How to Treat Heartburn

Heartburn, also known as acid reflux from the stomach into the esophagus, throat or mouth, is the most prominent symptom of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). This chronic disease can have serious consequences if left untreated. Fortunately, all cases of heartburn can be managed with medication combined with some lifestyle changes. Surgery can also solve the problem. If you are experiencing symptoms of GERD, including heartburn, belching of stomach acid, cough, postnasal drip, difficulty swallowing, and heavily eroded tooth enamel, you can follow the guidelines below to treatment of acid reflux.

Table of Contents

Change Some Habits

Do not eat foods that increase the production of acid in the stomach. If heartburn occurs frequently, you may have noticed that certain foods are associated with heartburn intensity. You should reduce your intake of the following foods to reduce heartburn: ^{[1] X Research Source}

Chocolate
Spicy food
Garlic and onions
Fried or greasy food
Acidic foods such as tomatoes, oranges, lemons, etc.
Mint and Spicy Mint

Eat less each meal and eat more meals. Eating more meals with smaller portions per meal helps the digestive system work more efficiently, so stomach acid doesn’t build up. Limit portion sizes to a moderate level and wait until you are no longer full before eating again.

Just lie down after eating for hours. You should gravity support your digestive system by not eating too close to bedtime. Only lie down after eating for at least 3 hours.

Reduce excess weight. Obesity is a major contributor to acid reflux. Excess weight puts pressure on the esophagus and causes acid to back up. ^{[2] X Research Source} Diet and exercise may resolve this condition without additional treatment.

Talk to your doctor or dietitian for advice on how to lose weight safely and effectively.

Avoid alcohol and caffeinated beverages. Alcohol and caffeine-containing foods loosen the sphincter, which controls the passage from the esophagus to the stomach, causing acid to back up. In particular, you should not take these foods before bedtime to reduce the symptoms of GERD.

Excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages can worsen GERD because the stomach takes longer to digest and the intestines work less efficiently.

Stop smoking. Smoking interferes with digestion and damages the esophageal wall. If you can’t quit smoking completely, you should reduce it to the maximum.

If you’re having trouble quitting smoking, you can make an appointment with your doctor. They will give you easy-to-follow advice or prescribe medication to help.

Wear loose clothing. Tight pants will squeeze the internal organs and slow down the digestive process. You should wear pants or skirts with elastic waistbands. If your office uniform is made of thick, tight-fitting fabric, you should change into more comfortable clothes as soon as you get home.

Raise the head of the bed 10-12 cm above the foot of the bed. Simply because gravity is also a contributing factor in GERD, especially if you are overweight, have a herniated diaphragm, or have an abnormality in the passage from the esophagus to the stomach. If your head is higher than your feet, the acid won’t come up.

Use wooden blocks to raise the entire head of the bed, if you just put your head on the pillow, it will not work, because it will fold your waist.

Taking Medicines To Treat Sour

Talk to your doctor about using digestive enzymes and probiotics. Some people get GERD because they don’t have enough acid in their stomach, so their digestion is very poor and the digestive tract has a microbiological imbalance. Talk to your doctor to see if your reflux could be related to a lack of stomach acid, and whether digestive enzymes and probiotic supplements might help. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

Use over-the-counter medications. Antacids such as Tums or Alka-Seltzer can relieve symptoms of occasional indigestion. If heartburn or heartburn is frequent or severe, you should see your doctor.

See your doctor when heartburn or indigestion persists for more than 2 weeks.
Antacids can affect the body’s ability to absorb other medicines. Take other medicines at least 1 hour before or 4 hours after taking your antacid. Talk to your doctor about how antacids may interact with other medications. ^{[4] X Trusted Source MedlinePlus Go to Source}

Take an H2 blocker. Medicines containing ranitidine (Zantac), cimetidine (Tagamet), and famotidine (Pepcid) work by blocking histamine receptors, which signal the stomach to produce acid.

Take an H2-antagonist before meals to prevent acid reflux symptoms, or after meals to treat heartburn.
H2 blockers are available without a prescription.

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Take proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) for heartburn. Medicines such as omeprazpe (Prilosec, Nexium) can stop the stomach from producing acid.

Taking PPIs for 2 weeks not only relieves heartburn but also corrects damage to the esophageal wall.
Some PPIs are available without a prescription, but others require a prescription from a doctor.

Treatment at home. If you’re looking for a natural remedy, try the following, which are said to reduce heartburn:

Drink a tablespoon of baking soda dissolved in water. ^{[5] X Research Sources}
Eating fresh almonds helps balance the pH in the stomach and reduces heartburn.
Drink a few teaspoons of apple cider vinegar every day to help the digestive system work better. ^{[6] X Research Sources}
Drink chamomile tea.
Drink aloe vera juice.

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Talk to your doctor about using herbal remedies to treat GERD. People have long used herbs to reduce acid secretion in the stomach. Before the invention of modern drugs such as H2 blockers, proton pump inhibitors, people only used herbs to treat acid reflux. Herbs such as licorice, tianmen, sandalwood, bear’s root, fenugreek, banyan leaves, fumaria parviflora (a herbaceous plant), banyan, Mangifera indica, ^{[7] X Research Source} , ^{[8] X Research source} , quite effective to reduce gastric acid secretion, heal ulcers on the mucous membrane of the stomach and esophagus, infections caused by H.Pylori bacteria. Homeopathic drugs such as Natrum Phos and Argentum nit can also be effective in treating GERD. Studies show that Natrum Phos activates the healing process in damaged tissues, and Argentums nit neutralizes stomach acid to help heartburn go away faster.

Always consult your doctor before using herbal remedies. Some herbs can interact with other medications or cause unwanted side effects.
Do not rely on only herbal remedies to treat life-threatening conditions, such as H. Pylori infection or ulcers of the stomach lining and esophagus. See your doctor for treatment if you suspect you have any of these conditions.

Treat Chronic Sour

Consult your doctor when you’ve taken medications and made some lifestyle changes and still can’t get rid of heartburn. In some cases, home remedies, lifestyle changes, and over-the-counter medications still don’t work. If these symptoms are painful or persist for more than two weeks, you should consult your doctor.

Tests to determine the cause and rule out other conditions. Stomach ulcers, cancer, and other illnesses can also cause acid reflux. Therefore, you should let your doctor know that you really want to find out the cause behind these symptoms.

Learn about the possibility of surgery. Some diseases such as diaphragmatic hernia can be corrected with surgery. If you have chronic heartburn, consider this option.

Surgery to restructure the entrance to the stomach, thereby preventing acid reflux.
Less invasive methods are performed endoscopically, such as suturing to tighten the sphincter, using a balloon dilatation to relieve congestion due to scar tissue, and burning to remove damaged tissue.

Advice

You should understand that heartburn is quite common during pregnancy, due to the increased production of hormones and pressure on the digestive system. Your obstetrician can recommend the right treatment for you.
Tell your doctor if you are taking heart medications, such as calcium channel blockers or tranquilizers, as these can cause or worsen GERD symptoms.
Consult your doctor if you need to take the medicine for more than two weeks.

Warning

Acid burping from the stomach and undigested food during sleep can cause aspiration pneumonia and make breathing difficult.
Untreated heartburn can make high blood pressure worse, contributing to asthma or allergy attacks.
Untreated heartburn can lead to cell damage, in some cases bleeding ulcers or esophageal cancer.

Steps

Change Some Habits

Taking Medicines To Treat Sour

Treat Chronic Sour

Advice

Warning

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