Archive for June, 2011

Stop Fish Oil-Related Heartburn and Burps Effortlessly

Being the health-conscious individual that I am, fish oil is one of my favorite supplements. It has a lot of great benefits, including improving cardiac and vascular health, and improving insulin sensitivity. The fatty acids in fish oil are incorporate into the body’s cell membranes as well, which can actually improve digestion and whole-body function over time.

However, if you are like me and many others out there, the worst thing about taking a fish oil supplement is that you end up either burping it up regularly or even worse, getting heartburn.

Fortunately, I have come up with three simple things that you can do when taking fish oil and one thing that you want to make sure NOT to do when using fish oil!

Fish Oil Mistake #1 – Using Deodorized Fish Oil

Before we get started on what you can do to stop fishy burps and fish oil-related heartburn, I first need to mention one thing: do not use “deodorized” fish oil!

The first thing most people do when they get heartburn from their fish oil and burp up a fish taste in their mouths is to run out and buy a deodorized fish oil. This is a huge mistake.

The problem is fish oil is “deodorized” by being treated with high levels of heat. This actually takes the odor away by destroying the natural EPA and DHA in the fish oil (1). If you did not know, EPA and DHA are the fatty acids responsible for all the benefits of fish oil.

Just remember that any fish oil treated higher than 180 degrees Celsius will end up with serious damage to its EPA and DHA (1). Any fish oil that has not been deodorized to that degree will still have at least some “fishy” taste or smell to it. As a result, you simply cannot deodorize your way out of fish oil burps or heartburn.

Fortunately, below I have included 3 ways you can reduce and even eliminate fish oil burps!

Method #1 – Refrigerate Your Fish Oil

When refrigerated, fish oil starts to solidify, much like any other oil. I must admit I do not know exactly how this works, but when you take refrigerated fish oil, it seems to drastically reduce and even eliminate any burps or heartburn associated with it.

I have recommended this to dozens of individuals now and every single person has said this home heartburn remedy works out like a charm. Try it out!

Method #2 – Take Your Fish Oil Immediately Before Eating

This method is especially effective if you take you refrigerate your fish oil. What you will find is that if you take a few refrigerated tablets with your food, immediately before eating, you are practically guaranteed not to get heartburn or fishy-burps.

Fish-oil related heartburn is always at its worse when you take the oil warm and on an empty stomach. Be sure to have it before you eat your food rather than after; as if you eat it after the oil does not mix as readily with the stomach’s contents, leading to more fishy burps and heartburn.

Method #3 – Use Concentrated Fish Oil

A standard fish oil is actually only 20-30% DHA/EPA. In other words, 1 pill which is typically 1,000 mg in size only contains 200mg-300mg of EPA/DHA (the fatty acids in fish oil that we want). You can buy concentrated versions of fish oil which have 2-3x amount of EPA and DHA per pill.

This way, if you take 2-3 fish oil tablets a day, you can simply switch over to a concentrated fish oil tablet and drop to 1. You usually have to buy these online, but being able to drop down from 3 tablets a day to a single tablet really does reduce instances of heartburn and fish-burps.

Fish Oil, Heartburn, and Burping Wrap-Up

Fish oil is a highly effective supplement that does not need to cause heartburn or burping. Be sure to avoid highly-deodorized fish oils, the valuable fatty-acids in fish oil can be destroyed in the deodorization process.

Instead, opt for a concentrated blend of fish oil. Put it in the refrigerator and only take it with food, particularly right at the beginning of your meal. By following these simple methods, you can stop fish oil heartburn effortlessly!

References

1. Fournier, V., et al. Degradation products formed from long-chain PUFA during deodorization of fish oil. Lipid Technology. 2007; 19(1): 9-11.

A Simple Fix for Heartburn Every Morning

One of the more rare ways acid reflux can manifest itself is via heartburn in the morning. While most people suffer from heartburn in the evening or at night, some people get heartburn every morning. This could be the cause of nighttime heartburn that does not wake the afflicted individual up, but also some people just have an upset stomach in the morning.

For those people who tend to have an upset stomach and heartburn upon waking and for the early morning hours, I have a simple fix for you: have a protein shake for breakfast.

Protein for Morning Heartburn

Having a protein shake in the morning (with nothing else) first thing after waking is a great way to help reduce acid reflux. In particular, protein actually helps increase the Lower Esophageal Sphincter (the thing that seals off the stomach from the esophagus). Note: no reference to support this, but there is evidence out there – I had read through the entire study which had demonstrated that LES pressure increased on average by 8 mm Hg after eating protein in the test subjects, but it seems I deleted the .pdf file and cannot find it!

The routine is simple: take 20-50g of protein in a shake, right after waking. The amount used depends on body weight; if you weigh 100 pounds (45 kg), use 20 grams; if you weigh 200 pounds or more (90 kg or more), use 50 grams; everyone else can be somewhere in the middle.

Give yourself 20 minutes or so to let your stomach settle down before drinking any coffee or any more water. Do not drink any extra water with your morning protein until your acid reflux has calmed down. The reason for this is that extra water dilutes stomach acid and enzymes and makes it much harder to digest the protein. Use as little as water as necessary, and only drink water or coffee in the morning after your reflux has subsided.

Choosing the Right Protein Powder for Heartburn in the Morning

Protein’s effect on the digestive system can be very positive, but you want to be sure to choose the right type. A lot of people think that protein powders can lead to an upset stomach, but that is simply because they chose the wrong powder type.

The best powder you can get is pure whey protein, filtered or processed as finely as possible. At a bare minimum, you will want a protein which has “whey isolate” written on the ingredients label. When you look at the nutrition facts, you want to find one that has no carbs, and if possible no fat as well. I prefer VPX’s Zero Carb SRO brand for this purpose (I have no affiliation with this company – it is just a great product for morning use if you wake up with reflux).

The reason you want this type of protein is because it is very easily tolerated and it mixes extremely well with even small amounts of water. You can easily mix 20g of this high-quality protein with just 4-5 ounces of water. Cheap protein might require 2-3x as much water to mix, and as such will not be nearly as beneficial as water.

Cheaper milk proteins (whey is a component of milk protein) will also contain lactose, dairy fat, and casein, all of which are things you want to completely avoid if you have acid reflux. You have to order higher quality proteins like this online unless you want to pay an arm and a leg, because they tend to be very expensive in supplement stores and are simply not available at big retailers.

As far as soy proteins go, most soy proteins are extremely cheap and I do not recommend them for anyone. If you are a vegan, be sure to avoid “soy protein concentrate” like the plague. Soy protein concentrate is extremely cheap, but is laden in chemicals that you do not want, particularly plant isoflavones (an estrogen-mimicking plant chemical) and even hexane (a neurotoxin used in processing of soy). Soy isolate tends to have most of these byproducts removed. Ideally if you insist on using soy, you want to only use organic soy isolate; anything else has too many impurities and potentially toxic chemical byproducts.

Heartburn in the Morning Cure – The Protein Shake

Having a protein shake for breakfast is a great way to eliminate heartburn in the morning. Just remember that the best quality proteins make the best heartburn home remedies; stick to whey isolate (or better) or organic soy isolate for best results. A a general rule of thumb, the lower the carbohydrate and fat totals a protein has, the higher quality it is.

Acid Reflux and Back Pain – Is Back Pain a Heartburn Symptom?

If you have heartburn and back pain, then you need to read this article, as it just may be the only place online where you will find the answer to the connection between these two problems.

Until today, I had never heard of back pain mentioned as one of the symptoms of heartburn, a reader has brought it to my attention that many sites list back pain as one of the heartburn symptoms.

After thoroughly reviewing the research, right now there is no evidence that suggests that acid reflux can lead to back pain, at least not with any regularity. I suspect someone inaccurately reported this on a personal website or blog, and then others simply accepted it as truth without investigating the claim.

Fortunately, there are three reasons why you might experience both heartburn-like symptoms and back pain at the same time, which may help answer why you are experiencing both acid reflux and back pain.

Possible Scenario #1 – It’s Not Heartburn!

In many cases, what is perceived as acid reflux could be something different altogether. The number one contender which matches up with heartburn-like symptoms and back pain is gallbladder disease, such as gallstones.

Gallstones are infamous for their uncanny ability to refer pain to other parts of the body. One group of researchers reported that 63% of gallstone patients experienced back pain (1). Out of the 220 studied patients, 66% of the patients reported general stomach pain, whereas 3% reported pain behind the sternum (1).

Furthermore, 77% of studied patients said their pain came late in the evening or at night (1). Acid reflux pains also typically occur at night. It is very possible that nighttime sternum or general stomach pain could easily be confused for heartburn.

Given the high correlation of gallbladder disease and back pain, people who are experiencing “acid reflux” and back pain at the same time may be indeed the result of gallbladder disease instead of reflux. If you experience these two symptoms, you should make an appointment with your doctor so that he (or she) can sort things out.

Possible Scenario #2 – Posture-Related Heartburn

Another possible reason that heartburn and back pain may occur together is due to poor posture. One group of researchers found that elderly patients with extreme kyphosis (rounding of the upper spine) were very likely to experience heartburn (2). In the particular study, the researchers were able to use the same medication to treat both back pain and acid reflux, though the medicine seemed to reduce the production of stomach acid as a side effect (2).

However, the correlation between the two suggests that it is possible (but certainly yet to be proven) that abnormal postures might lead to both heartburn and back pain (2). This is most likely to occur in the elderly population or in those with osteoporosis (2).

Possible Scenario #3 – Correlation But Not Causation

The final reason why acid reflux and back pain may be connected is simply due to correlation rather than causation. If you are unfamiliar with this term, if two things are correlated, it means that the two events seem to occur together, but may not directly influence each other. Both events could simply have the same causative factor.

There is one factor that is a strong causative factor for both acid reflux and back pain: obesity. Both adults and children who are obese are much more likely to develop both heartburn and back pain (3, 4).

As a result, people who have both acid reflux and back pain may just be feeling the effects of obesity. Obesity puts undue stress on the back and stomach, which may cause both acid reflux and back pain and causes many more problems than people realize (3).

Note: For those that do not understand correlation versus causation, read this quick analogy. Both drownings and ice cream consumption are correlated – as ice cream consumption increases, so does the number of people who drown. Correlation simply refers to the numbers increase or decrease at the same time.

This is just causation (which means one thing actually causes another thing to happen), as eating ice cream does not lead to people drowning. However, both have the same underlying factor: summer-time and warm weather. Warm weather causes people to both want to eat ice cream and go swimming.

Heartburn and Back Pain – The Bottom Line

Note that some heartburn remedies recommended on this site aid digestion and could even reduce gallbladder symptoms, but will not fix the problem. Additionally, certain foods can trigger gallbladder pain attacks (1).

Because of the high number of similarities between these two conditions, it is not surprising that people may mix up these up or associate acid reflux with back pain.

The bottom line is that acid reflux does not cause back pain. If you are experiencing both heartburn and back pain, see a doctor, as this is not a normal condition and may not be acid reflux at all! Of course, referred pain is within the realm of possibility, but if that is the case it is best to hear that coming from your doctor rather than just assuming it is the case (since it is rare if it occurs at all).

If your doctor tells you really do just have both acid reflux and back pain, consider a weight loss plan (if you are overweight), as well as working your posture, as these two things are likely to help out both your acid reflux and your back pain.

References

1. Berhane T, Vetrhus M, Hausken T, Olafsson S, Søndenaa K. Pain attacks in non-complicated and complicated gallstone disease have a characteristic pattern and are accompanied by dyspepsia in most patients: the results of a prospective study. Scand J Gastroenterol. 2006 Jan;41(1):93-101.

2. Yamane, Y., et al. Elcatonin is effective for lower back pain and the symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease in elderly osteoporotic patients with kyphosis. Geriatr Gerontol Int. 2011 Apr;11(2):215-20.

3. Wiklund I. Review of the quality of life and burden of illness in gastroesophageal reflux disease. Dig Dis. 2004;22(2):108-14.

4. Lazorick, S., et al. Prevention and Treatment of Childhood Obesity: Care Received by a State Medicaid Population. Clin Pediatr (Phila). 2011 Apr 27 (Epub ahead of print).

Nissen vs Anterior Fundoplication Surgery for Acid Reflux

Over the last decade, surgeries for the treatment of serious Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) have both advanced in technique and popularity. Surgery is not a front-line heartburn treatment but rather something considered after traditional techniques fail.

In this article, you will discover the differences between two of the most common types of GERD surgery: Nissen Fundoplication and Anterior Fundoplication, including differences in procedure, effectiveness, side effects, and long-term success rates.

Nissen Fundoplication vs Anterior Fundoplication – Differences in Procedure

Nissen Fundoplication and Anterior Fundoplication are very similar procedures using similar techniques, differing in the severity of the surgery.

Both techniques involve taking a piece of the stomach (known as the fundus), and “wrapping” it around the esophageal valve (entryway to the stomach from the esophagus). In a patient without acid reflux, the Lower Esophageal Sphincter (LES) applies enough pressure at this point in the body to keep the stomach sealed. When it cannot apply enough pressure, reflux results.

Both Nissen and Anterior Fundoplication are designed to help reinforce this structure. The difference is in how much they reinforce the structure.

Nissen Fundoplication involves pulling a posterior portion of the top of the stomach (the fundus), and wrapping it completely around the lower esophagus, and then surgically attaching this portion to the front of the stomach. This is a full 360-degree wrap around the lower esophagus, and as such it is often referred to as a complete fundoplication or a 360-degree fundoplication.

The Anterior Fundoplication, on the other hand, is a similar procedure, but does not use a full 360-degree wrap. Typically, Anterior Fundoplication refers to a 180-degree wrap (unless otherwise stated), where only “half” of the lower esophagus is wrapped by the stomach.

These two surgeries, as a result, have different success rates and side effects, which you will find out below.

Differences in Effectiveness Between GERD Surgeries

While these surgeries have been done for a few decades now, only in the last decade has this surgery become more prevalent and only recently have laparoscopic techniques been able to be perform anterior fundoplication laparoscopically. As a result, only recently that longitudinal studies (studies which track patients’ symptoms and side effects over a period of months to years) have begun to surface.

Researchers in a study published in May 2011 studied over 100 total patients, tracking them anywhere from 6 months to up to nearly 3 and a half years. They reported that patients who had anterior fundoplication still used antacids more frequently than those who had Nissen Fundoplication (34.2% for anterior, 17.4% for Nissen) (1).

Overall, 72% of the patients studied reported a positive experience with their procedures (1). Some older studies have reported satisfaction rates of up to 94% (2), though more modern reports reviewed suggest similar success rates to the first study.

Differences in Recovery Times and Side Effects of GERD Surgery

Between the two surgeries, the same study reported that patients who had Anterior Fundoplication had faster recovery rates (measured in terms of less days in the hospital following surgery) (1). However, the authors suggested that this difference may simply be due to advances in laparoscopic surgery rather than differences in the two procedures (1).

However, what was noted as a significant difference between the two was the side effect of inability to belch. This is a known, painful side effect of acid reflux surgery. In this condition, the fundoplication reinforces the esophagus to such an extent that the pressure is too great to belch, or remove excess gas from the stomach.

Given that the Nissen Fundoplication is a stronger reinforcement than the Anterior Fundoplication, the Nissen procedure resulted in inability to belch more frequently than the Anterior procedure (1).

This side effect can be extremely painful. For some patients, it is self-correcting within 4 weeks following surgery, while in other patients it does not go away without corrective surgery or procedures. Regular swallowing of air when eating, talking, or drinking can cause serious pain, flatulence, and discomfort in affected individuals. Carbonated beverages also cannot be drank when suffering from this condition.

However, while risk rates for developing this condition are lower in Anterior Fundoplication than Nissen Fundoplication, both procedures have been reported to result in this condition (1, 2).

Differences in Acid Reflux Surgeries – Summary

At a basic level, the Nissen Fundoplication is a stronger version of the Anterior Fundoplication. Both procedures have been shown by researchers to be effective at reducing or eliminating acid reflux (1). Since the Nissen Fundoplication is a strong reinforcement, it tends to be both more effective and more susceptible to side effects (like the inability to belch) (1).

In the end, you should reach a decision with your doctor and surgeon on which procedure to have performed (if any procedure is performed at all). Both procedures are not without risks. Surgery is not considered by the mainstream medical community to be a first-line defense for acid reflux, but rather it is recommended that all other options be exhausted first before opting for surgery (though there may be exceptions to the rule).

Lifestyle changes such as weight loss and an acid reflux diet plan, perhaps in conjunction with medication or occasional use of an antacid or heartburn remedies, are typically enough to solve the acid reflux needs of most people.

References

1. Cartlidge CW, Stewart GD, de Beaux AC, Paterson-Brown S. The evolution of laparoscopic antireflux surgery and its influence on postoperative stay. Scott Med J. 2011 May;56(2):64-8.

2. Mir J, Ponce J, Juan M, Garrigues V, Ibañez JL, Berenguer J. The effect of 180 degree anterior fundoplication on gastroesophageal reflux. Am J Gastroenterol. 1986 Mar;81(3):172-5.

The Hidden Signs of Acid Reflux

Do you know the hidden signs of acid reflux? In today’s world, medical professionals consider heartburn to merely the most overt of the signs of acid reflux. The truth is that there are many hidden symptoms which may represent a serious case of acid reflux, but making the association between reflux and these hidden signs is not always easy. Here is a list of the top 3 hidden signs of acid reflux:

Hidden Sign of Acid Reflux #1: Chronic, Dry Cough

A very common but highly unusual sign of acid reflux is a chronic, dry cough. Acid reflux can leave the esophagus and enter the breathing appartus, leading to inflammation, irritation, coughing.

When acid reflux enters the pharynx and damages the larynx, it causes a lot of inflammation to the tissue as these tissues do not have nearly as thick of a protective coating as the esophagus and stomach. This is often called Laryngopharyngeal Reflux or LPR for short.

However, LPR does not need to occur for a chronic cough to develop. Irritation to the throat may occur from standard reflux and may cause the persistent urge to cough. Some gastroenterologists have reported anecdotally that they have been seeing some adult patients whom were told they had adult-onset asthma, only to discover their cough was the result of reflux. Of course, only a doctor will be able to make this distinction for you.

Hidden Sign of Acid Reflux #2: Lump in the Throat

Another sign of acid reflux that people are slow to recognize is the feeling that there is something caught in the throat, perhaps combined with either difficulty swallowing or the urge to swallow. This is particularly strong in the morning and when lying down at night.

This feeling can be caused by damage done to the esophagus from acid reflux, particularly severe and prolonged reflux. Many people who are “deep sleepers” might never experience heartburn, but after acid reflux occurs for a long enough time, they may develop this symptom.

Hidden Sign of Acid Reflux #3: Belching

It is not normal to belch regularly after a meal, especially if it is combined with burping up food or a sour or bitter taste. That test is representative of acid reflux, and the acid which left the stomach to travel into your mouth assuredly is also damaging the esophagus on the way up.

Be sure to note what foods cause this to occur and remove those to help create a friendly acid reflux diet. This is a simple change that can make a big difference in your quality of life.

Hidden Signs of Acid Reflux Wrap-up

By checking for these three hidden acid reflux signs, you might recognize that you have acid reflux even in spite of heartburn. Check out these heartburn remedies and see if they make a difference. Additionally, since many of these hidden signs of acid reflux occur at night, make efforts to avoid eating too much before bed.

You will also want to check in with your physician if you experience reflux regularly or experience hidden sign #1 or #2, as both of these are associated with frequent and possibly intense acid reflux.

The Rising Cost of Heartburn and Acid Reflux

With rising rates of acid reflux and heartburn occurring around the world, just how badly is heartburn hurting our economy? A lot more than you would think, and in this article, you will find out how much acid reflux is estimated to cost both employers and employees.

Cost of Heartburn To the Average Person

The amount that heartburn can cost the average person is staggering. One common measure used to determine how much a disease costs a person is quality-adjusted life-year (QALY). This measure multiples the years a person lives by a factor from 0 to 1 in order to determine how much the disease has affected them.

To clarify, imagine that your life was perfect (normally a score of “1″), but due to suffering from heartburn your life is a little less than perfect (say a 9/10, or “.9″). If you were going to live 30 more years, then you would multiple .9 by 30 to get 27. In short, heartburn reduced your quality of life enough to essentially cost you “3 years” of time.

While this is not a perfect measure, it does allow us to apply a monetary value towards pain and suffering. This also allows us to compare people of different levels of pain and suffering; for example a cancer patient going through chemo might not be bothered as much by reflux as an otherwise healthy adult.

Once recent research group found that by simply using a proton-pump inhibitor, people were able to save $10,400 per QALY (1). In other words, heartburn was costing people enough in pain and suffering that despite the costs of a proton-pump inhibitor, their lives and productivity was enriched to the point where they were saving over $10,000 a year.

This occurs in spite of the fact that prescription heartburn medications cost a lot of money. If you have no insurance, you could pay up to 200$ a month for Nexium, one of the most popular heartburn medications. That price tag certainly makes these heartburn remedies quite appealing! This also occurs in spite of the fact that even the most favorable studies have reported no more than three-fourths of patients suffering from acid reflux get significant relief from medication (2).

If you do the math, if a person takes a $200/month prescription over a 20 year period, this adds up to $57,600. While you may think that this does not effect you if you have an insurance policy, be assured this money does not simply come out of thin air; insurance premiums in the United States are rapidly rising and becoming so expensive due to the common usage of incredibly expensive medications. The burden of using medications and over a healthy acid reflux diet is ultimately paid for by everyone in rising insurance premiums.

Cost of Heartburn for Employers

Perhaps the most thorough study on the cost of heartburn (particularly nighttime heartburn) to employers was done in 2005. The group found that nighttime heartburn cost employers in the United States alone approximately 1.9 billion dollars (3).

The researchers reported that the average person suffering from nighttime heartburn lost 16 work-hours per week due to decreased productivity as a result of poor sleep quality (3). Considering the average pay at the time in the USA was about 25$ an hour, companies were spending hundreds of dollars per week extra on employees who were not performing due to not being able to sleep well at night.

This adds up to over $100 billion dollars a year in lost productivity, which has no doubt increased since the time of the study.

Cost of Heartburn Conclusion

Overall, the cost of heartburn is quite shocking. In untreated individuals, the cost of heartburn is considered to be over $10,000 per year in terms of lost quality of life (1). In terms of out of pocket costs, some of the premium heartburn prescriptions can run almost $2,500 a year for the uninsured, leading to a burden of over $50,000 across a 20-year period. American businesses lose $100 billion annually on lost productivity due to workers not performing as a result of sleep lost due to nighttime heartburn (3).

References

1. Heudebert, GR., et al. What Is Heartburn Worth? A Cost-Utility Analysis of Management Strategies. J Gen Intern Med. 2000 March; 15(3): 175–182.

2. Chen CY, Lu CL, Luo JC, Chang FY, Lee SD, Lai YL. Esomeprazole tablet vs omeprazole capsule in treating erosive esophagitis. World J Gastroenterol. 2005 May 28;11(20):3112-7.

3. Johnson, DA., et al. Effect of esomeprazole on nighttime heartburn and sleep quality in patients with GERD: a randomized, placebo-controlled trial. Am J Gastroenterol. 2005 Sep;100(9):1914-22.

What Helps Heartburn? Five Simple Things You Can Do Right Now

Heartburn, also known as Acid Reflux, strikes millions of people around the world on a daily basis. If you are wondering what helps heartburn, read on to discover 5 simple things you can do from home to help your heartburn right away!

What Helps Heartburn – 5 Simple Home Remedies

Below, you will find 5 easy yet effective ways to help get rid of your heartburn. All of these things are easy to implement, involve no medications, and yet are very helpful for many acid reflux sufferers.

Here is our list of 5 things to do right away if you are suffering from heartburn:

Chew Gum

Chewing on a piece of gum is listed at the top of our list of heartburn remedies, and this is not a coincidence. Chewing gum is one of the best stimulators of saliva production, and saliva is a heartburn-fighting super power.

Saliva improves digestion, soothes and even buffers the esophagus against stomach acid, neutralizes acid, and protects our teeth. In short, saliva is the body’s best defense against heartburn, addressing acid reflux on several fronts. Anything that stimulates continued saliva production is an excellent way to help relieve and reduce heartburn.

Try chewing on a piece of gum next time you come down with heartburn or after eating your meals throughout the day. Avoid using mint gums, though; peppermint and spearmint trigger heartburn in a large number of people.

Lose Weight

Heartburn and obesity have both been rising rapidly throughout the world over the past several decades and this is not a coincidence; obesity is a strong risk factor for the development of heartburn.

Being overweight leads to a few things that are thought to influence heartburn:

• Increased body levels and inflammation. Being overweight leads to an increase in circulating cytokines, biological compounds which can increase inflammation.

• Distorted stomach position and pressure on the stomach. The faat stored around the viscera (organs of the abdomen) literally takes up space that should be occupied by the stomach and other organs. This displacement and pressure on the stomach can interfere with its ability to store food and liquids without back-flow into the esophagus.

• The pressure on organs from visceral fat may also interfere with digestion, further increasing the frequency and intensity of heartburn.

In short, being overweight or obese is disastrous for heartburn sufferers, and losing weight is perhaps the number one thing that helps heartburn.

Get Inclined

Heartburn peaks for many at night, simply because if your Lower Esophageal Sphincter is not tightly sealed (LES for short, dysfunction of this valve is what causes heartburn), lying down will simply allow the stomach’s contents to “leak” into the esophagus.

When you are standing up, this does not happen easily, as even if the LES’ pressure is not up to par, gravity still keeps food and drink in the stomach. When you are lying down, gravity can no longer keep things where they belong.

Consider elevating the head of your bed by placing wedges under the bed post. Elevating it just 4″-6″ (10-15 cm) can significantly reduce heartburn at night.

Also, consider getting a bed wedge pillow if you travel a lot. This large wedge-shaped pillow can easily be taken on the go and simulates an elevated bed without the hassle of actually elevating the bed.

Get a Natural Toothpaste

Chemicals and mint flavorings in toothpaste can actually trigger heartburn. If you get acid reflux at night, try going for a natural, non-mint toothpaste. This simple change reduces a surprising number of people’s heartburn symptoms.

Make a List

You should recognize that many foods that trigger heartburn are completely individual and can even be learned, making these heartburn trigger foods impossible to identify across the board.

For long-term help with heartburn, you need to start tracking what you eat and making a list. Track each meal you have and whether or not it led to heartburn for a few weeks. You will be able to see certain foods always cause heartburn for you in particular, and you can then avoid those in the future.

What Helps Heartburn Conclusion

You now have five things that help heartburn that you can work on. By losing weight, changing toothpastes, raising your bed, making a list of trigger foods, and using chewing gum as a heartburn remedy, you can significantly reduce heartburn symptoms.

Be sure to check in with your doctor, however, if you are still getting heartburn two times a week or more.