How to deal with heartburn at home

Many people, stressing the strength of their excellent health, say that there is no medicine in their home, except for headache and heartburn remedies. Indeed, heartburn occurs so often that you can talk about it disdainfully, even without attaching special importance to the symptom. Is heartburn safe and harmless? Do its manifestations always talk about overeating, or is it a sign of more serious diseases? Today let's talk about heartburn, its manifestations, as well as ways to eliminate this symptom - medicinal and folk.

What is heartburn and how does it manifest itself

Heartburn is an unbearable burning sensation and a feeling of fire behind the sternum. As a rule, almost every person experienced the feeling of heartburn. This burning is due to the release of gastric juice in the direction of the esophagus.Heartburn occurs most often after a heavy meal and increases if you are lying down.

Heartburn is a rather ambiguous symptom. It can occur against the background of overeating and the characteristic features of food or be a sign of some gastroenterological diseases. If heartburn bothers you more than twice a week and may not be related to the amount of food eaten, be sure to consult a doctor. What can cause heartburn and how it develops, try to understand.

Causes of Heartburn

Here are some changes in the body that can lead to reflux of gastric juice in the esophagus.

1. Often the source of heartburn is a change in gastric acidity. As a rule, heartburn develops from high acidity, but can occur on the background of low acidity, if the mucosa of the esophagus is very sensitive.
2. Smoking and alcohol also contribute to the development of heartburn.
3. A rich meal, especially fatty, salty, fried and smoked can also contribute to the development of heartburn. In this case, the stomach stretches and a greater amount of gastric juice is produced, the esophagus sphincter relaxes and the acid is released to the outside.
4. If after a heavy meal you go to bed, that the horizontal position of the body creates a greater likelihood of ejection of gastric juice.
5. Another cause of heartburn is an unstable nervous condition. Fear, depression, stress, anxiety can lead to heartburn, especially after eating.
6. Very often, heartburn occurs against the background of pregnancy. In this case, the fetus simply squeezes the stomach, forcing it to throw out gastric juice, even with moderate food intake.
7. Additional pressure on the stomach can be created by tight belts, corsets, overweight and even weight lifting.
8. Some drugs can increase the production of gastric juice and provoke their release into the esophagus. Among them, ibuprofen, ortofen, aspirin.
9. Heartburn can cause such types of foods as tomatoes, flour and yeast products, citrus, coffee, pickles and pickles, mint, chocolate, strong tea, soda beverages.

These are the main reasons that can trigger the development of heartburn. But often heartburn occurs not only against the background of overeating and eating harmful food. If heartburn develops after each meal, most likelyproblem with the work of the gastrointestinal tract.

What diseases cause heartburn?

It is clear that with frequent and debilitating heartburn, you need to go to a gastroenterologist and find out the cause of this condition. However, in some cases, it is possible to recognize the disease by symptoms even before going to the doctor.

1. Most often, heartburn develops with gastritis with high acidity.
2. Heartburn can be a symptom of duodenitis, pancreatitis, gastric or duodenal ulcers. With such diagnoses, pain in the stomach and heartburn develops a couple of hours after eating and increases with eating fatty foods.
3. Often, heartburn is a consequence of reflux disease, in which the lower sphincter weakens and does not protect the esophagus from the ingestion of gastric juice. In this case, heartburn manifests itself especially strongly when the body bends.
4. Frequent heartburn develops on the background of obesity, when visceral fat, enveloping the internal organs, literally squeezes the stomach, contributing to the release of gastric juice into the esophagus.
5. Persistent heartburn occurs after surgery,when the volume of the stomach or duodenum is reduced due to surgical excision.
6. Sometimes angina pectoris is taken for burning and severe pain behind the sternum.

To determine the diagnosis, you need to consult a doctor, if necessary, pass tests and conduct a sensing procedure. Listen to your body and its symptoms so that the doctor can make an accurate diagnosis.

Drugs for heartburn

Pharmaceutical companies cite statistics that say heartburn remedies are among the most popular over-the-counter drugs. Indeed, every person and every person with a heartburn is trying to cope with it independently. What means have high efficiency and safety?

1. Rennie. This is a popular and safe drug that is approved for use even by pregnant women. Rennie aims to neutralize the hydrochloric acid of gastric juice. Available in chewable tablets with different flavors. The effect is achieved almost immediately after taking the medicine.
2. Fusfalugel. It is a good medicine against heartburn and other manifestations of gastritis and ulcers. The gel gently envelops the walls of the stomach and intestines, absorbs the products of fermentation and toxins, reduces the acidity of the stomach, relieves heartburn.
3. Omez. This is an antisecretory drug that has a slightly different principle of effect. It does not block the action of acid, but inhibits the active production of gastric juice. The drug does not work immediately, its activity begins only an hour after administration, but the effect lasts much longer - for 8-10 hours. With regular use, heartburn occurs much less frequently.
4. Gaviscon. Another popular remedy for heartburn, made from natural seaweed extract. Unlike other drugs, Gaviscon does not suppress the acidity of the stomach completely, which affects the process of digestion. The drug simply protects the mucous membrane of the stomach from the aggressive effects of acid.
5. Gastratsid. Modern medicine for heartburn, which is taken during the exacerbation of chronic diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, during errors in diet, etc. Available in mint tablets.

There are a lot of drugs for heartburn, you need to choose what is right for you. In pregnancy, when heartburn occurs very often, you need a more careful approach to the choice of medication and read the instructions. There should be indicated the admissibility of the drug during pregnancy.

How to deal with heartburn at home

If there were no pharmaceutical drugs on hand or you want to cope with heartburn with the help of natural remedies, you need to resort to simple and proven homemade heartburn recipes.

1. Chamomile. This is an excellent medicinal plant, which has a pronounced soothing properties. Chamomile will help relieve the fire in the stomach. From the chamomile flowers should prepare a decoction - about two tablespoons of the plant per liter of boiling water. Drink chamomile in case of heartburn in half a glass in small gulps. More than a liter a day should not be consumed, overdose of chamomile can cause nausea and vomiting.
2. Oatmeal jelly. A couple of tablespoons of oat grains should be poured with two glasses of boiling water and allowed to cook over low heat for about half an hour.Then pour the composition into a thermos and let it brew for another couple of hours. Next, the resulting kissel must be filtered and drunk for half a glass of heartburn. Kissel gently envelops the walls of the stomach and esophagus, reduces the aggressive effects of hydrochloric acid.
3. Flax seeds. If there is no time to wait for the preparation of oatmeal jelly, you can get an identical medicine from flax seeds. They should grind in a coffee grinder or using a rolling pin on a cutting board. Pour the crushed seeds with water and let it brew for about 15 minutes. Then the composition must be filtered and drunk.
4. Juice of raw potatoes. It perfectly reduces the acidity of the stomach during ulcers and gastritis, quickly relieves painful sensations. Potatoes should be peeled and grated, preferably plastic, otherwise the metal can oxidize the product. After that, you need to squeeze the juice with gauze and drink it. At one time you need to drink about a third cup of fresh juice. It is not prepared for future use, only immediately before use, otherwise the juice of potatoes may change color during storage.
5. Anise, dill and fennel. Take a teaspoon of each ingredient and pour it into a glass liter jar.Fill with boiling water and wrap a towel. Let the broth brew for 5-6 hours, ideally, it should be brewed overnight. For heartburn, you need to take the filtered composition in half a glass.
6. Calcium salts. Chalk and eggshell contain in its composition calcium salts, which neutralize the acid in the stomach. Pure chalk or egg shells should be crushed and taken in a teaspoon for heartburn, washed down with plenty of warm water.
7. Chaga birch mushroom. In the people for the suppression of heartburn use infusion of birch fungus. It is a drone fungus in the form of a growth that appears on various trees, but the one that grows on birch trees is considered the most useful. On the basis of excipients chagi even manufactured drugs. Chagu can be found in mushroom pickers, healers, in phytobars or to grow a mushroom on their own. This is an excellent tool for the treatment of many diseases of the digestive tract.

Very often, we are recommended to treat with soda for heartburn. It can not be done in any case. The fact is that baking soda, indeed, extinguishes the acidity of the stomach, but not for long. After some time, the gastric juice will begin to produce hydrochloric acid even more aggressively. If constantly treated with soda, it can lead to peptic ulcer.That concerns such popular milk. The fact is that calcium and protein, which are abundant in milk, provoke the secretion of gastric juice. An abundant amount of hydrochloric acid leads to the development of heartburn.

You also need to follow simple rules of nutrition. You need to eat in small portions, but 5-6 times a day. Eat slowly, chew food thoroughly. In no case do not eat up at night, try not to lie down after a meal.If it is still necessary, raise the pillow 10-20 cm above the bed. While eating, drink mineral water (preferably with alkali) - it will wash the gastric juice from the walls of the esophagus. Try to follow all the above rules to heartburn did not bother you. If all efforts do not bring results, and heartburn returns again and again, be sure to consult a doctor. Perhaps this is a sign of another, more serious disease that should not be started. Be attentive to your body to maintain health for many years!

Video: how to get rid of heartburn