Stop Painful Heartburn and Acid Reflux Once and For All

Heartburn is caused by acid reflux, a digestive disorder where stomach acid flows back up through the esophagus causing burning sensation or pain in the chest area that may spread to the neck and throat. The burning pain or heartburn can last for a few minutes or hours. This condition does not affect the heart but of course if you are experiencing chest pain, it is best to consult your doctor. If you are experiencing painful heartburn more than once in a week, it can be a symptom of GERD or gastroesophageal reflux disease. It is important to know how to stop painful heartburn and acid reflux before your condition could get worse.

Acid reflux is the major cause of heartburn so to stop painful heartburn you have to know how to stop acid reflux. Occasional acid reflux might not be a serious problem but if it becomes frequent, your esophagus might get inflamed or bleed and swallowing food can be a problem. It is best to consult your doctor to get the proper diagnosis and to immediately address your problem. For immediate relief, over the counter medicine like antacids is the common treatment to neutralize stomach acid. If your condition didn't improve, your doctor may prescribe stronger medicines to treat acid reflux and to stop painful heartburn. You and your doctor can work together to find the best treatment for you. Surgery maybe needed for severe cases when the esophagus is severely affected and medications failed to treat acid reflux and stop painful heartburn.

Aside from medical treatment, changes in your lifestyle and home care can help control acid reflux. The following tips can be very helpful to control acid reflux and stop painful heartburn:

Avoid sleeping or lying down flat on your back with a full stomach. Lying flat with a full stomach is not good if you have acid reflux and if you want to stop painful heartburn. A full stomach produces more acid, although your stomach can handle it your acid reflux problem cannot. Having a full stomach, large amount of stomach acid and lying flat on your bed are not a good combination and may trigger acid reflux and heartburn. Eat 3-4 hours before bedtime and avoid overeating. Sleep in elevated position with your head higher than your stomach and your lower body. Using multiple pillows stacked together is not the right way to attain elevated sleeping position because they will only elevate your head and will bend you in the middle or stomach area and it may just aggravate your condition. The best way to attain an elevated sleeping position is to raise the head of your bed using 4-6 inches blocks placed under the feet of your bed. Sleeping with an elevated bed can control acid reflux attack.

Avoid putting pressure on your stomach area. If you want to stop painful heartburn and acid reflux, avoid pressure on your stomach area. This can be achieved by not wearing clothes tightly fit around the waist and avoid wearing tight belt because they can pressure and squeeze your stomach and might trigger acid reflux. If you need to lift something, avoid bending from the waist because it increases your risk of acid reflux attack, bend your knees when you need to lift or pick up something from the floor. It is not only good for your stomach but also for your back.

Lose weight. If you are on the heavy side, you have to lose weight to stop painful heartburn and acid reflux. Obesity or too much fat on the stomach area can put pressure on the stomach and may push stomach acids up to the esophagus causing heartburn. Maintaining healthy weight is not only good for your digestive problems but also good for your overall health. If it is difficult to lose weight on your own, ask help from experts. If you will continue to gain weight, your acid reflux may get worse.

Diet modification. Since acid reflux is a digestive problem, be careful with what you eat. You need to do some changes to your diet and avoid foods that trigger acid reflux. Foods not good for acid reflux include tomatoes or tomato products, fatty foods, fruit juices or citrus fruits, caffeinated drinks, carbonated drinks, alcoholic drinks, chocolate and spicy foods. It could be really difficult to avoid these foods and drinks but if you really want to stop painful heartburn and acid reflux, you need to modify your diet and stick with foods that are not bad for your digestive problem.

Digestive disorders like acid reflux and heartburn are problems that can become chronic if left untreated.