Beat Your Heartburn

Heartburn - Why Having Heartburn is Lucky

2008-02-18T06:20:00.000-08:00

Right now you’re probably thinking, HEARTBURN, LUCKY?! This guy has obviously never had it! Well believe me, I’ve had it. Regular as clockwork after every meal for the past 15 years. I know exactly how it feels and it ain’t pretty. Doesn't matter if you call it heartburn, acid reflux or Gerd, it hurts! In fact, it’s agony!

So, why after all this time have I come to the conclusion you’re lucky to have heartburn. Well the fact is, painful as it may be, heartburn is a warning of something worse to come. Sorry to shock you here, but what do you think of CANCER, for example? Ok, ok, relax! This is rare, but many studies have suggested that heartburn is a precursor to Bartlet’s oesophagus which can lead to throat cancers and stomach ulcers which can lead to stomach cancer. In all honesty, I used to work with someone who succumbed to this and I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy.

It was then I realised that this was not just a painful nuisance, this was a wakeup call. Loud and clear, I can tell you! Whenever you get a bout of heartburn (“bout” is good word. It oftens feels like a fight) this should remind you that your health is under attack. The longer you try to ignore it, the worse it can get and the more harm that is coming your way.

The great news is, you can fight it. It’s not always easy, but it’s a worthwhile fight. Not only are you fighting for your future health, you are also going to feel better for it now. Imagine going out for a meal and actually enjoying it! How about going out and not panicing when you realise you left your tablets at home. Most importantly, imagine bursting with energy and vitality for actually digesting your food properly.

The first step is realising that those antacids are actually your enemy and you need new allies in this fight. Read about “The Dangers of Antacids”.

Heartburn - The Dangers of Antacids

2008-02-17T05:22:00.000-08:00

Who’s your best friend? If you’ve got heartburn, I bet it’s your bottle of antacids. Do you remember the days when you didn’t need them? Probably so long ago, you’ve forgotten! Still, it makes a point. Heartburn isn’t something we’re all born with and it sure isn’t something we should live with permanently.

An antacid may be a good idea for the occasional bout of acid reflux after a big, rich meal but long-term usage, day in, day out, really isn’t. You need the acid to digest your food properly. If you don’t, you won’t be getting the essential vitamins, minerals and energy you need from your food. In the long term that spells poor health. It gets worse though. Lower acid levels in your stomach make it easier for bacteria and parasites to survive the journey from your mouth to your intestines and once they’ve got there, they make themselves well and truly at home. Don’t be fooled, food contains a lot of these nasties, not just in third world countries, and they really do live in every one of us.

The reality is, in most cases, it’s not a case of too much acid, but in fact poor digestion. As the food sits in your stomach and starts to ferment your stomach churns the food in an attempt to mix what acid there is in order to digest it. Add to this the gases produced by food rotting by the action of bacteria and you have a situation where the food “repeats” on you. This is usually the acid burning feeling you are getting.

If all that wasn’t bad enough, check if your antacid contains aluminium. Studies have identified a link between repeated exposure to aluminium and diseases such as Alzheimers. Starting to get worried? I was.

So to recap; Antacids mask the problem and could make you worse in the long run. Stomach acid is actually your friend and enhancing your digestive process is your long term goal.

So how do you help your digestion without resorting to antacids and prescription drugs? Read about “Natural Supplements”.

Heartburn - Natural Supplements

2008-02-16T05:23:00.000-08:00

There are lots of natural, non-prescription health supplements you can use to help get your digestion back on track and beat that heartburn. You’ll realise by now that replacing your antacids with digestive supplements will not only keep your heartburn in check but also go some way towards improving your overall health.

Here are just a few things which you might like to investigate :

Aloe Vera. You may already be aware that breaking off a piece of Aloe Vera and rubbing the juices on sunburn helps to soothe and heal the burn quickly. In fact, it does a lot more than that. It’s packed full of digestive enzymes which help break down your food. But before you contemplate chewing on a plant, be aware that there are much more palatable versions available. You can buy it as a juice to add to a drink or as capsules to be comsumed just before a meal. The taste is not particularly nice but it worked for me. When choosing, I would go for the juice rather than the capsules in terms of effectiveness but the capsules are more convenient for carrying with you.

Liquorice. Again, this works well as a digestive aid and I also found it works after a meal to help soothe heartburn. Don’t be fooled into thinking any old liquorice will do. Look for DGL (Deglycyrrhizinated Liquorice) which is the root extract with the glycyrrhizin element removed. It comes in tablet form and has to be fully chewed and mixed with your saliva for maximum effect. It works well, but you’ve really got to like the taste of liquorice!

Peppermint. There’s conflicting opinions on this one. Peppermint helps to soothe the stomach and quell heartburn, but in doing so can relax the muscle that prevents acid reflux. You’ve got to decide if this one works for you. Drunk as a tea it can be quite pleasant. Again, don’t be looking at freshmints as a suitable source.

These are some basic items which can help wean you off those antacids and go some way towards improving your digestion and enjoyment of your food. Now let’s look at how to make some longer term improvements in your digestive health.

Heartburn - Probiotics

2008-02-15T08:32:00.000-08:00

Like it or not, your food is full of bacteria and probably parasites too! Worse still, if you use antacids these nasties might actually be getting through your stomach alive and taking up residence in your gut! I won’t go into details about what these guys can do to your health. Just think of them as a bunch of unwelcome thugs partying it up in your home. They don’t care what damage they do. They’re just taking what they can, while they can and with every party there’s the hangover to deal with. Your heartburn is like the hangover and the damage can be anything from stomach ulcers to bowel problems. As we’ve already discussed, heartburn is your early warning system of danger ahead. LISTEN TO IT.

Luckily, not all uninvited guests are bad news. There are in fact some bacteria who like living inside you so much, they’re prepared to help you keep things in good order. We call them “Probiotics”. These bacteria will crowd out the bad guys and actually help with digesting your food.

So where do you find these good guys? The easiest place is yoghurt. Again, you have to be careful as not any old yoghurt will do. You have to find “Probiotic Yoghurts”. Typically this would be something like a natural, sour Greek yoghurt. However, lots of companies are now catching on that most people don’t like the taste of this and have started producing standard yoghurt flavours. You are looking for a label such as “Probiotic” and in particular you should check that the ingredients contain “Live Cultures” or specifically mention “Acidophillius” or “Lactobacillus”, for example. It is important to keep these yoghurts in the fridge as the probiotics are living organisms and will start to die.

If you don’t like yoghurt or it’s not convenient for your travelling lifestyle you can find these probiotics in other forms. The tablet form is not recommended as the heat process used to make the tablet could kill them. Instead there are freeze-dried powders available. You are looking for something labelled either “Acidophillius” or a combination product such as “Threelac”.

Probiotics are an important step to keeping your heartburn in check longer term and should be taken for several months. If you like yoghurts then there’s nothing to stop you enjoying probiotics for life.

No need to stop here though. If you are starting to feel the benefits of what you have read so far, why not continue your long term plan to beat your heartburn. Your lifestyle, especially your eating, is likely to be the main cause of the onset of heartburn and its continued increase. Making some simple changes to your lifestyle could make the difference between managing your heartburn and BEATING your heartburn.

Heartburn - Lifestyle Changes

2008-02-14T08:33:00.000-08:00

The supplements we have discussed will go a long way towards controlling your heartburn but it will come as no surprise to you that your eating habits are probably the biggest culprit in causing the heartburn in the first place.

So you’re thinking a life of mungbeans and lentil soup, eh? No thanks, I’ll stick to my tablets. Luckily it isn’t as bad as that. There are some food types you really should cut down as much as you can, but it’s also about how you eat and when.

The main foods to cut down on are : sugar, coffee, alcohol and white flour products (bread and pastry etc). There’s also bound to be some particular foods that affect you personally, but might be fine for others. As you get better using supplements you’ll start to have days that are better than others and you can experiment to find out what your specific food triggers are. You’ll probably find that if you avoid a few main culprits you can “get away” with some of the smaller vices.

To make life easier, make sure you give enough time to eat your meal peacefully and to chew your food completely. Saliva contains enzymes which start the digestive process and chewing mixes this in and breaks down the food enough for stomach acid to get to work more quickly and avoid the churning that creates acid reflux. Just as importantly, only drink between meals not with a meal or just after. The liquids dilute the effect of the acid and make digestion more difficult.

Try to eat less or maybe even have smaller meals but more often. In all cases, try not to eat late in the evening as your digestion is more sluggish then, especially when you are asleep. Many people find they have to prop up the bed or their pillows to prevent reflux and that turning on one side is better than the other. Also, eating immediately before doing strenuous exercise, especially anything involving bending down, is really asking for trouble.

The list of improvements here is endless and it’s down to you to work out what’s best for you. Do a little research of other peoples’ advice on internet chat forums.

Heartburn - Go Beat Your Heartburn !

2008-02-13T08:33:00.000-08:00

Hopefully what you have read in these pages will go some way to beating your heartburn. Even if the least you manage is a switch away from antacids to a more positive approach, you’ll be thanking yourself in later years. No matter what they tell you, you can’t buy good health!

In most cases heartburn CAN be brought under control and even BEATEN PERMANENTLY without major sacrifices to your enjoyment of life………and food. It’s not an overnight fix and it does involve commitment from you to tackle heartburn head on.

If you would like to find out more about how to Beat Your Heartburn for good go to Beat Your Heartburn

I’ve managed it and so could you! Keep researching and try out the alternatives.