Heartburn, ajita, acid reflux, indigestion, upset stomach. What ever you may call it, we've all experienced it at one point or another. That painful burning in your chest and stomach can cause even the burliest man to cringe in pain and try just about anything for some relief.
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Often, heartburn comes after a heavy meal, eating spicy, fried, or heavily processed foods - pizza and wings, pasta dinners, Friday fish fry, loaded nachos, ice cream sundaes, mac n cheese, burgers and fries, late night food truck runs, donuts, submarine sandwiches, 3 alarm chili, and loaded baked potato skins. Basically, most of our favorite comfort foods.
The trouble we run into is that overeating heavy, highly processed meals is very hard on our digestion. And our modern diets and stressful lifestyles in general, don't promote good digestion. So we suffer and attempt to ease the pain of heartburn, feeling guilty for enjoying the delicious foods that we love so much.
When we eat this way, our bodies often can't produce enough digestive acid, so digestion is stalled in the stomach. The stomach can't receive the signal to empty until it has done it's job and processed the food that is in it, so food sits in the stomach longer than it is supposed to and ferments, causing excess gas and bloating, which then have no where to go but back up into the esophagus, causing heartburn.
How do we fix it once and for all? Well, changing our diets and lifestyles would certainly be the wisest option, albeit not the most enjoyable. Less stressful jobs, reducing our number of daily obligations, sitting down and slowly enjoying a proper meal, with plenty of digestion time afterwards, not eating close to bedtime, and eating smaller meals of real, unprocessed, high quality foods that still retain their enzymes and nutrients, would all do us well.
When that isn't possible, there are many options at our disposal.
Natural Heartburn Relief
Apple Cider Vinegar: preferably raw, with the mother: 1 tsp to 2 tbsp in a small amount of water
Lemon juice: 1 tsp in a small amount of water
Digestive enzymes: especially protease and lipase
Papaya: fresh or digestive extract, enzyme
Fresh pineapple: a few slices to stimulate acid production
HCl capsules: to increase acid
Bitter herbs: goldenseal, dandelion, burdock, gentian, artichoke, chamomile, milk thistle, motherwort - tinctures or tea to stimulate acid production
Ginger: a slice or two of fresh ginger root
Yellow mustard: 1 teaspoon
Licorice root or Deglycyrrhizinated Licorice (DGL): tincture or capsules
Fennel: chew on a fresh sprig to relief excess gas
Banana: 1 small fruit, soothes inflamed tissue
Slippery elm bark: soothes inflamed tissue (lozenges are my fave!)
Aloe vera juice: soothes inflamed tissue
Marshmallow root: soothes inflamed tissue
Dried catnip leaf: steep in hot water for 10-15 minutes, add a bit of honey for taste
Homeopathic Nux vomica: 5 pellets every 15 min for an hour
If none of these options gives you relief, get checked out for a hiatal hernia, with a simple test that many chiropractors are able to perform, and as always, don't hesitate to go see your physician or Naturopath to help you decide on your best course of action.
More resources
Enjoy your apple cider vinegar in the form of this delicious shrub drink from Reclaiming Vitality {click here}.
Read more about apple cider vinegar at Pistachio Project {click here}.
And find many natural pregnancy & birth tips at Tiny Green Earthling {click here}. 50 more ideas for natural heartburn relief from Feathers in the Woods {click here}.
BONUS!
The Herbal Academy and
Homestead Bloggers Network
$297 Giveaway!
One (1) winner will receive a Complete Enrollment in the Introductory Herbal Course (value $297) courtesy of The Herbal Academy in collaboration with Homestead Bloggers Network.
Giveaway ends February 13, 2019 11:59pm.
