Using Pillows And Positional Therapy To Counteract Acid Reflux

Acid reflux is a chronic disease that seldom goes away once you have developed it. Acid reflux occurs after eating. After a non-sufferer of acid reflux eats, the food passes down the throat and esophagus and through a one-way trap-door into the stomach where acids start the process of breaking down the food before letting it flow on into the intestines for further processing.

However, after a sufferer of acid reflux eats, the food goes through that trap-door, mixes with the acids and then somehow pushes against the trap-door which gives way, allowing the food and acid to re-enter the esophagus. Now, since these acids are intended to attack and dissolve tissue, this is very bad news for the sufferer as his esophagus will be attacked too.

This acid reflux (or flow of acid) into the esophagus can cause inflammation and discomfort, heartburn, and regurgitation. Unfortunately, once the hinges on that trap-door have been broken and have started to permit the door to open both ways, there is not much chance that they will repair themselves on their own. In fact, the chances are that they will just get worse.

In truth, everyone gets a little reflux from time to time, but the acid in the sufferer is more powerful and the mixture remains in the esophagus longer, which is what causes the situation to become a difficulty.

The body has invented a natural method of countering the mild acid reflux in healthy people and it is called saliva. Saliva is alkaline, so while you swallow hundreds of times a day, your saliva counteracts the acid. Most people experience reflux after eating, which is of course normally done during the day while we are usually in an upright position. Swallowing saliva also happens mostly in the daytime.

I am certain that you can see a pattern here: reflux is in the daytime when we can swallow saliva to neutralize it and while the force of gravity will impede the acid rising up from the stomach.

Most sufferers of acid reflux get problems at night, when gravity cannot help and the swallowing of saliva is at a minimum. Therefore, the acid, untreated by alkaline saliva, remains in the esophagus burning and irritating it.

The pregnant and the obese are most at risk of experiencing acid reflux because of the extra abdominal bulk.

So, how do you treat this chronic condition? Well, you should naturally consult your doctor, who may recommend alkaline tablets, but if you want to help yourself too, you could lose weight if you are obese; not eat late at night or even late evening; reduce the fat you consume and sleep with more pillows to raise your head and torso. You will need to experiment with these home remedies to find out what suits you.

You might find that not eating after eight is OK for you, or it might be six o’ clock. You might find that not eating meat or cheese after lunch will do it for you and you may find that lifting your head six or eight inches on extra pillows at night will help too.

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Heartburn Home Remedies For Pregnant Women

The burning sensation felt by most pregnant women is due to the stomach acid backing upwards into the food pipe.

It is always an unpleasant and painful experience to live with, especially for pregnant women.

More and more women are choosing more natural and safer ways to deal with heartburn. The success rate of using home made recipes and natural home made products to alleviate the pain of heartburn is now accepted by most medical experts.

Now that women’s are being more aware about other ways to heal their condition, the use of pharmaceutical drugs is no longer seen as the safest way to deal with heartburn.

Conventional medicine proved to be less potent than home natural remedies. Antacids can only relief the pain of heartburn temporary. In most case the pain returns after a week with greater intensity. Besides, prolong use of antacids for the treatment of heartburn is not advisable because of its terrible side effects.

any women who desire to stop heartburn completely can do so by using home remedies.

The use of home remedies to fight heartburn is very cheap and easy. It allows you to stop heartburn right in your own house without the assistance of anybody. Besides, home remedies have no side effect. It is a purely natural mean of preventing and controlling heartburns and acid reflux.

A lot of women during their pregnancy have discovered great home remedies and holistic methods that are proven quite effective in dealing with acid reflux.

If you are having acid reflux while you are sleeping, you should invest in a wedge pillow. Other wise known as an acid reflux pillow, these pillows are relatively cheap, and it is a great way to prevent acid reflux from occurring when sleeping without the use of drugs.

One of the best ways in curing heartburn is having good eating habits. Following a healthy diet plan can prevent your condition from getting worse and often cure or eliminate heartburn for good.

Some foods are known to create a favourable environment for acid reflux. Citric products for instance are known for their high acid content. Such foods and many other fatty food are to be avoided.

Other foods pregnant woman should stay away from are; chocolate, caffeine, alcohol tomatoes or Italian hot spaghetti sauce. Spicy food can stir a hurricane of stomach problems.

To ensure that you succeed in your home remedies you should have a very good diet plan. I recommend that you eat more raw fruits and vegetables. These have high content of living enzymes in them. Eat food from a whole grain and legumes. You can also boost the cure of heartburn by embellishing your food with some herbs that are known to be very effective in the curing heartburn like; licorice root, aloe Vera gel, Ginger and other mild herbs that are flavourful but do not add heat such as thyme and basil.

Avoid eating large quantity of food rather eat small quantity of food frequently. Eat for two or three hours before sleeping.

There are lots of other home remedies that cure heartburn in pregnant women. But with the above mentioned home remedies, you can achieve success in fighting heartburn.

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Pregnancy and Acid Reflux

During pregnancy, a womans body goes through lots of changes, very quickly. Most of the time, the changes are exciting. Unfortunately, some of the changes cause feelings of discomfort such as acid reflux.

Pregnancy triggers a lot of hormonal changes very quickly. Hormones will change the womans body chemistry, which requires the rest of the body to adapt to the changes. Hormones can also cause additional stomach acid to produce, causing acid reflux.

Acid reflux is uncomfortable for anyone who experiences it. There are plenty of over the counter products to treat and even prevent acid reflux, but they are just temporary solutions. Acid reflux can occur each time a person eats. Coupling that with the rapidly changing hormone levels caused by pregnancy, acid reflux is a common occurrence.

As the fetus grows, it puts an ever increasing pressure on the stomach area. This can cause stomach acid to move up into the esophagus. As the pressure increases, the acid reflux symptoms also increase for most pregnant women. Making smart food choices and mild antacids usually take care of the symptoms.

Unfortunately, acid reflux during pregnancy is completely normal and just part of the process for a majority of pregnant women. Antacids taken as prescribed have shown not to cause harm to the fetus, but they can be high in sodium.

Diet is the best way to minimize acid reflux symptoms. Avoid products that are high in acid. Most citrus and citrus juices are extremely high in acid and can trigger acid reflux. If you are pregnant, keep track of what you consume to learn what triggers acid reflux.

The human body is not built to take in large amounts of food at one time. The body works best when it receives a regular supplement of nutrients, which come in the form of food. Eating more frequent and smaller meals allows the body to digest the food properly. This also provides a great opportunity for pregnant women to inject healthy foods into their diet.

If there is an elixir for pregnancy and acid reflux, it would be water. Water keeps the body hydrated, clean and can significantly reduce or eliminate acid reflux symptoms. If you do choose to eat acidic foods or drink acidic juices (orange juice, cranberry juice, etc.), cut the quantities in half and drink equal amounts of water.

Lying horizontally often triggers acid reflux. Even just a few inches of elevation will make all the difference. Unfortunately, pregnancy and acid reflux go hand in hand. Talk to your doctor about how to treat the acid reflux, and ways to prevent it. You may not be able to eliminate it altogether, but managing it properly will make the pregnancy much more comfortable!