This condition is usually felt as a burning sensation in the esophagus and chest within an hour or so of eating. Typically this is not serious however it can be extremely uncomfortable and even scary.
Antacid is usually prescribed for heartburn. Antacid will allow for some temporary relief but long time use can cause other more serious issues. Antacid if used regularly can alter the proper amount of stomach acid and change the pH of the body. If used for too long it will actually increase the stomach acid and create a warm breeding ground for viruses, parasites, bacteria, and fungi. All of these thrive in an acidic environment.
If your heartburn is chronic it could indicate enzyme imbalances, stess, hiatal hernia, problems with the liver and or spleen. If you suspect any of these you may want to check with your physician or natural care giver.
The most common causes of heartburn are overeating, food with too much acid, such as fats and spices and of course and probably mostly processed foods. Deficient levels of hydrochloric acid can also cause it. And it can also indicate poor liver and spleen function and this is usually due to high levels of toxicity.
Food allergies and poor digestion is also a contributing factor. Also, mixing too many different foods in one meal can also create heartburn. Eating while stressed, drinking too much during a meal and eating too fast can cause heartburn. This can also accompany constipation and both can be caused by poor digestion.
Cardamon an essential oil will help to relieve heartburn symptoms.
Diet: Avoid all commercially processed foods, spicy foods, sugars, refined carbohydrates, unhealthy fats, coffee and other caffeine products, chocolate, sodas, commercial non-herbal teas, alcohol, orange, tomato and grapefruit juice, dairy products, foods that have spearmint or peppermint. Get screened at least once a year for allergies as long as you have heartburn as a chronic problem.
Stop with the processed foods and only eat organic and natural whole foods. Increase your intake of green vegetables and vegetable juice. Meat should be organic, free range, fish should be wild cought and drink plenty of pure, un-chlorinated water.
Don't eat late in the evening and keep the diet as alkaline as possible by eating lots of organic greens. Meals should contain, and all organic, geen salad (lite on the dressing), pleanty of steamed vegetables and only a fist sized portion of baked, grilled or steamed protein. Use coconut butter or oil for cooking, much healthier, or virgin olive oil. No more fried foods and no more hydrogenated oils. Go with raw when there's a choice such as nuts and seeds as opposed to roasted nuts and seeds. Almond butter is better than peanut butter and it makes a great snack with celery or apple slices.
Raw apples, pealed cucumbers, walnuts and brown rice can quickly relieve heartburn symptoms. Also, if you add apple cider vinegar or a teaspoon of baking soda to a pure, un-chlorinated glass of water will neutralize the acid and relieve the symptoms.
Herbs that can help are aloe vera, marshmallow root, agrimony, fennel, licorice root, angelica, fennel slippery elm and garlic.
Freshly squeezed organic cucumber juice will provide quick relief.
Supplements that will help are digestive enzymes, take it with every meal, and take 600 mg of calcium carbonate every 2 to 3 hours till symptoms abide.
Probiotics such as fructo-oligosaccharides, acidophilus and Bifidobacteria will protect against harmful bacteria. It will also help eliminate fungi, parasites, yeasts, viruses and molds. They improve absorption of nutrients and the production of DNA and RNA and they are a natural antioxidant.
It really goes without saying that will also want to reduce stress, anger and those types of negative emotions.
Meditation is a great way to control stress. If you don't already meditate there are many techniques and plenty of books; pick one.
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