Natural Treatments for Heartburn

If you get heartburn on occasion, there are some natural methods to get relief rather than rushing for the antacids. Following are a few natural treatments for heartburn.

First, you should be sure you are only experiencing heartburn instead of something more serious such as a heart attack. If your symptoms feel any different than they have for heartburn in the past, it is better to get your symptoms evaluated by a physician.

If you are sure what you are experiencing is no more than your usual heartburn, read Dr. Kristie Leong's article on Four Natural Treatments for Heartburn for some ways to treat and prevent heartburn. These include making some lifestyle changes and a quick-fix that doesn't require the use of medication.

Lifestyle changes may take a while to take effect, such as losing weight. There are a few other methods you can try immediately to try to find relief from your heartburn symptoms.

One natural treatment for heartburn is to simply eat slower and chew your food more thoroughly. Chewing produces saliva, which can actually neutralize stomach acid. If you chew food thoroughly enough while you are eating and take your time, more saliva is used which may even help prevent some cases of heartburn. Rather than eating your meals quickly and on the go, if you actually sit down and take the time to enjoy what you are eating, you may reduce your heartburn episodes.

Another related natural treatment for heartburn is to chew gum. Chewing gum also increases the production of saliva. Though you may want to avoid gum that contains natural peppermint. According to Dr. Leong's article, in some cases peppermint may make matters worse.

There are also herbs that are believed to be beneficial to digestion. These include licorice, caraway, angelica, chamomile and ginger. Some of these are available in herbal teas, or can be made into teas at home to use as a natural treatment for heartburn.

One more natural treatment for heartburn is to avoid lying down soon after eating. Not only should you avoid going to bed immediately after eating, you should avoid lounging back to read a book or to watch television. If you maintain more erect positions such as sitting up or walking around, you let your stomach digest the food without it remaining in your stomach and giving acid a chance to back up into your esophagus when you lie down.

By trying natural treatments for heartburn, you may be available to avoid using antacids. But if you have heartburn frequently or natural remedies and lifestyle changes are not effective, see your doctor to rule out other conditions.

THIS ARTICLE IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND SHOULD NOT REPLACE THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN. DO NT STOP TAKING ANY DOCTOR PRESCRIBED MEDICATIONS WITHOUT THE APPROVAL OF YOUR PHYSICIAN.

SOURCES:

Personal Experience

Kristie Leong, M.D.; Four Natural Treatments for Heartburn; Associated Content/Yahoo!