Acid Reflux Home Remedy Signs and Symptoms of Acid Reflux and Heartburn Heartburn is a condition in which the liquid content of the stomach backs up (refluxes) into the esophagus. The most common and persistent symptom of Heartburn is a burning sensation centered in the middle of the chest and/or throat, brought on by stomach acid that churns up onto the lining of the esophagus. Acid Reflux, also known as Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD), is a condition which has many symptoms that are similar to heartburn. In many cases, people suffering from Acid Reflux typically suffer from persistent heartburn two or more days per week. In the long term, this can be very serious since, over time, the reflux of stomach acid can erode or wear away the delicate esophagus lining. This can then lead to scar tissue, which causes swallowing problems. GERD has also been linked to an increased risk of esophageal cancer. However, some people have Acid Reflux without heartburn. In such cases, symptoms include chest pain, wheezing, coarseness in the throat, breathing problems, a bitter taste in the mouth, dry coughing, interrupted sleep, tightness in the throat, and halitosis or bad breath. Acid reflux can also lead to regurgitation of acid into the mouth, often due to overeating or bending down or going to bed right after a meal. Causes of Acid Reflux Just like other health conditions, there is not one specific cause of Acid Reflux and Heartburn. However, a malfunction of a band of muscle tissue called the Lower Esophageal Sphincter (LES) can ultimately lead to many of the problems and symptoms associated with Acid Reflux and Heartburn. The LES is a complex area of smooth muscles and various hormones, which is responsible for the opening and closing of the lower end of the esophagus when we eat and swallow. It normally keeps the stomach contents from regurgitating, but due to certain physical conditions it can weaken and lose its contraction control. If this happens, the LES fails to close up and cannot maintain the pressure barrier between stomach and esophagus. As a result, acid and pepsin from the stomach can back up and cause acidity and heartburn in the esophagus. The most common causes of Acid Reflux and Heartburn include: • stress • some antidepressants and sedatives • elevated hormone levels during pregnancy • eating before going to bed • eating large meals • slower emptying of the stomach • frequently eating greasy, fried, and fatty foods • smoking • alcohol • drinking lots of bubbly (carbonated) beverages such as soda • diseases that weaken the esophageal muscle (such as scleroderma, mixed connective tissue disease, or hiatal hernias) Home Remedies and Natural Cures for Acid Reflux Treatment Acid Reflux Home Remedy Using Apple Cider Vinegar Apple Cider Vinegar is an amazing remedy for Acid Reflux. It may sound bizarre to drink an acid as a cure for an acid problem, but there are good acids and bad acids and Apple Cider Vinegar is among the good ones. • Add 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar to 1/2 glass of water. • Sip this glass of water while eating your dinner. Herbal Remedy for Acid Reflux Using Ginger Root Ginger Root is an amazing natural herb that is known to absorb stomach acid and have the secondary effect of calming the nerves. For an effective natural remedy from the symptoms of acid reflux, try the following: • Purchase ginger root capsules from a natural health food or nutritional store. • Regularly take one capsule immediately after dinner. Natural Cure for Acid Reflux Using Fennel Seeds Fennel seed is an aromatic but powerful herb that helps in digestive conditions and has many other benefits. Fennel seeds contain a compound known as Anethole, which is known to suppress spasms of the stomach or gastrointestinal tract spasms. Therefore, it is considered to be an effective remedy for Acid Reflux. • Take half a tea spoon of Fennel Seeds and chew them slowly after your meals. Using Anise and Lavender Tea as a Remedy for Heartburn Here is a tea that you can make to help relieve the symptoms of heartburn, since it reduces the amount of acid you have in your stomach. Note that some variants of this remedy suggest adding peppermint, but this is NOT recommended since peppermint is known to relax the LES (described earlier), which is exactly what you don't want to do. • Mix together equal amounts of aniseed and lavender. • Boil 2 1/2 cups of distilled water. • Pour the boiling water over a teaspoon of the herbal mixture. • Let this tea sit for 3 to 5 minutes. • Strain the tea and add a little bit of honey as a natural sweetener. • Drink up to 8 oz of this tea in the morning and 8 oz in the evening to get relief from acid reflux or heartburn. More Acid Reflux Home Remedies and Treatments Reader Comments Posted by Adam on Oct 26 2010 04:26:01 I'm not trying to jump to any conclusions or anything because i haven't been officially diagnosed but i just figured it couldn't hurt to get some input on the matter, but usually 4 days out of the week at least i get a burning sensation in my throat, I never get the burning in my chest though, it ranges from annoying to borderline agonizing, flares up off and on throughout the day. I also get the feeling like there's something stuck in my throat sometimes,it never causes me any trouble breathing but sometimes it hurts when i swallow and i know this might sound weird but sometimes swallowing is accompanied by a clicking sound, anyways I'm not really freaking out or anything but it would be nice to know if anyone else has experienced this and what they know about, any input is welcome, thanks. Posted by Sudharsan on Oct 22 2010 21:39:06 Hello, I'm Suffering from Acid reflux disease for the past six months. After eating food...i always belch with heart burn, belching one or two is normal. but i'm belching through out the day, days become weeks, weeks become months..what is the remedy for this problem. Please Suggest me... Posted by Gary on Oct 21 2010 13:31:31 Have had a/r for more than a year now. When it started, I was begging my doctor for the fix-it surgery. Main problem is regurgitation and blockage, unable to swallow. He told me to wait, put me on Nexium, which didn't alleviate the problem much. But now for the last 3 months I have been eating a good portion of fresh papaya each morning, and went down from 40 mgs a day of Nexium to 20 mgs, and now I'm going off the meds completly, and sticking to papaya. It's true, papaya does absolutely work, along with a fairly decent diet. I'm not the perfect eater, but have altered some of my bad eating habits, and along with the papaya, now finally feeling relief. Posted by Cait on Oct 13 2010 04:08:00 Tililli - in reply to your comment - I have the same thing. I am now a 24 year old female, but I began suffering silent reflux around 22 when I was stressed out. It took me ages to get a correct diagnosis, I essentially had to figure it out myself because doctors don't know. It's terrifying to constantly wake up unable to breathe and not due to apnea but due to acid reflux. I now live in Germany and I use something called 'heilerde' which is clay more or less from a lower layer of earth, and if you eat it after meals it sops up the excess acid and you can breathe. Apples do also help, as does fennel. Perhaps one of the most succesfull things I found in the US was DGL - deglycerized licorice - works AMAZING. I just wanted to tell you I've lived with this condition for 2 1/2 years now and it is manegable, but you have to be really careful because your lungs are easily damaged by acid, more so than the esophagus. Posted by Sarah Burns on Oct 11 2010 15:44:31 Ive had gerd for 19 yrs it was hell everything i ate i vomited up i hardly was able to sleep was on nexium 40mgs 4 times a da now all i do is eat one apple a day drink 5 teaspoons of apple cider vinega and ive never had it again . No more agony in my chest no more sleepless nights and no more never eating just all the things I like so much it works and it works asap in fact even half an apple and the cider vinega once a day works for me and believe me im off the meds now and never had heartburn or reflux again as long as i take the vinega and apple ..... forget them meds they do so much damage mine was so bad i was on 40mgs 3 times a day couldnt eat cheese dairy gluten wheat spicy stuff pizza no takeaways nothing even rice gave me heartburn now i dont get it at all ever take the apple and vinega and do it now it really works . Posted by flora on Oct 11 2010 12:07:12 A July 2010 study in the journal Gastroenterology seems to confirm the 2009 study in American Journal of Gastroenterology that Proton-pump inhibitors (Nexium and Prilosec) can induce rebound hypersecretion of acid, even in healthy volunteers with no symptoms.