Heartburn Relief

[gold_member_321]

Baking soda dissolved in water. Stops it almost instantly and makes you burp too!

I'm going to try this, whats the baking soda to water ratio?

 

[standupright]

I'm going to try this, whats the baking soda to water ratio?

i believe it's on the box.

 

[jaywa]

My wife suggested I cut back on how much black pepper I was putting on my food. I love the stuff and used to put it on a lot of foods, in generous quantities. She said she'd cook enough pepper into things to give them the flavor and in return I agreed not to add any more at the table. It worked.

Baking soda, Tums etc. are fine to address the symptoms but as with all things medical, you should try first to cut it off at the source if you can. Diet has a lot to do with it. Also genetics (my dad has dealt with this for years and it looks like I inherited that.) And for me anyway, hard liquor tends to inflame my digestive system a lot sooner than beer, so I stick with beer.

 

[2ohm]

I am amazed people don't know about the apple cider vinegar.
It is super healthy for you too. Make sure it is unfiltered,unpasteurized.

 

[Stanley Design]

I'm surprised people use any kind of vinegar, as it's an acid, not a base, which means it would never help heartburn.

If the plethora of remedies such as baking soda, tums, rolaids, etc don't work, then the problem isn't too much acid, it's your lower esophageal sphincter. Either it's lazy and doesn't want to close, or you overate and it's having a hard time. Try not eating as much, if that doesn't work you need to cut out the foods that cause reactions.

 

[TBrett]

I'm surprised people use any kind of vinegar, as it's an acid, not a base, which means it would never help heartburn.

If the plethora of remedies such as baking soda, tums, rolaids, etc don't work, then the problem isn't too much acid, it's your lower esophageal sphincter. Either it's lazy and doesn't want to close, or you overate and it's having a hard time. Try not eating as much, if that doesn't work you need to cut out the foods that cause reactions.

Agreed. My father died of esophageal cancer earlier this year. He was 80, mind you, but it was awful for him and I’m convinced it was the result of undiagnosed and untreated GERD. This type of cancer tends to be more prevalent in men than women, so if your heartburn’s chronic, definitely see a doctor as soon as you can. I have acid reflux myself and I take Pantoloc (a prescription proton pump inhibitor, which slows acid production in the colon). For occasional heartburn flare-ups, I take Malox (not sure if that’s available in the US, but it works WAY better than Tums or Rolaids). The baking soda remedy is very effective, too.

Diet and elevating the head of your bed are really helpful. I did a web search on “foods that aggravate acid reflux” and got the following info:

(From HealthCastle.com) Many people take over-the-counter antacids for a quick ease of acid reflux, but for most people, a proper diet is the best solution for overcoming acid reflux.
Acid Reflux Diet Myth

• Myth 1: Drink milk

A lot of people try drinking milk to ease acid reflux before sleep. But often, milk ends up causing acid reflux during sleep. To understand the whole situation, we have to realize that the problem roots from eating too much at dinner time. Eating a big meal at dinner causes excess stomach acid production. Drinking milk could be a quick fix to the acid reflux problem. Unfortunately, milk has a rebound action and would eventually encourage secretion of more stomach acid, which causes the acid reflux. To solve the problem, try adjusting your diet by eating a small meal at dinner and have a small snack such as crackers before sleep.

• Myth 2: Avoid coffee, citrus fruits and Spicy food

We have been told for years that coffee, acidic fruit as well as spicy foods can aggravate acid reflux. Therefore, we should avoid these in our daily diet in order to reduce acid reflux. A recent study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine in May 2006 showed that none of these myths hold true. Researchers from the Stanford University found that the only two behavioral changes can reduce symptoms of acid reflux - eating less and elevate your head while sleeping.

Acid Reflux Diet
• First of all, try to eat small, frequent meals instead of three big meals a day. Small amounts of food each time would exert less workload on the stomach and therefore requires less acid secretion for digestion. Make sure to include foods that are high in complex carbohydrates in each meal. These foods, such as rice, breads and pasta, are able to tie up excess stomach acid and are often easy on the stomach.
• Avoid high-fat meals such as those from the fast food chains. High fat foods will remain in the stomach longer, thus causing the need for more stomach acid in order to digest them.
• But remember, don't overeat! Eating too much of any foods will stimulate the stomach to secret more acids for digestion.
• Avoid or limit alcohol.
• Maintain upright position during and at least 45 minutes after eating.
• Try elevating the head of bed six to eight inches when lying down.

Don't think that beverages just quickly flow through your stomach without affecting acid production. Surprisingly, a lot of beverages stimulate acid secretion such as beer, wine and pop. The worst of all is beer. It could double your stomach acid within an hour.

Whereas I can believe a change in diet doesn’t necessarily cure everyone, I personally have found that eating less fat and starch has helped me tremendously. Same goes for eating smaller meals and not over-indulging (very hard to do, especially at holiday meals, but a little discipline saves you a lot of discomfort). Even though this report says starchy foods like breads and pasta absorb acid, I believe eating them regularly also helps stimulate more acid production in the colon. So it’s a bit of a Catch-22. Eating foods that are more alkaline is very helpful, too. There is lots of info about that on the web. Best thing to do first is to talk to your doctor and do a bit of experimenting as to how you feel when you eat certain foods. Either way, if you’re suffering, get a prescription to control the acid until you can find the right dietary balance for you. I still enjoy alcohol and a lot of my favourite foods so it doesn’t have to be total deprivation by any means. Stress is another huge factor. I notice I tend to get far more flare-ups at the office than I do when I’m home. Interesting. Anyway, here’s to your good health!

 

[electracoyote]

If it's chronic see a doctor and get evaluated to see if you have G.E.R.D. This isn't anything to fool around with.

+1

I had GERD. No fun. I used to get awaken in the middle of the night by the stomach acid moving up my esophagus like I was about to throw up. My doctor put me on the purple pill, which is a miracle. However, if you don't take care of the root problem, as soon as you get off the pill, the GERD comes right back.

I put a wedge under the head of my mattress. That slows it down at night. Sleeping on your left side helps too.

But you have to identify the foods and lifestyle choices contributing to the excess stomach acid. Sugar and alcohol were the main aggravators for me. So I cut them out.

Over the summer I also lost 25 pounds, most of it around my mid-section. I think the extra pressure around my stomach was a contributing factor. Between exercise and being more careful with what I put in my mouth, my GERD is almost completely gone now. No symptoms whatsoever, unless I eat a piece of pumpkin pie (loaded with sugar and various spices). That sets it off for about an hour or so, but only mildly. I have to maintain discipline.

GERD can wreck your voice too, if you're a singer like me. I could hardly sing at one gig. Devastating.

Good luck with it, do some research and see a doctor.

 

[2ohm]

I'm surprised people use any kind of vinegar, as it's an acid, not a base, which means it would never help heartburn.
If the plethora of remedies such as baking soda, tums, rolaids, etc don't work, then the problem isn't too much acid, it's your lower esophageal sphincter. Either it's lazy and doesn't want to close, or you overate and it's having a hard time. Try not eating as much, if that doesn't work you need to cut out the foods that cause reactions.

White vinegar and every other kind,is acid forming.
Correct.
However raw,unfiltered,unpasteurized apple cider vinegar is an alkaline forming food and it keeps your stomach juices from bubbling up.If you have not tried it ,you'll never know.

Not good for your teeth though,just like if you talk to Ralph,Chuck or Earl,you should brush your teeth after.*

 

[Fishheadjoe]

Cider vinegar is also very effective... I know it seems wrong to add acid to an already hyper acidic belly, but you rgut is creating the acid as a result of food, beverage and or SMOKING! The cider vinegar will help to balance out your obviously unbalance system.
I have been on these prescription ant-acids for years. Started out with Tagament, Pepid, Zantac, Losac... you name it! I currently take a prescritption called Nexium. I could eat a rusty bucket, wash it down with battery acid and feel great!
Be careful with over the counter ant-acids like tums. They only eliminate the acid that is present while the pill is in your system. Inhibitors stop your system from creating digestive juices and therefore eliminate the "reflux". Also, the active ingrediant in Tum and the like is Aluminum and well, I certainly don't want to be adding aluminum to my diest, especially after the recent findings with regard to aluminum and Altzheimers.
If you smoke, that little valve that closes off your stomach, located in your throat, will become stifled as nicotine relaxes the muscles that are used to close the throat.
Also, if you have acid reflux, be careful with dairy products as they require powerful enzyms (sp) to break it down. Dairy may give preceived tempory relief, but an hour later, you could find yourself in the same boat as where you started.
Fishheadjoe

 

[Demon_Hunter]

Zegerid is awesome stuff!!
But of course its way expensive and some insurance won't let you get it....

but...my Dr said that taking Prilosec AND alka seltzer is basically the same. I haven't tried that combination yet but when my Zegerid runs out I will.

2nd worse feeling in the world is waking up in the middle of the night with that burning sensation in your throat.


the worst is the pain you get from gout in your big toe...