Natural
heartburn remedies
Nothing ruins a
delicious meal quite like a painful bout of heartburn. The uncomfortable burning
sensation—which occurs when contents of the stomach back up into
the esophagus—affects more than 60 million Americans at least once a
month, and 15 million have it every day.
The good news:
There's a lot you can do to control heartburn at home. While over-the-counter
heartburn medications are very
effective, home remedies can also help you get much-needed relief. Whether
you've overindulged in a spicy dish or eaten too much fatty food, these
at-home remedies for painful
heartburn symptoms may help soothe the burn and put your belly at ease—no
trip to the pharmacy necessary.
Chewing gum
Besides
eliminating garlic breath, chewing gum after a meal might have other
advantages, research suggests. In a small study from the Journal
of Dental Research, people with gastroesophageal
reflux disease (GERD) symptoms
experienced heartburn relief when they chewed a piece of sugar-free gum for 30
minutes after a meal.
"Chewing gum
stimulates the salivary flow rate," says study author Rebecca Moazzez,
DPhil, clinical lecturer in King's College London's department of restorative
dentistry. "Any acid that accumulates in the gut is washed away and
cleared more quickly. The clearance of acid improves GERD symptoms."
Baking soda
Some old wives'
tales will tell you the best way to beat heartburn is with a little sodium
bicarbonate (baking soda).
"Baking soda
is OK for most people with heartburn," says Jacqueline Wolf, MD, associate
professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess
Medical Center. "Because it's a base, it helps neutralize [stomach]
acid."
Dr. Wolf, author
of A
Woman's Guide to a Healthy Stomach, recommends mixing between 1/2 and 1
teaspoon of baking soda with a glass of water. But avoid making baking soda
your go-to remedy if you regularly have heartburn—it is high in salt and could
cause side effects like swelling and nausea.
Licorice
Although research
is limited, licorice could ease heartburn and get to the source of the problem,
says Susan Blum, MD, founder and director of the Blum Center for Health in Rye
Brook, N.Y.
"The contents
of your stomach are supposed to be acidic…which is why antacids are not the
solution," Dr. Blum says. Instead, she says, licorice has natural stomach
healing properties. Eating a lot of licorice, however, can also have serious
side effects like high blood
pressure, so look for DGL licorice. (It does not contain the potentially
dangerous glycyrrhizic acid.)
Dr. Blum suggests
trying chewable DGL licorice tablets before meals, which are available at most
natural-food stores. There are even brands that do not taste like licorice.
Aloe
Aloe, a plant
usually used to soothe burns, could do the same thing for stomachs, says Victor
Sierpina MD, professor of integrative and family medicine at the University of
Texas Medical Branch, in Galveston, and author of TheHealthy Gut Workbook.
Aloe vera juice
reduces inflammation so "it quiets down any inflammation that is in the
esophagus as well as the stomach," Dr. Sierpina says.
He recommends
drinking 1/2 cup before meals, but warns that the juice can be a laxative. Look
for brands that say the laxative component has been removed.
Slippery elm
Despite limited
research, slippery elm has been used in herbal remedies for centuries to treat
a variety of illnesses, including GERDsymptoms. This tree extract thickens the layer of mucous lining the stomach,
says Dr. Blum, creating a stronger barrier against acid.
"[Slippery
elm] is a demulcent that offers a coating or protective layer to the tissue [of
the stomach]," Dr. Sierpina says. "The way slippery elm has
traditionally been prescribed is a couple tablespoons in water after meals and
at bedtime."
Sleep on
your left side
If you’re prone to
nighttime acid reflux, you may want to rethink your sleep position. Many
doctors suggest sleeping on an incline, which (as with your post-meal posture),
may help keep stomach contents in the stomach. But the side you sleep on may
also play a role.
“There’s evidence
you could have less acid reflux while sleeping on your left side,” says Dr.
Khan.
In fact, many of
Dr. Khan's patients who made the switch to sleeping on their left sides after
previously sleeping mainly on their backs or right sides have seen a noticeable
improvement in their heartburn symptoms, he says. Some research seems to
back up the idea that sleeping on your right side can make heartburn symptoms
worse: In a 2008 review of GERD studies published in JAMA Internal Medicine, researchers found that sleeping on the right side seemed
to aggravate symptoms.
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