Heartburn and Acid Reflux – Natural Remedies
Heartburn remedies – beware! Here’s one I have had a lot of experience with, mostly unpleasant until recently, more on that later. I have to share this one, I can’t help it. I’m sure many of you are familiar with Kevin Trudeau’s “Natural Cures” Thankfully, I never purchased his book, but on one of his famous infomercials he recommended consuming cider vinegar for curing heartburn / acid reflux. Oh my God, was that a mistake! I thought I was going to die! My error for being dumb enough to try it. I can honestly tell you that one does not earn a “thumbs up”.
The proper medical term for heartburn or acid reflux is GERD, or Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease. The following is how how the physical mechanisms of the body work. When we consume food or liquid, it travels in the body along with saliva down toward the stomach through the esophagus. A mechanism called the lower esophageal sphincter or LES, which is located at the junction of the esophagus and stomach, opens up to allow the food and/or liquid and saliva to pass into the stomach. The LES then restricts so as to close the barrier between the esophagus and stomach. As a matter of normal course, some of the stomach contents may periodically “reflux” back up into the esophagus. For most people this does not cause a problem, other than some temporary uncomfortableness. However when this happens often and for an extended period, damage to the esophagus can occur, even severe damage if left untreated.
So what causes heartburn and acid reflux? The foods and liquids we consume can play a big part. Known agitators may include, tomatoes and tomato based products, alcohol, caffeine drinks, chocolate, fatty and fried foods, mints, onions and garlic, citrus fruits, and spicy foods. Being overweight and smoking can also trigger GERD. Stress is another factor. In some people there is a physical defect that causes it, the LES can be weak and not functioning properly, poor esophageal clearance, or delays in gastric emptying.
I know for myself, certain other foods seem to trigger it, peanuts and peanut butter, canned tuna, bananas, cooked green peppers, (but never raw – can’t explain that). Eating late at night, especially large quantities of food has also been known to trigger it.
If your heartburn is serious and persistent, please consult your physician immediately, testing like an upper G.I. is probably in order. You need to know if there is a physical defect causing the GERD and also to find out if you have any esophageal damage which can in more extreme cases can lead to esophageal cancer.
I have heard of a number of natural cures for this, including, aloe vera juice, papaya, a number of herbs including chewable DGL, a form of licorice herb, slippery elm, marshmallow, the latter 2 containing mucilage which is thought to coat the throat and soothe the esophagus lining. I have not tried any of these. I did however live on Nexium and Prilosec OTC for years. I had also read that antioxidants may help this which made some sense to me as we know that free radical damage is present in so many health conditions.
I am now free from acid reflux and heartburn. Mangosteen juice has my issue under control. This I did not expect, mangosteen has however been known to help with a number of digestive issues, not only in folk medicine but in these modern times as well. This was an unexpected bonus in my situation. I will say the relief was not immediate, and actually seemed elevated at first. It took a little over a month for the mangosteen capsules to completely alleviate my acid reflux.
