5 Ways to Avoid Heartburn

5 Ways to Avoid Heartburn : When you’re young, you can often eat any way that you want. You might think nothing of having candy and french fries three meals a day. In time, though, that’s probably going to change.

Heartburn is one way your body might tell you to slow down and change your habits. Heartburn is a painful burning sensation that you get in your upper and mid-chest region. Some people get milder cases, while it is more severe for others.

If you suffer from heartburn often as you get a little bit older, there are some things that you can do about it. Let’s look at some popular options.

Heartburn Medication

If you wish to get rid of heartburn safely, then medication is one of your best bets. There are several over the counter options, like:

Tums
Rolaids
Mylanta

You can take them before you’re going to eat food that you know gives you heartburn, or after. You’ll need to experiment a bit to figure out what works best for you.

At the same time, make sure that you’re taking drugs with a positive track record. You need to watch out for ones like Zantac, which the FDA has recalled. That is because it causes certain cancers.

Modify Your Diet

Another way to go is to watch out for particular foods that you know trigger your heartburn. Some frequent examples are:

Spicy foods like chili, Thai, or Indian cuisine
Alcohol, especially red wine and liquor
Chocolate or peppermint

Everyone’s trigger foods are not the same. You will have to see what you can get away with eating and what foods you need to stop ingesting entirely.

You can also ask restaurants that you visit to modify the dishes they make for you. There’s nothing to say that you have to get spicy food if you go to a Thai or Indian place. You can ask them to make it very mild for you, and they should comply.

You Can Reduce Stress in Your Life

Some studies have shown that food is not the only thing that triggers heartburn. You might also get it because of stress.

Again, you’ll have to experiment. If you start doing something like yoga or meditation that relaxes you and you experience less heartburn, then that’s strong anecdotal evidence that the two things are related.

Stress and anxiety can manifest themselves in all sorts of ways, and heartburn could be just one of them. Even if you find that reducing stress does not cure your heartburn, it’s still good to try and do anyway.

Prescription Medications

There are more severe heartburn versions, such as GERD. GERD is gastroesophageal reflux disease, and it can be quite painful and disruptive.

You’ll have to see your doctor to determine if you have GERD. There are some hereditary factors, and if others in your family have it, that makes it more likely you’ll deal with it.

If you do have it, then you can talk to your doctor about treatment options. With GERD, over the counter medications might not work as well. You might have to look into stronger prescription meds.

Some of the more common ones include Prevacid, Nexium, Aciphex, and Protonix. Most of them don’t cost very much if you have decent healthcare. You can also use a service like Good RX to get a discount on them if money is a problem for you.

Other Options

Some different behaviors can help with persistent heartburn. Some people find that if they wear looser clothing, then their heartburn is not as bad. You should certainly do this if you’re going to go to a restaurant or you’re eating a big holiday meal.

You can quit smoking as well. Smoking hurts you in all sorts of ways, but doctors have noticed a link between it and heartburn. Reducing your cigarette use and eventually giving it up can help your heartburn and GERD symptoms significantly.

Some people find that if they sit up straighter during meals, then that helps reduce heartburn. You should never lie down right after a meal, as this can bring on a more severe episode.

Some individuals find that chewing ginger root helps, so you can give that a try. You can also chew gum, which dilutes your stomach acid. You can even sip a little apple cider vinegar if you can tolerate the taste.

If you’re struggling with heartburn, and nothing seems to be working, talk with your doctor about further options. Some cases do warrant surgery.