What is Acid Reflux And How Do I Manage It?

Take care of your acid reflux

What is Acid Reflux?

Acid reflux is the backflow of acid from the stomach into the esophagus. Don’t just assume your acid reflux is a fact of life or consequence of your active lifestyle. If you find yourself suffering through frequent bouts of discomfort related to acid reflux, see your doctor. It may be something you ate or an indication that you need to slow down in life, but it could also be something else you need to take care of.

Acid reflux can be caused by a number of different things, not just the types of food you are eating. Look into your lifestyle too and see if you’re not pushing yourself too hard, under excessive stress or otherwise need to take better care of yourself. Learn to relax, improve your diet and see if that doesn’t help.

Acid reflux can be exacerbated when you eat food. Many people like to eat at a fast pace and eat a lot of food. This is an improper way to eat and only serves to make things worse in the future. Eat only to the point where your body is feeling full, rather than over satiated. Also, slow down your eating speed. Carefully chew your food and lay your fork down between a few bites.

Want some quick lifestyle tricks which are sure to help ease the symptoms of acid reflux?

Get exercise every day, quit smoking, wear loose-fitting comfortable clothing, avoid belts, and avoid high fat and high acid foods. If you dedicate yourself to doing these things starting today, you’ll be able to tackle your condition.

Here are important ways to control acid reflux

1. Use sea salt rather than table salt

You may need to balance out hydrochloric acid amounts in your body if you want to reduce acid reflux and its symptoms. By the way, heartburn is a major symptom of acid reflux. You can do this, for instance, by using sea salt rather than table salt. Sea salt has chloride and minerals that are good for the stomach and prevent acid.

2. Drink between meals, not during them

This is a great way to deal with hunger pains as you are more likely to be thirsty than hungry. Also, if you drink outside of eating times, you’ll find your stomach doesn’t get as distended when you eat and acid doesn’t pass back up into your esophagus. Check out what to drink and the drinks to avoid.

Limit your liquid intake with meals if you’re prone to acid reflux. Even healthy beverages like water can fill up your stomach fast, creating conditions that are conducive to acid reflux. Sip your beverage conservatively and never gulp it down. Wait a half an hour after a big meal to enjoy quenching your thirst.

3. Lose weight if you are overweight

Did you know that losing weight can help tame the symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)? There is scientific proof that having too much body fat leads to the release of chemicals which cause digestion not to function correctly. This can lead to acid reflux and its resultant suffering.

Those who are overweight have a higher chance of getting acid reflux than others. This is due to stomach pressure. The excess weight of an overweight person adds more pressure to the stomach, relaxing the muscles of the lower sphincter of the esophagus, creating acid reflux.

Fat in the body can also interrupt normal digestion. A little weight loss can go a long way in preventing acid reflux. Shed the pounds and feel better!

4. Eat healthy foods

There are certain foods that can trigger acid reflux in our bodies. Things like fried foods, alcohol, beverages with caffeine, and chocolate are some of the most common reflux causing foods. Acidic foods, such as tomatoes and citrus fruits are big contributors to acid reflux as well. The triggers can vary from person to person, meaning that you’ll have to learn from experience which ones cause discomfort and which do not. To be perfectly safe, you can avoid all of these items.

Fatty foods no more! Fried chicken, pizza, chicken wings and potato chips are the enemy of the GERD sufferer. These foods cause your sphincter to relax, allowing the contents of your stomach, acid and all, to rise back up into your esophagus. Go for meals full of vegetables and lean protein instead.

While vinegar tastes great on salads or French fries, anyone with acid reflux should avoid eating it. Vinegar, along with citrus fruit and tomatoes, is high in acid, and the more acid you eat, the more acid will return up your esophagus and cause you pain and discomfort after meals.

Be sure to watch what kind of foods you ate before you noticed the reflux symptoms.

Everyone who suffers from acid reflux has some kind of trigger foods that tend to bring it on. Once you realize what tends to be your trigger, try your best to avoid your trigger foods especially in the evenings.

We truly are what we eat. If we eat high-fat foods, we will become obese and be at risk for acid reflux. It is important that we instead focus on low-acid foods, which are lean and healthy. Choose vegetables and whole-grain, carbohydrates along with lean protein for your meals to curb your suffering.

It is not only the types of food you eat, but how much you eat that can cause acid reflux. It takes a longer time to digest larger meals, which can place added pressure on your stomach. This can be avoided by eating smaller meals, which are spread throughout the day.

5. Never, ever, EVER lie down after you eat

Even if you have only had a few bites, you may find that food comes back to haunt you if you lie down. Eat all meals at least two hours before lying down for a nap or overnight to ensure that acid doesn’t sneak back up your esophagus.

It is important that you sit in a sturdy chair with good posture, when eating. Allow your stomach to be decompressed and your esophagus to be fully extended. As you eat, enjoy every bite of your food so that you eat slowly and chew fully, then you may avoid acid reflux afterward.

6. Exercise regularly

Exercise is a good way to stop acid reflux. Through exercise, you can lose weight, which will put less pressure on the stomach and reduce the severity and occurrence of heartburn and acid reflux. The key is to use moderate, low impact exercises. Intense exercises can cause reflux through excessive agitation. Try to avoid drinking sports drinks and eating food before exercising, as these can cause reflux as well.

7. Always keep gravity in mind

Remember that acid is being held down, so when you position your body in a way where down isn’t towards your feet, problems will ensue. Keep your head up and your stomach uncompressed, then you should be able to find relief from acid reflux all day long.

8. Take antacids to stop excess acid production

There are many over-the-counter medications you can take for acid reflux. They are called antacids and they work by stopping excess acid production. Just be aware that no one medication works for everyone. If you try one and it is not effective for you, keep trying others until you find the right one for you.

If you have acid reflux disease, you may want to consider using Proton Pump Inhibitors, or PPIs. This medication is prescribed your doctor and is used to stop stomach acid from getting into your intestines and stomach. Obviously, if there is no acid in your stomach, it cannot come up through the esophagus either.

Final thoughts on acid reflux

When your symptoms are at their worst, mix 1 teaspoon of regular baking soda with eight ounces of water. Drink this slowly, one sip at a time, until your symptoms subside. Do NOT do this every day as baking soda contains a great deal of sodium which can lead to a myriad of other health problems.

Turn to aloe vera juice for a soothing way to heal the damage acid reflux can cause. It reduces inflammation in the esophagus and the lining of the stomach itself. All you need is a half a cup before a meal to aid in your digestive regeneration, but remember that it is also a laxative!

Slippery elm is a supplement which can help to chicken the mucous lining layer of the stomach. This helps protect your stomach from the acid within. Most people take one to two tablespoons in a glass of water after eating and just before bed to get the most relief from the remedy.

Loosen up if you’ve been dealing with too much acid reflux. Your clothing, that is. Tight pants, close-fitting shirts or pantyhose can make symptoms of acid reflux much worse. If you can, put a robe on or other over-sized and very comfy clothes, and take it easy. Your symptoms should at least be somewhat alleviated.

Don’t confuse acid reflux with GERD! The latter can be a very serious indication that you’ve got other problems, whereas most often acid reflux is related to eating and lifestyle. If you’re not sure, see your doctor right away and find out what’s going on with your digestive system right away.

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