Acid Reflux Natural Remedies - Do They
Work?
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I am sure you have heard
of heartburn and if you have ever had it you will know how
unpleasant and painful it can be. Heartburn is actually the
most well-known symptoms of the acid reflux condition. This
disease, known medically as gastro esophageal reflux disease
(GERD), is caused by acidic gastric juices backwashing up to
the esophagus. Some people are more susceptible to GERD than
others due to having a weaker Lower Esophageal Sphincter
(LES).
There are several other
symptoms of acid reflux that you may be less aware of. These
include choking feelings in the back of the throat, some
regurgitation of food, nausea after eating, back pain, coughing
and hoarse voice.
These symptoms can occur
for the acid reflux sufferer at all times of the day but
especially after consuming a meal, after exercise and when
trying to sleep. There is a wide range of treatments available
for acid reflux. These range from easily available antacids, to
prescription drugs and in severe cases surgery to tighten the
LES. However, for more and more conditions including acid
reflux people are turning to natural remedies since they can
have a similarly beneficial effect but without the unwanted
side effects of drugs.
One piece of advice when
trying and kind of remedial action against a condition is to
try and stick to one remedy at a time. Then try to keep note of
how effective it was at resolving your acid reflux. The reason
for this is that if you try many natural remedies at the same
time you may not know which was actually the one that had the
most effect in eliminating your acid reflux.
As I said, it is often
that acid reflux can be at its worst during the night when you
are trying in vain to get a good night's sleep. This can be
extremely disruptive and have a knock-on effect to the next day
if you are unable to sleep well. The best home remedy to avoid
acid reflux during the night is to stop eating at least 3 hours
before you plan to go to sleep. Also, try and only drink water
in this time and certainly avoid caffeine, fizzy and alcoholic
drinks.
However, perhaps due to
other commitments such as work it is difficult for you to
regulate your eating schedule in this fashion. If this is the
case, then you can try the natural remedy of sleeping on your
left hand side. Also, sleeping with your head elevated up to 10
inches has been proven to be a good home remedy for resolving
the problem of acid reflux during the night.
These are just some of the
many home remedies you can try to relieve acid reflux. As I
said, the key to finding the best ways to treat your acid
reflux is to stick to one remedy at a time and keep a journal
so you can compare and discover the most effective
methods.
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