| If you are ready to get rid of your heartburn AND | | | | also the first step in the process of digestion, so it's |
| your heartburn medications, there are 3 primary | | | | important to let it do its job as best as possible. |
| natural heartburn remedies you should consider first. | | | | What this means is, make sure you chew your food |
| | | | thoroughly. Take your time and chew your food |
| 1. Your body position | | | | before you swallow; there's no need to gulp it down. |
| 2. How you eat your food | | | | Imagine your stomach working to digest your food... |
| 3. A few quick-relief solutions found around your | | | | it's going to be a lot easier if it gets a paste of |
| house | | | | partially pre-digested food (well-chewed) as opposed |
| Let's talk about your Body Position first. | | | | to whole chunks of solid food, right? |
| When you feel that sensation we call "heartburn", it | | | | Keep this in mind and you'll minimize your chances of |
| comes from acid in your stomach squeezing UP into | | | | getting heartburn/indigestion in the first place. |
| your esophagus (in your chest). In other words, it's | | | | Finally, some Quick Relief found around the house, if |
| going the wrong way, where it's not supposed to be. | | | | you need it. |
| So the last thing you want to do is make it easier for | | | | - Gum: Keeping in mind that saliva helps avoid |
| this acid to go in an upward direction, so keep these | | | | prevent heartburn and indigestion, consider chewing |
| ideas in mind: | | | | some sugar-free gum for about 10 minutes after |
| - If you find yourself sitting hunched forward (this is | | | | eating. The added saliva it produces will help out a lot. |
| especially significant while you're eating), SIT UP | | | | - Burnt Toast: The bread acts like a sponge to soak |
| STRAIGHT! (your mom was right!). | | | | up excess stomach acid while the 'burnt' part contains |
| - Check your belt-line. If you're pants/belt are | | | | a lot of charcoal. Why is that important? Think of |
| unnecessarily tight, loosen them up or put on more | | | | "charcoal activated water filters"... the charcoal is |
| comfortable clothes. You don't what anything | | | | there to pull out and neutralize the nasty stuff in the |
| squeezing that acid up and out of your stomach. | | | | water and it can help do the same for your stomach. |
| - Finally, if you usually feel these symptoms at night | | | | - Vinegar: a little bit of apple cider vinegar (no more |
| when you're lying flat in bed... you guessed it, you're | | | | than a tablespoon) mixed with water can be a quick |
| making it easy for the acid to spill into the wrong | | | | fix for the burn. It works because it can 'shock' the |
| place. Try propping your body up with pillows, or | | | | valve that separates the stomach and the esophagus |
| even placing blocks or big books under the head of | | | | into closing completely if it has gotten lazy (making it |
| your mattress to keep your upper body at an angle | | | | easier for the acid to come back up into your throat). |
| and the acid DOWN where it belongs. | | | | It might hurt for a brief moment, but relief usually |
| Now let's look at HOW you eat your food. | | | | follows immediately afterwards. |
| Believe it or not, saliva is a great natural antacid. It is | | | | |