Natural Ways to Deal With Acid Reflux
While we typically associate acid reflux with overindulgence of some sort (Thanksgiving dinner, anyone?), not everyone is so lucky as to experience this unpleasant condition only on rare occasions. Some people, in fact, suffer from it on what can seem like a constant basis.
The good news? You don’t have to take a whole bottle of Tums every night to deal with the problem; here are some natural approaches to try first.
Cut Down on Fried and Fatty Foods
The lower esophageal sphincter sits at the bottom of your esophagus and opens in response to you swallowing food. If it opens at other times, though, it releases stomach acid back up into your esophagus, which is what causes that burning sensation behind the heart. Unfortunately, fried and fatty foods can cause it to open at the wrong times, so do what you can to limit their intake.
Eat More Whole Foods
Whole foods do not cause the same results on the LES, and eating them can reduce the overall acidity of all your bodily systems, so try to incorporate more of them into your diet.
Drink Mint Tea
Mint tea has been used for millennia to counter discomfort in the stomach and esophagus, and is just as effective today. If you feel burning coming on, make a cup and sip it slowly, then make another.
Eat Fermented Foods
Acid reflux is partly caused by H. pylori, a bacterium that can infect your digestive system and disrupt your bacterial colony. You can start battling by eating fermented foods, which are loaded with the good guys to help take back your home turf, if you will.
Stop Taking Over-the-Counter Remedies
Unfortunately, though they might provide temporary relief, antacids often exacerbate the problem. Why? Because sometimes heartburn is caused by too little stomach acid, and lowering it just makes things worse. Skip those and any other pharmaceuticals you don’t absolutely have to take, and try to address the problem naturally.
Eat Soothing Foods
According to Healthline, there are a number of foods that offer immediate soothing benefits. These include leafy vegetables, fruits other than citrus (which is acidic and therefore not that helpful), ginger (which you can take in tea form), oatmeal, egg whites, lean meats and healthy fats such as “avocados, walnuts, flaxseed, olive oil, sesame oil, and sunflower oil.”
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