Heartburn

Heartburn is the reflux of acid from the stomach and is usually accompanied by burning sensation in the region of the centre of the chest and gives nasty, bitter taste in the mouth.

The cause of heartburn is actually hardworking muscle in your lower esophagus. This is a muscle that relaxes to let food pass into your stomach, then quickly closes. But when it doesn’t close properly, the contents of the stomach can back up, creating burning or irritation under the rib cage – heartburn.

Coffee, alcohol, spicy foods and citrus fruits often bring an attack, and watch out for fried and fatty foods as well as tomatoes and chocolate. Any of those can irritate esophageal lining or relax your sphincter muscle, triggering reflux.

Do you suffer after spicy meals with onions? In some people the onions, not the spices, may be the cause. Try to avoid onions in your diet for a couple of weeks and monitor your progress – you may be surprised to learn that onions in some people causing heartburn.

Heartburn can have any number of possible causes – excessive stomach acidity, nervous tension, over-eating and structural problems in the oesophagus or stomach.

One of the best easy treatments for heartburn is alfalfa – being alkaline, alfalfa will regulate acidity in the stomach. You can take alfalfa tablets purchased from your health store or you can simply add more alfalfa sprouts to your salads, sandwiches and any other cold dishes.

Try to eat small, frequent meals, avoiding late suppers, chili and highly spiced or seasoned foods.

If you frequently suffering from heartburn, I’d also suggest taking Tissue Salts (Celloids) – Mag Phos reduces spasms and Nat Phos reduces acidity, nausea. You can find Tissue Salts in your Pharmacy or Health food store.