Tackle Heartburn in 3 Steps

Everyone gets heartburn occasionally.  The causes can be numerous

• Overindulging with spicy food
• Excess alcohol
• Rushing meals
• Physical Activity too soon after food

And there are of course physical conditions which make you more prone to heartburn because of the extra pressure being placed on the abdomen.  These include pregnancy, hiatus hernia (where part of the stomach protrudes past the valve that should separate the stomach from the esophagus) and obesity.

The burning sensation is created when stomach acid, and sometimes partly digested food, travels up into the esophagus.

Contrary to popular belief this is not always caused by excess acid in the stomach.  In fact it is often caused by too little! 

If there is too little acid in the stomach the food cannot be digested quickly enough leading to a build up of food.  The stomach becomes bloated and the food begins to push against the entrance to the stomach.  This is not helped by our eating habits.  Modern living has led to a shared habit of eating too quickly.  We eat large quantities of food in a short time and often swallow without properly chewing.  My granny would regularly chastise me with "your stomach has no teeth, you need to use the ones in your mouth".  I wish now I had listened to granny, it may have saved me from multiple occasions of chronic heartburn.

The final contributing factor to heartburn is foods that tend to make the esophageal valve relax.  Unfortunately chocolate is one of the main culprits.

The first thing most folks do when suffering heartburn is reach for the antacids.  This is fine if the bouts of acid reflux are occasional, but it can be disastrous if you suffer from constant heartburn.

Remember I said earlier that reflux can be caused by too little acid?  If you are getting heartburn regularly and each time reach for an over the counter remedy what you are actually doing is causing an internal imbalance which will be making the condition worse.  Anyone found that they are having to take more and more antacids?

Over the counter remedies work in two ways.  They either neutralise acid or they prevent the stomach from producing acid.  Long term, regular use will simply add to the problems you are having by lowering the stomachs ability to digest your food

OK theory over.  I promised three steps, so here they are

Our modern lifestyle is just not conducive to healthy bodily functions.  Basically our lifestyles have changed more rapidly than our bodies can change.

• We tend to lead busy lives
• Our working styles lead to missed meals
• or meals on the go
• Our diet is full of rich foods
• We eat more fats
• We eat more processed foods
• We eat less fibre

So step 1 is to examine your lifestyle and try to make changes that will support your digestive system.

There is an old proverb

Breakfast like a King

Lunch like a Prince

Dine like a Pauper

Like most proverbs there is an enormous amount of good advice contained in those three lines.  What we tend to do is

Skip Breakfast

Lunch on the go

Dine Just before bed

Not a great way of supporting our bodies.  Start the day with no fuel, grab fast energy in the middle of the day but give no time for the food to be processed and then overfill just before retiring, leaving a full stomach for the night.  No wonder so many people have disturbed nights.  Not only are we over stretching our stomachs we then lie down so not even gravity is helping to keep the acid in its place.

I made a massive step to curing my chronic heartburn by;

• making time for a proper breakfast,
• insisting I took at least a half hour lunch break away from my desk
• Eating a moderate meal in the evening, always before 7pm

Incidentally I got another great bonus from my changes.  4 inches off my waist.  Partly because I was no longer bloated but also because I lost pounds of fat.  I guess feeding up before taking 7 hours of inactivity is bound to encourage my body to turn the food into fat!

I once spoke with a very successful hypnotherapist about how he supports a client with weight loss.  His answer was deceptively simple "I encourage people to eat like a gourmet".  When pressed he explained further.

Our modern diet is full of convenience foods and unfortunately much of this food is nutritionally empty.  Many essential nutrients are completely missing, and because our bodies are programmed to seek out all the nutrients we need our appetites encourage us to eat more and more - hoping that the missing nutrients will be found.

The second factor has already been discussed.  We give little time for food - this means that the signal that we are full comes too late.   We have already crammed all the food into our mouths leaving us feeling bloated for hours.

A gourmet will choose high quality, well prepared food.  He will savour every mouthful, chewing carefully to extract full enjoyment.  He will pause between each mouthful to consider the nuances of the flavours.

These styles of eating contribute greatly to our weight, but I think the advice equally applies to tackling heartburn.  If you are eating rapidly and stuffing huge quantities of processed, fat and sugar laden food into your stomach is it any wonder your stomach can't cope.

Adopt the style of the gourmet, however, and your digestive system works effectively, you naturally stop eating before becoming bloated and leave the table feeling content.

If you don't believe me do what my hypnotherapist friend encouraged me to do.  Go to your local fast-food restaurant and watch how obese people eat.  Notice how quickly the food disappears,  how the hand is reaching for the next mouthful before the food in the mouth is swallowed.

I don't wish to be cruel here, so please be discrete in your observations.

Now observe a real foodie eating.  You will probably notice much less food consumed in a greater period of time.

You can support this change in the following ways

• Use a smaller plate to encourage smaller portions
• Put your knife and fork down between mouthfuls
• Give yourself plenty of time to eat.

Your digestion will have time to work and if you also lose a few pounds that will also help to tackle heartburn by relieving pressure on your abdomen

This may seem obvious, but you can really help your digestive difficulties by choosing food wisely.

I worked out the foods that really prompted my heartburn by keeping a food diary.  We are all different and can tolerate different foods and react to others that are fine for our friends and family.

By keeping a food diary and also recording episodes of heartburn you can experiment with removing certain foods or at least eating more modest portions of the culprits.

I found that some of my digestive enemies happened to be foods that I am particularly fond of; curry, pasta sauces containing tomato.  Using the food diary also allowed me to experiment with natural remedies for heartburn so that I could still enjoy my treats without suffering.  I could still enjoy a curry if I drank ginger tea before the meal.  Whereas I needed to take peppermint oil after eating pasta sauces if i was to avoid suffering.

Here is a list of foods known to help tackle heartburn.  Use your diary to help you work out which to take and when.  Before, during or after the meal.

• Peppermint oil or tea
• Papaya
• Pineapple
• Chamomile tea
• Live yogurt
• Cinnamon, though some people find cinnamon makes heartburn worse
• ginger
• Cumin
• Carrot juice

I hope these steps will help you move toward being heartburn free.  Good luck