How to treat heartburn at home

Heartburn is one of the most frequent and common symptoms of various gastroenterological disorders. Heartburn can occur if the rules of a healthy diet are not followed, and may be the result of serious violations in the digestive tract. Today we’ll talk about heartburn - how and why it occurs, violation of which food rules leads to heartburn, as well as how to get rid of it quickly and effectively.

Why does heartburn appear?

Heartburn is a severe and burning pain behind the sternum, which may be accompanied by belching, sour taste in the mouth, or heaviness in the stomach. Most often, belching develops after eating. In fact, heartburn is the discharge of gastric juice in the opposite direction, that is, into the esophagus. The mucous membrane of the esophagus is not intended for such an aggressive effect of acid, so the pain during heartburn is felt especially sharply. But what can provoke a similar symptom?

1. Very often, heartburn develops with overeating. When we consume too much food, the stomach stretches, produces more gastric juice, which at the first convenient opportunity tries to find a way out.
2. The increased acidity of the stomach is also a common cause of heartburn.
3. Heartburn can be the result of malnutrition, heavy consumption of fatty, smoked, salted and fried foods.
4. Some foods may also contribute to the active secretion of gastric juice. Among them are baking and flour products, mint, chocolate, coffee, alcohol, pickled vegetables, soda cocktails.
5. Heartburn, gastritis and other diseases of the stomach can be caused by taking certain medications, including oral contraceptives, ibuprofen, aspirin, some antidepressants and antibiotics.
6. Very often, heartburn develops after sleeping on a full stomach, when a large amount of gastric juice is thrown out if you have taken a horizontal position of the body.
7. Heartburn is a frequent companion of a woman during pregnancy, and the symptom increases with increasing duration. Every day the fetus in the womb grows, compresses all organs, including the stomach. A squeezed stomach under pressure releases hydrochloric acid into the esophagus.
8. If heartburn appears often enough and is not related to nutrition, most likely the symptom is associated with gastroenterological diseases. Heartburn can occur against the background of gastritis, ulcers, inflammation of the gallbladder and duodenum, esophagitis reflux. Excessive constipation and severe coughing can also contribute to heartburn. Often heartburn accompanies patients after surgery on the stomach.
9. The physiological weakness of the esophagus sphincter is also the cause of the gastric juice being thrown out.
10. In some cases, tight clothes, corsets, tight belts and belts can provoke heartburn.
11. Tomatoes, citrus fruits and some fruits can increase the acidity of the stomach.

Heartburn is a serious symptom that should not be ignored. Especially if heartburn occurs regularly - 2-3 times a week. Try to analyze the diet in those days when heartburn develops. In some cases, excess gastric juice is produced individually from certain foods. You yourself can figure them out. But what if the heartburn has already appeared and torments you?

Medicines against heartburn

The pain and burning sensation during heartburn is so unpleasant that we often want to get rid of the discomfort instantly. And this is quite possible if you take a cure for heartburn. All drugs are divided into several groups according to the principle of exposure. Consider them.

1. Antacid preparations. These are drugs that reduce the acidity of the stomach, they act very quickly. In fact, these are symptomatic remedies; they cannot be used for treatment, but they perfectly suppress heartburn. Usually available in tablet or liquid gel form. They are released without a doctor’s prescription. Today it is the most popular and widest group of drugs against heartburn. Among the most effective are Rennie, Maalox, Gaviscon, Almagel, Iberoast, etc.
2. Antisecretory drugs. They inhibit the production of gastric juice, they are prescribed by a doctor after a thorough examination. Such remedies are usually resorted to only if the group of antacids can no longer cope with heartburn. Such drugs last longer, up to 8-10 hours. With regular intake, the amount of gastric juice decreases, heartburn occurs much less frequently. However, such drugs last a little longer, about an hour after administration. This group of drugs is contraindicated in pregnancy. Among the most popular and effective ones are Omez, Omeprazole, Losek MAPS, Ultrop, Orthanol, etc.
3. Gastrointestinal motility stimulants. This group of drugs is also prescribed by a doctor and fights well not only with heartburn, but also with nausea and vomiting. Moreover, such drugs improve the functioning of the esophagus sphincter. One of the most effective stimulants of gastrointestinal motility is Domperidone.

If you choose a drug for heartburn during pregnancy, it is better to consult a doctor in advance or read the instructions on the admissibility of taking the medicine during the period of gestation.

How to get rid of heartburn at home

If there is no remedy for heartburn in your home medicine cabinet, don't be discouraged. There are many effective homemade recipes that can save you from heartburn. Just open the fridge and kitchen cabinets.

1. Potato juice. Raw potato juice will help get rid of heartburn quickly and effectively. Vegetable should be peeled and chopped - on a grater, in a meat grinder or blender. Then you need to squeeze the juice with gauze and drink it fresh in the amount of 100-200 ml.
2. Tincture of white acacia. Inflorescences of white acacia should be washed and put in a bottle of dark glass. Pour with alcohol and leave for 5-7 days in a cool dark place. Then the composition needs to be filtered and taken in 10 drops, diluted in a small amount of water. Take tincture only for heartburn.
3. Envelope paste. From the seeds of flax or oats, you need to prepare an adhesive enveloping mass that will cover the walls of the stomach and esophagus, gently protect the mucous membrane from the effects of aggressive hydrochloric acid. To do this, pour two tablespoons of seeds with boiling water, cook for 10 minutes on low heat and cover with a lid - let steam.
4. Cabbage. If you are tormented by an unbearable burning sensation, you just need to chew a piece of cabbage leaf. Cabbage quickly eliminates acid, eliminating heartburn.
5. A decoction of fennel seeds. Fennel copes with various gastroenterological symptoms, because it is not for nothing that the broth is given to infants in the fight against infant colic. Seeds must be washed and put in a thermos, pour boiling water and insist for at least 5 hours. After this, the composition must be filtered and consumed in half a glass after each meal.
6. Carrots and beets. The juice of these root vegetables also actively fights heartburn and relieves stomach discomfort. Using a juicer or manually, you need to get at least 200 ml of juice and drink it when you are tormented by burning sensation behind the sternum. Relief will come very quickly.
7. Chamomile broth. Chamomile well calms the mucous membrane, suppresses the increased acidity of the stomach. Prepare a weak broth of chamomile - about a tablespoon of inflorescences per liter of boiling water. Drink a decoction in case of heartburn in half a glass.
8. Buckwheat powder. Buckwheat should be thoroughly fried in a pan, and then chopped to a powder. At one time you will need 2 grams of powder, which roughly fits on the tip of the knife. Drink buckwheat powder with water, take only in case of heartburn.
9. Sugar onion. The onion must be grated and sprinkled with a teaspoon of sugar. After a while, when the onion gives juice, the composition should be filtered and taken one tablespoon of juice after each meal. If you treat a sugar course with onions (take at least a week), then heartburn will bother you much less.
10. Calamus root. This is a wonderful plant that blocks the production of hydrochloric acid. With heartburn, you just need to chew a clean piece of root for at least 10 minutes, while swallowing the saliva produced. Then you can wash the root with water.

Very often you can find tips on using a solution of baking soda against heartburn. Soda really helps, but take it inside is not worth it. The fact is that baking soda alkalizes an acidic environment, eliminating heartburn for a short time. After some time, hydrochloric acid of the stomach begins to be produced with even greater force, and heartburn returns again. The same goes for milk. A glass of warm milk during heartburn gives temporary relief, but the protein that it contains provokes the active secretion of gastric juice. Therefore, it is better to refuse such methods of treatment for heartburn.

How to protect yourself from heartburn

As a rule, people suffering from heartburn experience attacks quite often. How to influence this? Is it possible to develop certain eating and physical behavior that will prevent the development of heartburn? We have put together a few rules for you that will protect you from this unpleasant symptom.

1. In the morning, as soon as you wake up, you need to drink a glass of warm boiled water. This will help start the gastrointestinal tract.
2. You need to eat 5-6 times a day, in small portions, so that the stomach does not stretch and overload.
3. Each piece of food must be chewed very carefully, at least 30 times, before swallowing it.
4. Try to avoid foods such as flour products, mint, smoked meats, sodas, chocolate, alcohol, tomatoes, citrus fruits, and marinades. If you cannot deny yourself something, know the measure.
5. Follow the diet, try to eat at the same time.
6. Follow the rules of separate nutrition. No need to combine meat with carbohydrates - potatoes or pasta. The meat goes well and is better digested with vegetables.
7. Try not to eat too much at night; dinner should be light but nutritious. The main meal, oddly enough, should be in the morning.
8. There is another rule that must be followed in the fight against heartburn. Sour-milk products can also provoke the release of acid into the stomach. Therefore, they need to be consumed in small quantities. But you can drink milk, but only separately from other products, otherwise it can lead to fermentation and flatulence.
9. After eating, you do not need to go to bed, try not to take a horizontal position. If this cannot be avoided, use a high pillow so that the esophagus sphincter is elevated above the level of the stomach.
10. Stop smoking, tight belts and corsets, get rid of excess body weight.
11. With a sharp onset of a symptom, you need to drink alkaline mineral water.
12. Try not to eat meat at night - it is digested for a long time, you will have to stay awake for 5-6 hours until the food has completely passed into the intestines.
13. In the first couple of hours after eating, you can not engage in active physical activity, especially to do inclines. This can lead to the eruption of hydrochloric acid from the stomach.

These simple recommendations will help you not only get rid of heartburn, but also prevent its occurrence.

If heartburn is repeated even when these rules are met, regardless of the food eaten and its quantity, it is most likely the cause of the gastrointestinal tract.Contact your gastroenterologist as soon as possible to make the correct diagnosis and receive adequate treatment. You should also consult a doctor if heartburn is accompanied by heaviness and pain in the stomach, nausea, weight loss, fever, frequent hiccups, and problems with swallowing food. Do not pull, because the health of the body is only in your hands.

Video: how to get rid of heartburn folk methods