Symptoms

There are a number of symptoms of hyperacidity including vomiting, stomach pain, heartburn, flatulence and loss of appetite. The problem may get aggravated sometimes and cause other health issues like gastric ulcers or chronic indigestion. Currently, hyperacidity affects more than 25% of the U.S. population.

Home remedies

Now, let’s take a look at 6 of the best home remedies for hyperacidity:

Baking Soda

Baking soda is an effective natural remedy for hyperacidity and will show results almost immediately. Just one spoon of sodium bicarbonate can help get rid of the burning sensation in your body. The reason it works is because it is a base and has a pH level greater than 7 and neutralizes the acid in your stomach.

Aloe Vera

Aloe Vera is a rarely used remedy for hyperacidity but it does have a powerful effect. It is effective against inflammation. If your stomach starts getting irritated or inflamed or if your esophagus is bothering you, a glass of fresh aloe vera juice can really help calm everything down.

Chewing gum

Chewing gum is one of the best treatments for hyperacidity. Research has proven that chewing sugar-free gum after a meal provides instant relief from heartburn or GERD. This is because the gum stimulates your salivary glands and improves saliva flow. It also helps reduce bloated abs and flatulence. All of the acid in your gut is diluted, washed away or cleared out rapidly.

Chin up

Hyperacidity tends to get worse in the night because you lie down while sleeping. Gravity is working against you here and it becomes easier for any newly digested contents to come up your esophagus along with acid. Elevating your head around 5 inches while sleeping is an excellent way to ensure this doesn’t happen. Try not to sleep for 4-5 hours after you eat as sleeping when you have a full stomach will only make its contents press harder against your esophageal sphincter.

Banana or Apple

Both of these fruits are useful home remedies for hyperacidity. Bananas have natural antacids which act as a buffer against acid reflux. Try eating a few ripe bananas over a few days. It will certainly help get rid of hyperacidity. Try slicing an apple and eating it a few hours before you sleep to relieve any discomfort.

Ginger root tea

This tea has a number of weight loss benefits and is a well-known home remedy. It can also help relieve hyperacidity. Simply sipping a fresh cup of ginger root tea before your meal can help calm your tummy down.

These home remedies for hyperacidity are extremely effective and choosing any one of them will be more than enough for you to get rid of this problem once and for all.

How it develops

Before GERD treatment, you should understand how it develops. It occurs when your lower esophageal sphincter, the area between your esophagus and your stomach, opens inappropriately or is weakened. This is what allows acid as well as other contents of your stomach to re-enter your esophagus and causes irritation.

Common symptoms

Heartburn is one of its most common symptoms. Some of the other frequently experienced symptoms include a sore throat, asthma, chronic cough, hoarseness, chest pain, etc.

It can also cause pain since the stomach acid is going to trigger nerves inside your esophagus. It can damage the lining of your esophagus and this will result in immense discomfort.

Who may have it?

This condition can affect anyone from adults to babies. Conditions like obesity greatly increase a person’s chances of developing GERD.

Pregnant women are at risk of developing this condition since there is an increased pressure on their stomachs while their babies grow. This only increases the chances of the contents of their stomach coming back up to the esophagus. Rising hormones at the time of pregnancy soften the lower esophageal sphincter as well which can cause acid reflux.

Triggers

Eating particular foods or drinking particular beverages can cause the symptoms to be triggered.

People who have GERD should stay away from acidic food or drinks like orange or tomato juice. Spicy foods are known to trigger these symptoms as well.

There are certain medical drugs which can trigger GERD symptoms too. If you are worried that the medication you are on is worsening your symptoms, speak with your doctor to find out if that is true. If it is, try identifying alternative medications for you to consume instead.

Lifestyle changes

The simplest form of GERD treatment is to make some simple lifestyle changes. These include changes to your diet, modification of particular habits and changing the way you sleep in the night. Elevating the head of your bed is a great way to ease the symptoms of GERD while you sleep.

Wearing tight-fitting clothing around your abdomen or waist like shaping undergarments only increases abdominal pressure and this is known to trigger the symptoms of GERD.

Walking is a great way to ease the symptoms of GERD especially if you walk right after your meals. Good posture is known to help with these symptoms and sitting up straight will go a long way in helping with digestion.

Complications

Gastroesophageal reflux disease or chronic acid reflux has the potential to create severe complications. The constant presence of acid in your esophagus may cause a condition known as Barrett’s esophagus or esophageal strictures, erosive esophagitis and esophageal cancer.

Seek the proper GERD treatment right away to prevent any of these adverse outcomes in the long run.

Heartburn is basically a condition in which you get a burning sensation in your chest which creates serious discomfort. It may be so bad at times that it resembles a heart attack. It can be caused by a chronic condition known as GERD (gastroesophageal reflux) disease or by something that you ate. Heartburn affects around half of the American population due to the poor quality of diet in the country.

When it hurts, you will crave quick relief. Here are a few simple answers to the question, “How to cure heartburn?”

Loosen your belt

Heartburn is basically caused when acid comes back into your esophagus. You would want your body to have the best chance of keeping it down. Loosening anything which may make this difficult is a simple way of ensuring this. If the problem persists, try getting some looser fitting clothes.

Posture

When talking about how to cure heartburn, what many people do not realize is that a poor posture can cause heartburn too. While sitting or while lying down, the compressions on your stomach can make the reflux more likely to occur. A simple way to fix this would be by taking the pressure off your stomach.

Baking soda

This is an effective way of dealing with heartburn naturally and quickly. It is easily available as well. Simply dissolve one spoon in some water and drink it for immediate relief.

Chewing gum

Gum is known to help neutralize the acid in your stomach and increase the amount of saliva which will help wash the acid back down your esophagus. If you experience heartburn regularly, carry some gum around with you.

Apple cider vinegar

Sometimes you need to fight fire with fire. Apple cider vinegar is known to offer immediate relief from heartburn. It may not taste that great but dilute some of it in a large glass of water and enjoy the immediate relief.

Ginger

Ginger offers an excellent remedy for heartburn. It may even work better than a number of acid reflux medications when it comes to preventing stomach ulcers. Having some ginger root tea before your meal is a great way to combat heartburn.

Chamomile

It is known to help your stomach relax and reduce any inflammation which may increase heartburn. Drink some chamomile tea before your meals for relief. It is most important to have some before dinner since you are going to want to sleep right after.

Licorice

Heartburn may sometimes be caused due to a lack of acid in your stomach. The acidic content of licorice can increase the acid in your stomach and help things settle down. It can be consumed in both the capsule and chewable form.

With so many solutions at your disposal, you certainly won’t worry about how to cure heartburn anymore, will you?

The backward splashing of the stomach acid into the esophagus, throat and mouth is the main symptom of Gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERD. This is a chronic ailment and if not treated properly and soon it can lead to severe harm to the health. This is the reason it is necessary to learn how to cure acid reflux if you have GERD.

Unfortunately there is no known cure for this ailment on a permanent basis and all you can do is get symptomatic temporary relief with over the counter and prescription medicines. However, there are some natural methods of controlling the occurrence of acid reflux and the pain and discomfort it causes.

Let us look at these methods which are recommended by almost all doctors.

Do not eat foods that cause excessive production of digestive acid

If you are suffering from GERD then you will notice that the symptoms of acid reflux become more pronounced if you eat certain foods. You should try to avoid these foods in order to reduce the frequency of acid reflux episodes.

These foods include – spicy food, chocolate, fried or greasy foods, onion and garlic, mint and peppermint and acidic foods like citrus fruits and tomatoes. This is one of the main things to keep in mind while learning how to cure acid reflux.

Eat smaller portions of food more frequently

This will help the digestive system to operate efficiently in order to prevent acid from building up. Eating small portions at a time and waiting to eat till you feel hungry again is a good way of preventing acid reflux.

Do not sleep immediately after eating

If you sleep a few hours after eating your digestive system gets the time to allow gravity to assist in the digestion of food. You should go to sleep at least 3 hours after eating.

Lose excess weight

Obesity is a major cause of acid reflux because the extra weight puts a pressure on the stomach which in turn causes the acid to flow backwards. Any kind of healthy weight loss program is advisable which includes exercise and healthy diet in order to reduce obesity.

Avoid caffeinated beverages and alcohol

Alcohol and caffeine cause the sphincter between the stomach and esophagus to become lose which allows the acid to flow backwards into the esophagus. It is necessary to avoid them especially before bedtime if you suffer from GERD.

Stop smoking

Smoking negatively impacts the digestion of food and can also cause damage to the lining of the esophagus. Even if you are unable to quit you should reduce it as much as possible.

Raise the head of the bed

Simple gravity can be used to control the occurrence of acid reflux, particularly if you are overweight. This is also a good practice if you have hiatal hernia or some other abnormality in the passage from the esophagus to the stomach. If you keep your head higher than the feet then the acid cannot flow against gravity.

All these methods will help you in the process of learning how to cure acid reflux. However, you need to consult a doctor if the problem persists after these precautions and intake of OTC medicines.