If you experience heartburn, you know the feeling well: a slight hiccup, followed by a burning sensation in your chest and throat. It may be triggered by the foods you eat, particularly spicy, fatty, or acidic foods. Or perhaps you have gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), a chronic condition with many potential causes. Whatever the cause, heartburn is uncomfortable and inconvenient. In this video we share our top tips to cure heartburn.
Any extra resources or information will be included in the description so make sure to check it out. Our first tip is to try to Loosen clothing. Heartburn happens when the contents of your stomach rise up into your esophagus, where stomach acids can burn the tissue. In some cases, you might be having an episode of heartburn because tight clothing is compressing your stomach.
If that’s the case, the first thing to do is loosen your belt — or your pants, dress, or whatever else is holding you tight.
Our second tip is to Stand up straight. Your posture can also contribute to heartburn. If you’re sitting or lying down, try standing up. If you’re already standing, try standing up more straightly. An upright posture puts less pressure on your lower esophageal sphincter (LES).
Your LES is a ring of muscle that helps stop stomach acid from rising into your esophagus. Our third tip is to Elevate your upper body. Lying down can make heartburn worse. When it comes time for bed, adjust your sleeping surface to raise your upper body. According to the Mayo Clinic, lifting your head with extra pillows isn’t usually enough.
Instead, the goal is to elevate your body from the waist up. If you have an adjustable bed, set it at a suitable angle to provide relief.
If your bed isn’t adjustable, you can change the angle of your sleeping surface by using a wedge pillow. Our fourth tip is to Mix baking soda with water. You might have a heartburn remedy at hand in your kitchen without even knowing it.
Baking soda can calm some episodes of heartburn by neutralizing your stomach acid. To do this, dissolve a teaspoon of baking soda in a glass of water and drink it slowly. In fact, you should drink everything slowly when you have heartburn. Our fifth tip is to Try ginger. Ginger has been used as a folk remedy for heartburn for centuries.
Ginger can help relieve nausea, so some believe it may be worth trying for heartburn, too. Consider adding grated or diced ginger root to your favorite stir-fry recipes, soups, and other foods. To make ginger tea, steep raw ginger root, dried ginger root, or ginger tea bags in boiling water. It’s probably best to avoid ginger ale, though. Carbonated beverages are a common heartburn trigger, and most brands of ginger ale are made with artificial flavoring rather than the real thing.
Our sixth tip is to Take licorice supplements. Licorice root is another folk remedy that’s been used to treat heartburn. It’s believed that it might help increase the mucous coating of your esophageal lining, which may protect your esophagus from damage caused by stomach acid.
Deglycyrrhizinated licorice (DGL) is a supplement that contains licorice that’s been processed to remove much of its glycyrrhizin, a compound that can cause adverse side effects. Eating too much licorice or DGL may raise your blood pressure, lower your potassium levels, and interfere with certain medications.
Always talk to your doctor before taking licorice or DGL supplements. Our seventh tip is to Sip apple cider vinegar. Apple cider vinegar is another home remedy that some people use to treat heartburn, believing that it may neutralize stomach acid. One researcher suggested that drinking diluted apple cider vinegar after a meal may help alleviate heartburn for some people. However, these effects didn’t reach the level of statistical significance so more research is needed.
If you decide to try this remedy, dilute the apple cider vinegar with water and drink it after your meal. Our seventh tip is to Chew gum. According to 2014 research, chewing gum for half an hour after meals may also help reduce heartburn. Chewing gum stimulates saliva production and swallowing. This might help dilute and clear stomach acid from your esophagus.
Our final tip is to Avoid cigarette smoke.
You probably already know that smoking is bad for your health. But did you know that smoking can contribute to heartburn? If you’re a smoker and you get an attack of heartburn, don’t light up. Smoking might be a go-to coping strategy when you’re uncomfortable, but it’s not going to make that burning feeling go away.
So that sums up our top tips for curing heartburn. If you found any of it useful then hit that like button and if you’re new here feel free to subscribe..
