Maintaining a healthy body is a big challenge in modern times. Due to the wide and easy availability of junk food, people tend to eat such foods that are easy to cook and ready to eat…but unfortunately can result in heartburn or reflux.
All these packed foods, also known as processed foods, lack any nutritional value and lead to several problems in the digestive system.
When people eat the things that they want to at the time, irrespective of the fact if they are good for the health or not, it’s an almost guaranteed bet that they do not pay heed to the effect of that particular product.
In the end, it leads to severe problems in the digestive system, which restricts one’s ability to perform the routine tasks.
Some of the common problems that affect our digestive system are heartburn, acid reflux, and GERD. Heartburn is a situation that results when your stomach acid flows back into your food pipe.
It causes a burning sensation in your chest and can go up to your neck and throat. You may also experience a bitter taste towards the back of your throat. Gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERD is a digestive disorder which creates muscular pain down the chest.
There are several ways to maintain a healthy body — one of these ways to eating properly only those foods that are good for our health. You should pay attention to your body and start following a daily exercise routine.
Exercise helps you live longer, keeps the body functioning without any problems, and have a healthier life.
Home Remedies For Gastrointestinal Disorders [Heartburn – Acid Reflux – Gerd]
One of the easiest ways for minimizing the problems related to acid reflux is to avoid eating large meals. Having more can affect you later, and it can severely affect your body. Overeating is not a solution for anything as it only creates problems.
You might also find this article helpful on natural solutions for heartburn.
Heartburn is sometimes due to our eating habit or due to eating spicy food. There are also some useful home remedies that help provide significant relief from the various conditions affecting the stomach, such as: –
- Aloe Vera
Aloe vera is a natural anti-inflammatory that not only works on sunburns but also acid reflux very frequently. Mix two sticks of gel to the coconut water and have that 20-30 minutes before eating lunch. It helps you deal with all such problems. Aloe vera is very necessary to cure almost every kind of problem you’re facing. Whether it would be internal or external.
- Apple Cider Vinegar
Apple cider vinegar is a popular home remedy for acid reflux. It helps with heartburn by lowering the pH of the stomach contents to improve digestion and reduce the pressure build up you are looking to avoid.
Add two tsp of Apple Cider Vinegar to a half a cup of fresh water and drink slowly. Repeat this every couple of hours until the sensation of heartburn subsides.
One excellent way to avoid acid reflux in the first place is to drink the apple cider vinegar half an hour before having the meal.
- Apples, Bananas, & Papayas
These fruits help in fighting with the problems which are harmful to you. It soothes your body with health. Noncitrus fruits, including bananas, apples, and papayas are less likely to trigger reflux symptoms than acidic fruits.
They contain all that power which would help them to get rid of the heartburn and acid reflux.
- Lemon Juice
Lemons are rich in Vitamin C and as such have many other health benefits to offer. Lemon juice not only helps with heartburn and acid reflux but also helps in making the digestive system to function correctly.
Extract the juice of one lemon into a glass, add a pinch of salt and some fresh water to it. Now drink it twice every day. If you want, you can also add half tsp of honey to it and make it a highly nutritious drink.
- Baking Soda
Baking soda is useful for many health conditions. It also offers quick relief from heartburn and acid reflux as well. The steps for using from baking soda are:
Mix one teaspoon of baking soda in one cup of water. Stir it well and drink slowly. Wait 5-7 minutes. If you still have pain, repeat after another fifteen minutes and continue until the burning sensation is gone.
- Ginger Tea
Ginger is marvelous for all kinds of health-related issues. It can help relieve motion sickness and improve blood circulation. It helps ward off heart disease, improves your immune system, and helps you fight bacterial infections.
Place a few thin slices of ginger root tea in a mug and steep in hot water for 10 – 20 minutes. Then drink it slowly. Consume this drink twice every day.
Foods To Avoid
There are certain foods to avoid when you are suffering from heartburn or acid reflux:
- Caffeine (chocolate, coffee, soda, tea)
- Citrus fruits & juices
- High-fat foods, including fried foods & full-fat dairy products
- Mint (peppermint, spearmint)
- Onions & peppers
- Spicy foods
- Tomato products
For many people, these tips can be helpful in relieving symptoms & preventing future episodes of GERD:
- Avoid large meals; eat small frequent meals throughout the day
- Spend time walking after lunch to aid digestion
- Avoid lying down at least 2 hours after eating lunch
- Sleep with your head elevated
- Maintain a healthy weight, as excess weight contributes to acid reflux
- Exercise regularly
- Avoid the use of tobacco products
The above mentioned are some useful preventions, remedies and other tips to deal with the problem of heartburn, acid reflux, and GERD in an effective manner. You can use them to get rid of these problems frequently.
Do try these remedies to stay healthy and fit. You also need to lead a healthy routine combined with nutritious meals and regular exercise to keep these gastrointestinal problems away from you.
You can find much more information on living a holistic lifestyle in these free magazines and on our YouTube channel.
Author Bio:
Dr. Sohil is a health professional who has an undying love for writing and an immense need to empower people with knowledge about home remedies, natural cure, fitness, and power yoga.
He is someone who follows what he preaches and who has contributed a lot of medical articles for many a website, primarily to www.howtocure.com. In his free time, you can find him catching up with movies, going to treks and spending time with his dog.