If you experience a burning sensation in your chest and throat, you most likely suffer from a common condition called heartburn. It occurs when you have stomach acid that backs up into your esophagus. Though medications can help, we recommend some solutions you can practice on your own that can give you the relief you need.
Dr. Scott Stowers and our team at The Bariatric Experts are experts in heartburn prevention and management. Here are some home remedies that can help you keep it at bay.
Heartburn can range in levels of discomfort. For some, it can be somewhat annoying, and for others, it can cause pain. It’s a relief to know that you can take a proactive role in preventing or managing it if it occurs.
Here are some home remedies we suggest:
Certain foods trigger heartburn. Try to steer clear of any of the following:
While you’re eliminating certain things from your diet, you can trade those items out for fibrous foods. They can help your digestive tract move at a healthy pace.
Your stomach needs time to digest food, so eat slowly and take small bites. If you eat three big meals each day, instead, try eating five to six small ones a day to avoid heartburn triggers.
It’s easy to pop snacks and food items in your mouth without being cognizant of what could be causing your heartburn. If you write down what you eat, you can figure out when your symptoms occur and know what foods to avoid.
Smoking can inhibit the muscle that keeps acids in your stomach from working efficiently. Not only can smoking contribute to heartburn, but quitting can improve your health in many other ways, too.
Though it sounds odd, keeping your head raised about six inches when you lie down or go to sleep can calm your heartburn.
Chewing gum produces saliva, which serves as an acid buffer. When you chew gum, you also swallow more often, which can keep acids out of your esophagus. Be sure to choose sugar-free gum to protect your oral health.
Keeping your weight within a healthy range can help reduce or even eliminate heartburn symptoms. We can certainly help you with weight loss if this is a concern of yours.
If these home remedies don’t provide the relief you need, you should consider making an appointment with our team as soon as possible.
If your heartburn lingers, it could lead to long-term health issues. We understand that there are additional options to help relieve your heartburn — one of the most common is to take calcium, which is the active ingredient in over-the-counter antacids.
Taking antacids occasionally usually helps, but if you’re popping them in your mouth several times a week or using them for more than two weeks, and if you’ve tried the remedies mentioned above without relief, it’s time to make an appointment with us. We can evaluate your health and make sure you don’t have gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) or other issues like peptic ulcer disease.
To learn more about heartburn, call our office today at 940-577-2090, or email us at tbe@expertsurgical.com.
