Cures For Heartburn: Two Things You Have To Know
Chronic heartburn is an an extremely common problem in the United States. In fact, it is estimated that over 25 million Americans suffer from chronic heartburn. Heartburn medication is one of the most profitable classes of drugs for the pharmaceutical industry. If your one of the thousands of heartburn sufferers that would like the experience real cures for heartburn this article is for you.
If you are ever going to experience true cures for heartburn there are two things you need to understand about heartburn and the normal course of treatment with medication.
First, even though all heartburn medication is designed to eliminate excess acid, many cases of heartburn are not actually caused by to much acid. More often than not, heartburn is caused by to little acid! You might ask “how is that possible when it sure as heck feels like to much acid”? The real problem isn’t having to much acid, it’s the fact that the acid isn’t staying in the stomach where it belongs but moving up into the esophagus where it doesn’t belong. Even a little bit of acid in the esophagus is a painful experience. The single most common heartburn home remedy is to take some form of vinegar, usually apple cider vinegar, with each meal. Many times this helps the heartburn. This seems strange to a lot of people because vinegar is an acid. If heartburn really is caused by to much acid, why is it that adding more acid reduces the symptoms?
Even though it seems counter intuitive to have a low acid condition lead to reflux, here is the possible mechanism of action. When digestion is poor due to reduced acids, excess gas is produced in the stomach. This gas increases pressure in the stomach which forces the stomach acid up into the esophagus. The addition of more acid to the stomach actually improves digestion which leads to less excess gas, which leads to less reflux. If you get relief from adding apple cider vinegar to your diet, it’s a sure sign that you have low stomach acid.
The second principle you should understand to achieve a cure for heartburn is the importance of food combinations. The standard American diet often combines simple foods like noodles, rice and potatoes, with more complex foods like meat. This is a mistake. Different foods required different amounts of enzymes and acid levels to digest best. When the wrong kinds of foods are combined, the result is poor digestion which leads to increased gas, increased pressure and reflux. Natural cures for heartburn will teach which foods to eat together to ensure digestion occurs properly.
Want to find out more about permanent cures for heartburn? Visit Dr. Timothy D Annis’s site on how to choose the best natural remedies for heartburn.
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