How You Can Avoid Getting Acid Reflux

There was a time that when you came down with a case of heartburn, you popped a couple of Tums (made right here in St. Louis) or you dissolved a spoonful of baking soda into a glass of water and drank it down. People rarely do that now because of all the sodium the baking soda contains.

Suddenly, good old fashioned heartburn has a new name and a disease classification: "acid reflux disease." The reason we get heartburn or acid reflux disease is because the valve that separates the stomach from the esophagus allows some splash back of the very strong stomach acid. The acid in your stomach has to be strong enough to dissolve a very tough piece of steak, so you can imagine what it will do to the delicate lining of your esophagus.

Relief of heartburn has become a multi-billion dollar industry. Now there are what seems to be about a hundred different "acid controllers" on the market that you take once a day to control your acid reflux. Some say that "acid reflux disease" is not really a disease at all but a condition that most people have sporadically. They say that the disease was created by the pharmaceutical companies to get you hooked on another medication that you have to take every day for the rest of your life.

Don't get me wrong, serious cases of acid reflux can lead to erosion of the esophagus which can be serious. Sometimes it can lead to cancer and may even require surgery. But most of us shouldn't have to take an acid controller every day when you only have occasional heartburn. Some natural medicine advocates even recommend that you take a tablespoon of vinegar when you have acid indigestion. They say that it is caused by a lack of acid in the stomach, not too much.

But probably the best way top avoid getting acid indigestion or heartburn is to avoid the foods that cause it. According to Health.com here are a few of the foods that will make you burn every time:

"In Dropping Acid: The Reflux Diet Cookbook & Cure, authors Jamie Koufman, MD, Jordan Stern, MD, and French master chef Marc Bauer share foods they consider hazardous, based on medical literature and their experience treating thousands of patients."

First in line is chocolate. Chocolate contains three things that can cause acid: caffeine, high fat, and cocoa. All have been shown to cause acid reflux.

Soda comes in next because all that carbonation can cause the liquid to creep up into your esophagus causing it to burn. The ones that also have caffeine are the worst.

Fried foods are a no-no because of their high fat content and alcoholic drinks can relax the valves at the bottom of the esophagus and allow acid to gurgle up.

Remember, high fat foods like dairy products and fatty meats can cause you to burn as well as high acid foods and drinks like coffee and orange juice. That does it for me every time. Instead of taking those high-priced acid reducers every day, do what I do: pop an extra strength Tums right before every meal. It works, and besides, Tums have calcium, which most people need anyway.

Source: http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20443643,00.html