How to get rid of acid reflux

When you eat food goes to your stomach through esophagus. In the stomach acid digest food.  Ring of muscle fibers in the lower esophagus prevents swallowed food and acid from your stomack from moving back up. These muscle fibers are called the lower esophageal sphincter (LES).Acid reflux is when acid from your stomach goes back to esophagus.

To prevent acid reflux don't overeat:

A full belly puts more pressure on the lower esophageal sphincter (LES), the muscle that normally prevents food from moving back up into your esophagus, and thus adds to your risk of reflux.

To avoid overeating make sure you eat smaller portions but more often.

Try not to be too hungry until your next meal. If you sit to eat when you are too hungry you will eat much more then you need.

Also, do not too eat too often, give your stomach time to digest food.

Don't skip breakfast. Often people skip breakfast and then eat too much for lunch because they are just too hungry.

If you suffer from acid reflux there are certain foods and drinks you need to avoid. Here is a list of some that are almost universally problematic.

• high fat foods
• coffee
• alcohol
• spicy food
• fried food
• chocolate
• pepermint
• tomato
• tomato based foods 
• citrus fruits
• citrus juices
• soda and other carbonated drinks
• garlic and onion

Remember everyone is different so listen to your body and find which type of foods cause you problems. The best thing to do then is to avoid them completly.

Exercise helps with acid reflux for many reasons. First of all it keeps your body upright so the gravity helps with digestion. Also it helps reduces body weight which also causes acid reflux. Research shows that exercise reduces stress and stress can also trigger acid reflux problems.

Important thing is to be moderate. Exercises like running can agitate your digestive tract and provoke reflux. To minimize the risk of acid reflux symptoms wait at least two hours after eating to work out. Also make sure to avoid sports drinks and choose pure water. If you are new to exercising start slow and go for half an hour moderate walk every day. 

Apple cider vinegar is an effective natural remedy to treat heartburn and GERD because it not only gives you quick relief,it also gives long term relief and is safe to use if you're pregnant or breast feeding.

How does apple cider vinegar helps ? 

1. It improves and build up the acid content in your gut by stimulating stomach acid production
2. Helps to promote the growth of beneficial bacteria(lactobacillus)
3. It contains essential vitamins,minerals and amino acids our bodies need every day,especialy one of the most important minerals we need for overall good health - potassium.

Wearing tight clothes or tight belts puts extra pressure on your stomach and that can cause or make acid reflux worse. 

Pressure on the stomach can push acid upwards and into the esophagus. f you don’t have a reflux problem yet, but have a predisposition to it wearing tight clothes could tip you over the edge into being a sufferer.

So the advise is to avoid tight clothes especially during and right after a meal.

Give your stomach time to digest food before wearing your favorite skinny jeans.

Sometimes acid reflux progresses to GERD (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease) a more severe form of reflux. GERD signs and symptoms include:

• Chest pain
• A burning sensation in your chest (heartburn),sometimes spreading to your throat,along with a sour taste in your mouth
• Difficulty swallowing(dysphagia)
• Dry cough
• Hoarseness or sore throat
• Regurgitation of food or sour liquid(acid reflux)
• sensation of a lump in your throat

Although many people can relieve their reflux disease symptoms by changes in their habits, diet, and lifestyle, others need to consult their health-care professional.

• Call your health-care professional when symptoms of GERD occur frequently,disrupt your sleep,interfere with work or other activities,or are not relieved by self-care measures alone.
• Make your health-care professional aware that you are using self-care measures or over-the-counter medications so that they can monitor how well they work and how often you need to use them

Talk to your doctor. Prescription medications may help. In a few cases, GERD may be treated with surgery or other procedures.

Most working people eat dinner late. Also, dinner is often the biggest meal during the day. This causes a big pressure on a stomach. 

In a young, healthy, person stomach takes a few hours to empty after a meal.As you get older or if you have acid reflux, the process takes longer.

If your stomach is full when you lay down to go to sleep, it's much easier for acid to spill out of your stomach. So always try to stay upright after eating. This reduces the risk of acid creeping up your esophagus.

After meal don't go to bed for at least 2 or 3 hours. This will give food time to digest and empty from your stomach. 

When you do lie down if you suffer from acid reflux good advice is to give your bed a lift. Raise the head of your bed so that your head and chest are higher than your feet.

Studies shown that a lot of people found a very simple solution to acid reflux problem-drinking water. Water helps by temporarily raising stomach pH.  Recommendation is six to eight glasses a day. Avoid flavored water. Artificial flavors and other additives in flavored water may irritate your stomach and esophagus. Always choose pure water.

Very important thing is not to drink water during a meal. Liquids add to the volume of food in your stomach and increases stomach distension. That can cause the LES muscle to open and allow stomach contents to leak into the esophagus  Also when you drink water with meals, stomach acid is usually diluted, which leads to incomplete digestion of food. Undigested food may stay longer in your stomach, which can increase acid reflux symptoms.

The key to treat acid reflux with baking soda lies in the ingredient sodium bicarbotane.This ingredient acts as an antacid to help neutralize stomach acid and control symtpoms of GERD after eating.

When baking soda is used as an antacid,it helps prevent stomach acid from backing up in the esophagus.Baking soda can also help reduce the risk of long-term esophageal damage.

Baking soda isn't appropriate for everyone with acid reflux.Since this product contains a form of sodium,you should not use it if you're following a low-sodium diet.

Baking soda is also not recommended for pregnant women and children under the age of 6.

Acid blockers (H2 blockers) reduce the production of stomach acid.This makesthe stomach juices less acidic so that any stomach juice that gets into the esophagus is less irritating.This relieves symptoms and allows the esophagus to heal.

Over the counter medication for heartburn relief: 

• Zantac
• Axid
• Pepcid
• Tagament

Ginger is known as one of the best remedies for digestion process.

Here are some reasons why you should use ginger for acid reflux : 

• Tightens the lower esophageal sphincter to prevent the back-flow of stomach acid
• Relieves nausea and vomiting
• Plays an important role in pushing the food through bowels fast and thus prevents the unwanted formation of gas in the stomach
• Regulates the flow of juices in the digestive system to ensure proper absorption of food
• Has anti-inflammatory property which reduces inflammation and irritation
• Speeds the digestive proces to prevent the buildup of gas

Ways to use Ginger to treat acid reflux:

1. Drink gingerroot tea (boil 1+1/2 teaspoons of fresh ginger or 1/2 teaspoon of powdered ginger in one cup of water for about 10 minutes before drinking)
2. Plain ginger (Peel and grate ginger root - eat 1 teaspoon daily)
3. Consume ginger with bland foods
4. Ginger and lemon juice (Peel a one-inch piece of ginger root,crush it to extract its juice then mix it with a few drops of lemon juice)

Chewing gum could help fight acid reflux and heartburn symptoms.After a big meal chewing gum can reduce acid levels in the esophagus and may aid in preventing gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).Can help prevent cavities by lowering acid and sugar levels in the mouth.

Antacids neutralize stomach acid to help relieve heartburn,sour stomach,acid indigestion and stomach upset.Some antacids also contain simethicone,an ingredient that helps eliminate excess gas.

Use products such as :

• Milk of Magnesia
• Alternagel,Amphojel
• Gaviscon,Gelusil,Maalox,Mylanta,Rolaids,Tums
• Pepto-Bismol

You should take antacids exactly as directed by your doctor or according to the package label.If you are using the tablets,chew them well before swallowing for faster relief.

Proton pump inhibitors are usually used :

• To prevent GERD symptoms
• To heal inflammation of the esophagus
• To prevent esophagitis from coming back after the esophagus is healed and to prevent compications of gastroesophageal reflux disease(GERD)

Medicines that can be used are Nexium, Prilosec, Dexilant, Prevacid, Protonix, Aciphex.

Excess abdominal fat can press against the stomach, forcing acids up into the esophagus. Body fat may also release chemicals that interfere with normal digestive functioning. Good news is that research shows losing even a small amount of weight can help. 

If you want to know how to lose weight, check out the solutions against being overweight or obese.

Of course you know smoking is bad for your health for many reasons but did you know it also causes acid reflux? Nicotine, a key part of tobacco, is thought to relax the ring of muscle in the lower esophagus that keeps acid in the stomach. When that ring relaxes, acid can trickle up and cause that burning sensation.

Smoking can also cause your mouth to make less spit, which might mean more heartburn symptoms. 

 So add acid reflux syndrome to the list of reasons why you should quit smoking and motivate yourself to quit once and for all!

Banana has many benefits to do with health problems,including acid reflux.It is an lkaline fruit which helps to neutralize the acid in the stomach.

Some of the ways how banana helps cure acid reflux : 

• It's a sulphur protein rich food which helps for better digestion
• It has excellent source of minerals,vitamins(B6) and fiber that helps to strengthen the esophagus
• Banana is rich in fiber which acts as anti-acid reflux as it eliminates the harmful toxins
• Acts as natural antacid that reduces the acid levels in the stomach
• Has rich amount of potassium that helps for better digestion and absorption of food into the stomach
• Contains a compound called Protease Inhibitors that helps to eliminate certain bacteria in the stomach
• Contains several components that help to suppress the acid secretion in the stomach and maintains proper pH level in the stomach

Here are some ways how to use banana to treat acid reflux.

Drinking chamomile tea between meals three to four times a day may relieve inflamed or irritated mucous membranes in your digestive tract and helps promote normal digestion