Tips for Preventing and Treating Heartburn

With an estimated 40 percent of Americans having heart burn at least once a month, tips on how to prevent or treat heart burn may be in order. These home remedies can help ease your discomfort or prevent it if you're one of the many who get heart burn.

Try eating a little less food, and a little slower too. Eating too much too fast is a primary cause of heartburn. This literally causes acid to be pushed up into your esophagus.

Acidic foods may cause heartburn as well. Orange juice, coffee, vinegar, and even white wine should be consumed sparingly. The German dry, young whites are particularly acidic.

Keeping tabs on your total well being may help with heartburn too. Anger, anxiety and any kind of stress can make you susceptible.

Some foods or substances, like tobacco, fat, chocolate and soda, can decrease muscle tone. This in turn slows down how fast the esophagus's muscular ring can work to keep acid where it belongs. As a result, these should be consumed in moderation.

Cow's milk can cause acid reflux in many babies and some adults. Popular belief states that milk actually neutralizes stomach acid. The reduction is only temporary, however - the acid levels will be raised after a short drop.

Avoiding peppermint may help you avoid heartburn too. Peppermint may allow acid to creep up into the esophagus.

Using a hot water bottle on your upper right abdomen (right above the liver) may help with heartburn as well. This aids your digestion.

Increased amounts of saliva can help neutralize the acid that causes so much discomfort. Therefore, chewing gum or sucking on hard candy can help. The extra saliva will also help push the acid back down where it belongs.

Certain supplements, especially licorice and ginger root, can help with heartburn. Ginger may be especially helpful after eating spicy foods. Licorice is not recommended for those with hypertension. Turmeric can help with heartburn if taken right before meals.

Some beverages can help ease the discomfort of heartburn. A few drops of oil of clove with a tall glass of water can be helpful. Chamomile tea, with licorice root, can help as well.

Bananas seem to be a natural antacid, so eating them can help with heartburn.Some other foods that help with heartburn are potatoes, beans, brown rice, pineapple, yogurt, whole wheat pasta, sunflower seeds, salmon, tuna, Brazil nuts and mushrooms.

Sources:
http://www.health911.com/remedies/rem_heartb.htm
http://health.learninginfo.org/heartburn-remedies.htm