“Treating Heartburn Naturally: Important Instructions to Follow”

11:53 PM

Saturday, May 13, 2023

I wrote-Yasmine El Sawy:

Changing your lifestyle and adopting a healthy lifestyle helps to treat heartburn once and for all without the need to take medications that have side effects.

In the following lines, the “Consulto” reviews some measures that must be taken to treat stomach acidity, as published by “Health. Harvard”.

Important instructions for treating acidity

1- Eat slowly and moderately

When the stomach is too full, there can be more GERD, making sure to eat small meals divided throughout the day, rather than 3 large meals a day.

2- Avoid some foods

Some foods may cause GERD more than others, such as mint, fatty foods, spicy foods, tomatoes, onions, garlic, coffee, tea, chocolate and alcohol.

If you eat any of these foods regularly, it is best to eliminate them to control GERD.

3- Not consuming soft drinks

Carbonated drinks may lead to belching, causing acid to reach the esophagus, so they should be replaced with plain water.

4- Not sleeping after eating

When a person remains upright or even sitting, it helps keep acid in the stomach, making sure to finish eating 3 hours before bed.

This means that taking a nap after lunch and eating late meals or snacks in the middle of the night can make it worse.

5-Not doing violent exercises

Consideration should be given to avoiding vigorous exercise for a few hours after eating, as this may cause acid to reflux into the esophagus, and to replace that with hiking and walking 30 minutes a day.

6- Sleep with your head elevated

You should sleep on a medical sponge pillow with a raised head, so that the head is higher than the feet, in order to prevent acid reflux into the esophagus.

7-Loss weight

Weight gain limits the role of the muscular structure that supports the lower esophageal sphincter, which reduces the pressure that keeps the sphincter closed, thus causing GERD and gastric acidity.

8-Smoking

You should stop smoking, as nicotine can relax the lower esophageal sphincter.