There are few digestive disorders more notorious than heartburn. That infamous feel of your throat being on fire, that piercing pain around the breastbone, we have all been there, haven’t we?
The numbers speak for themselves. 1 in every 10 Americans experiences heartburn every day! Indeed, the consumption of acidic and spicy foods is commonly behind heartburn strikes.
A more frequent occurrence of heartburn is suggestive of chronic disorders like gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). What if I told you some smart home remedies that can alleviate your heartburn?
You May Also Like
READ: 5 Diet Habits to Improve your Digestive Health
Home remedies for heartburn
Try these 7 easy home remedies for heartburn:
1. Cut down on the volume of carbonated beverages you gulp
You May Also Like
Drinking substantial amounts of carbonated beverages is discouraged for GERD patients. Research has shown that such carbonated beverages can exacerbate the symptoms of acid reflux. The carbon dioxide content is mainly responsible for this.
The lower esophageal sphincter (LES) is tasked with preventing acid from being transferred back into your throat from the stomach when it is shut. Heightened intakes of carbonated drinks have been reported to weaken the LES.
Therefore if you are struggling with frequent heartburn episodes, it makes sense to cut down on the number of carbonated beverages you consume.
2. Raise your upper trunk
It is a known fact that heartburns become more nightmarish when you lie down. Have you not noticed you suffer from heartburns more when
you are sleeping?
Elevating your upper body is one easy but ingenious way to alleviate your heartburn. Adopt a sleeping pose where your upper body is tilted up. Just propping your head up with a pillow wouldn’t suffice for the required elevation.
This heartburn-countering posture is more efficient when your body is raised from your waist to your head. Indeed, it is easier to attain and sustain this position if your bed can be flexibly adjusted. Otherwise, a wedge pillow can be adapted to achieve this positioning.
3. Kiss raw onions goodbye
Onion is the last bulb you should have in your kitchen if you struggle with acid reflux (and heartburns). Research has revealed how consuming raw onions spikes the occurrences of heartburn episodes.
READ: 9 Natural Remedies To Get Rid Of Acid Reflux And Heartburn…Fast!
The thing is, raw onion increases the irritation of your esophagus lining, causing heartburn to strike. This is connected to the substantial amounts of fiber loaded in onion bulbs.
So you see why onions should go on “vacation” away from your kitchen if you are struggling with heartburns.
4. Ginger could help
It is no revelation that ginger is extolled in alternative medicine. Traditionally, this rhizome’s medicinal capacities extend into alleviating heartburns.
Spoiled with antioxidants, ginger’s wealth of phenolic compounds has proven helpful in reducing gastric contractions and alleviating gastrointestinal irritation.
This implies a calculated intake of ginger reduces the reverse flow of gas into your esophagus from your stomach.
Research has also shown ginger beneficial in improving inflammation. Controlled ingestion of ginger supplements among participants in this research showed impressive declines in impression markers in just four weeks!
This is particularly exciting considering the strong connection between acid reflux and esophagus inflammation.
Ginger can be easily integrated into your meals in the form of diced ginger roots. This can be worked into
ginger tea, soups, or other stir-fry delicacies.
5. Relax your apparel
Isn’t it ridiculous that excessively tight clothing can trigger a heartburn episode? The thing is, abdominal compressions can force the ascent of stomach content (mainly acidic) into the esophagus.
So that tight piece of clothing can squeeze your stomach so badly it causes abdominal compressions. So when your next heartburn episode comes around, check carefully that your clothes are not uncomfortably tight.
If they are, you may want to loosen your pants a bit or even relax your belt to give your upper trunk some deserved looseness.
6. Take a mouthful of apple cider vinegar
I admit apple cider vinegar – which is basically fermented juice extracted from crushed apples –is the most unsavory home remedy on this list. But its therapeutic effects (in alleviating heartburn) are nonetheless “delicious”.
Sipping apple cider vinegar during a heartburn strike works, given its stomach acid neutralization potency. Research suggests that sipping apple cider vinegar after your meal shrinks the tendency of suffering heartburn later on.
It is recommended that you dilute your apple cider vinegar with water if you drink it after eating your food.
READ: 10 Natural Ways to Improve Digestive Health
7. Chew some gum!
Got no apple cider vinegar and no ginger at home? Then chew some gum when you experience heartburns. You induce your glands – stationed in the oral cavity – to manufacture more saliva by chewing gum.
Such amplified saliva production neutralizes the acid content in your esophagus while increasing your swallowing. This way, the acid content in your mouth is readily dissipated.
Bicarbonate gums are expressly helpful in combating acid reflux and relieving heartburn symptoms. Chewing bicarbonate does more than just hiking saliva production. It also introduces bicarbonate (herein a constituent of the gum) into your saliva, enhancing its acid neutralization capacities.
So here are seven easy home remedies to alleviate heartburns. For some icing on the cake, avoiding overeating and cutting down belly fat can relieve your heartburn symptoms.
