What Causes Heartburn?
Heartburn is an issue that many people deal with every day. It’s a common chronic ailment that people have to deal with after eating. Heartburn can make it difficult to swallow, and you might feel like you need to keep clearing your throat. You may also get a bad taste in your mouth (bitter or sour are the most common descriptions) and even feel pain in your chest.
Heartburn can be annoying because some people have to deal with it every day or when they eat certain types of food. In fact, some people eventually give up eating a lot of their favorite foods because they always get heartburn after eating them. These people may pop antacids every day, which of course isn’t really that great.
What is Heartburn Exactly?
Heartburn is also called acid reflux, but its medical condition is known as Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease or GERD. It occurs when the valve that sits between the stomach and the esophagus doesn’t close correctly or opens too much. This allows the stomach’s acid to move up into the esophagus, which in turn creates a painful burning sensation in the chest. Heartburn, despite its name, actually has nothing to do with the heart at all.
What causes the valve to malfunction? A number of things can be the issue. One is a hiatal hernia, which is when the top part of the stomach has moved over the diaphragm. Other causes include being overweight, lying down right after eating a large meal, eating food right before going to bed, and eating certain foods or drinking certain beverages.
Treating Heartburn
Heartburn is often treated by taking antacids before eating. However, while this can help deal with the chest pain and may stop some of the other symptoms, it can’t actually heal the throat. By the time a person starts taking antacids, the condition has already caused damage to the esophagus lining. Plus there’s the problem of taking antacids all the time. They can lead to some side effects such as diarrhea or constipation.
There are a number of different ways of dealing with heartburn besides antacids. H2-blockers and proton pumps may also be taken to help stop the production of excess acid. In major cases, surgery may be necessary.
While doctors are quick to say that antacids and other medications are the most effective method of dealing with acid reflux, there are actually some natural resources you can turn to. Anything that is high in antioxidants has been shown to help battle acid reflux.
But you can control acid reflux naturally by eating certain foods. Oatmeal, for example, helps block acid reflux because the oatmeal can absorb more of the acid than other foods. Ginger is another food that can help with acid reflux. It has been used for centuries as a natural anti-inflammatory and as a cure for different gastrointestinal issues.
You may also want to start taking an acai berry supplement. Research has shown that a supplement such as the acai berry may be able to provide you with a number of benefits.
You can buy the best organic acai berry products here.
These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. These products are not intended to treat, diagnose, or cure any diseases.