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All of us have been hit by acidity at some point or the other. Heart
burn, or gastro-esophageal-reflex-disease (GERD) is commonly referred to
as ‘acidity’ in our society (one officially has GERD if one experiences
acidity more than twice a week). It refers to the reflux or backflow of
stomach contents and bile back up the esophagus, causing irritation and
inflation that ultimately leads to scarring (which further decreases the
lumen of the esophagus). Symptomatically, one experiences hoarseness of
the voice, nausea and an irritating burning sensation. Acidity is no
joke, because this constant wear and tear of your esophageal lining can
give rise to esophageal cancer.
Oftentimes, the best thing you can do is find home remedies before
spending money on an expensive physician.
It should come as no surprise that being overweight contributes to GERD.
Obesity is followed by a whole host of diseases. In this case, the
abdominal fat constricts the esophageal sphincter. Caffeine, nicotine,
chocolate and oily, greasy foods all contribute to esophageal sphincter
relaxation which exacerbates GERD. It would be best to stay away from
those things, but we know that’s difficult so we have a few more
options.
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Aloe vera juice
Drink two ounces of unprocessed aloe vera juice every day. That stuff
goes a long way in curbing acidity. |
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Lemon Juice
Have a cup of warm water mixed with lemon juice first thing in the
morning. This will settle your stomach before you start eating anything
else and balance out the acid levels. It’s safe for almost anyone so you
have nothing to lose by trying this out! |
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Apple cider vinegar
Go for a few teaspoons of apple cider vinegar every day. Mix it with
honey if you want to improve the taste. This may sound counter
intuitive, but cutting edge research has revealed that acidity is not
necessarily because of an over production of acid. Often the case is
that there’s not enough acid in the stomach to dissolve food, so your
body produces extra. That’s why the vinegar helps. |
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Ginger
Maximize your input of fresh ginger. Chew on it raw when you suffer from
acidity, or even stew it in a cup with hot water and drink it with a
spoon of honey. Honestly, even a spoon or two of ginger juice every day
is a potent method of relieving heartburn. |
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