet place, sit erect with your hands at your side and take a
long deep breath. Close your eyes and look up toward the space
between the eyebrows, without straining. Continue to breathe
deeply. You will soon find yourself in a very relaxed state with
no particular thoughts in mind. Now visualize yourself eating
beautiful food slowly and carefully. See your mouth, throat,
esophagus, LES and stomach all pink, young and perfect. Feel all
the parts of your body working in complete harmony. Look at
yourself. You are smiling. You are enjoying perfect health.

I promise you that if you did this exercise at least once a day,
your acid reflux would go into remission. With these little
changes in food choices and lifestyle and a few natural
supplements thrown into the mix, anyone can accomplish acid
reflux recovery.

(c) 2006 Wind Publishing

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Charles Stewart Richey resides in Pike County, PA.
Mr. Richey is a self-educated expert on how to cure acid reflux
disease, by natural means and has written an extensive report
entitled, "REFLUX GONE FOREVER, Natural Acid Reflux Remedies".
He explains how the proper application of herbs, health store
items, meditation, diet and exercise can heal acid reflux,
gerd and heartburn, without the use of drugs.
For information on how to heal acid reflux the natural way,
go to: http://www.refluxgoneforever.com