Home Remedies for Acid Reflux

Some lifestyle changes and home remedies can come in handy if you are experiencing chronic acid reflux and its associated, often debilitating, symptoms. If you experience acid reflux frequently, you can opt to explore if the following lifestyle changes will send your heartburn packing:

• Maintain a healthy body weight: Being overweight puts unnecessary pressure on your abdomen and pushes up your stomach. This can cause gastric acids to flow back into the esophagus. If your weight is healthy, you must work to maintain it. However, if you are obese or overweight, try to lower your weight slowly and gradually.
• Wear comfortable, loose clothes: If you are experiencing acid reflux, you will be interested in hearing that wearing loose-fitting clothes which do not put any pressure on your abdomen can help prevent episodes of heartburn.
• Avoid foods that can trigger heartburn: Common foods that can trigger heartburn include fried foods, chocolate, garlic, onion, tomato sauce, and caffeine. You must try to avoid these foods if you have an acid reflux. When you suffer from an episode of heartburn, also note down what foods and beverages you recently consumed. If any are known to increase the risk of heartburn, avoid them next time.
• Do not lie down immediately after a meal: Ideally, you must always wait for three hours after a meal before going to bed or lying down.
• Try elevating the head of your bed: If you experience acid reflux while lying down, you must try to elevate your head while sleeping. To do so, you can keep cement or wood blocks under the head-side of your bed so that your head is elevated by six to nine inches. You can also insert wedges between your mattresses to elevate your body from waist up.

Read More: Make lifestyle changes for better control of acid reflux.

Various home remedies than can come in handy while dealing with severe acid reflux are listed below:

• Drinking lots of water: Water can not only dilute the gastric acids but can also help in washing away any buildup of acid in the esophageal lining. Therefore, make it a point to drink at least two glasses of water after each meal. You must also try to drink loads of water in between meals.
• Chewing gum: Chewing a sugar-free gum for thirty minutes after a meal can help in alleviating symptoms of acid reflux. Chewing gum not only eliminates garlic breath, but also helps in the production of saliva. Saliva helps in washing away any acid that might have accumulated in the gut.
• Baking soda: If you have severe heartburn, you can try mixing half teaspoon of baking soda in a glass of water. Baking soda is basic in nature and can neutralize the gastric acid accumulation in your gut. However, the intake of baking soda should be limited as it is high in salt content and can cause side effects such as nausea and swelling.
• Drinking cold milk: Drinking a glass of cold milk can also help in soothing the effects of acid reflux.
• Fennel seeds: Chewing about half a teaspoon of fennel seeds after a meal can help in reducing acid reflux symptoms. This is primarily due to the fact that fennel seeds have a constituent known as Anethole which can suppress stomach spasms and is therefore helpful as a remedy for acid reflux.
• Licorice: Chewing DGL licorice tablets before meals can help in keeping acid reflux at bay. Licorice is known to have stomach healing properties and is quite helpful in healing acid reflux symptoms.
• Aloe: Aloe, a plant that helps in soothing burns is also found to be effective in curing acid reflux. Aloe vera juice is known for its anti-inflammatory properties and it helps in reducing any inflammation in the gut, thereby easing the symptoms of acid reflux. You can try drinking half a cup of aloe vera juice before meals.

Should home remedies for heartburn not make much of a difference, and you continued to be plagued by acid reflux, however, it is time to consult your doctor. You will want to ask about the possibility that you may be suffering from GERD, and see if medications are needed.