Dealing with acid reflux is no laughing matter. The suffering those who have this condition deal with daily can be debilitating. Thankfully, there are some options out there which will help you tame your acid reflux once and for all. Keep reading for some simple tips which will help to change your life forever.
The most significant factor attributed with acid reflux is being overweight. Those who are obese are two times more likely to have GERD than someone who is at a healthy weight. The pressure on your stomach of all the extra pounds can cause the esophageal sphincter to relax, allowing acid to give you trouble.
Keep chewing gum handy. When you chew gum, it not only freshens your breath, but it causes you to salivate. This helps wash acid down your esophagus and back into your stomach, where it belongs. When choosing a flavor, avoid citrus and mint. Mint can cause your esophageal sphincter to relax, and citrus is high in acid.
Cut spicy foods out of your life if you want to help your acid reflux. Such foods tend to exacerbate the acidic build up in your digestive tract, making your condition much worse. You can find relief by minimizing your intake of these food items.
While vinegar tastes great on salads or french fries, anyone with acid reflux should avoid eating it. Vinegar, along with citrus fruit and tomatoes, is high in acid, and the more acid you eat, the more acid will return up your esophagus and cause you pain and discomfort after meals.
If you are pregnant and experiencing acid reflux, try to relax. This problem is often no longer an issue after you have the baby. It is a symptom of the baby pushing on all of your innards causing the acid in your belly to rise. Watch what you eat and avoid laying down until an hour has passed after you eat.
While eating your meals, limit your beverage consumption. Although this may sound silly, drinking lots of beverages during your meals can actually cause acid reflux. This is because liquids increase the volume of food in your stomach. When your stomach is full, the lower esophageal sphincter has more pressure placed upon it. This muscle prevents food from coming up through your esophagus, which prevents acid reflux. You need to protect your lower esophageal sphincter as much as possible.
If you are overweight or obese and you have acid reflux disease, you should do your best to lose weight. When you are overweight, organs surrounding the stomach could actually push into the stomach, causing too much acid to form. It could even weaken your esophagus, making it more likely for acid to come up.
Chew some mint-free gum after every meal. Chewing gum helps with producing saliva, which can neutralize stomach acid. It also causes frequent swallowing, which can clear aggravating acid away from the esophagus quicker. Mint flavored gums can relax the LES and worsen a reflux, so try going with fruit or cinnamon gums.
A great way to eliminate your acid reflux is to switch your diet over to a plant based diet. Meat is a huge contributor to acid reflux. This seems to be contradictory because meats seem to be very alkaline when tested prior to consumption. The problem is that after meat is digested, it will leave a highly acidic residue within the body.
Pregnancy may cause acid reflux symptoms. More specifically, a link has been detected between pregnancy and chronic acid reflux. This generally stems from the fact that the weight of the baby is crowding the stomach area. Most of time, the acid reflux symptoms are relieved shortly after the baby has been delivered.
Knowing the symptoms of acid reflux is the most important knowledge to have. If you find you have chest pain combined with discomfort after eating, burping, nausea, sore throat, bitter taste in your mouth and/or a chronic cough, you likely have acid reflux. Talk to your doctor for a true diagnosis.
If you have acid reflux, you should talk to your doctor about being tested for a hiatal hernia. This condition allows the stomach to move past the diaphragm and up into the chest, making acid reflux easy. Having this condition diagnosed and remedied may spare you from having acid reflux.
If you find you are having trouble swallowing, see a doctor as soon as possible. Acid reflux can damage the esophagus, leading to scarring of the area. This scarring then leads to inflammation and your esophagus can literally close. This is when medical intervention is a must to ensure you remain healthy.
With this knowledge in mind and your desire to feel better, you should now be equipped with the tips you need to tackle acid reflux. Start changing your life one step at a time and relief will be yours in no time. All it takes is a little determination to end your suffering once and for all.
