Acid Reflux Symptoms:
The symptoms of acid reflux disease, which includes heartburn, can be extremely painful and can interfere with people’s day-to-day life. Acid reflux disease and heartburn is quite common in the U.S., with 60 million people having symptoms of heartburn each month. 60% of adults have symptoms of acid reflux disease each year. With so many people having trouble with these ailments, it is a good that there are a large amount of treatments out there for people. There are many medications that people can take, as well as many natural treatments for both acid reflux and heartburn. No matter what treatment option you decide to take for your acid reflux or heartburn, make sure to talk with your doctor to make sure it is safe for you to begin these treatments.
Antacids:
Usually, people have heartburn only occasionally. If this is the case, doctors could suggest antacids. These are also used in the treatment of acid reflux symptoms as well. Antacids neutralize stomach acid, as well as sour stomach, acid indigestion and upset stomach. Luckily, people who have heartburn have many antacids that they can choose from in order to relieve the pain they have from heartburn. Some of these include: Pepto-Bismol, Alka-Seltzer, Milk of Magnesia, Tums, Gacison, Maalox, and Mylanta. These are very common in most grocery stores, as well as pharmacies, so it is easy to have them on hand. If you experience heartburn a few times a month, you should have these types of medication in your medicine cabinet, if medication is your main treatment choice.
H2 Blockers:
If antacids do not work for your heartburn or acid reflux, your doctor may recommend an H2 blocker. H2 blockers are used to block the action of histamine on parietal cells in the stomach, which decreases the production of acid by these specific cells. Some of these include Tagamet, Pepcid and Zantac. These are also prescription-strength antacids available if these do not work.
If the symptoms of heartburn and acid reflux are not reduced by antacids or H2 blockers, there is also the option of medications that are called proton pump inhibitors. These medications are only used if symptoms persist after treatment with antacids and H2 blockers. This medication reduces the stomach’s production of acid. Some of these medications are called Nexium, Prilosec, Protonix and Aciphex. There are also medications called pokinetics that can help strengthen the lower esophageal sphincter, or LES, as well as empty the stomach faster.
A More Natural Approach:
If you want to stay away from all the medications, and take more natural steps to treat heartburn and acid reflux, you are in luck because there are many options. One natural remedy for relieving the pain that heartburn and acid reflux causes is calcium. You can take calcium supplements, or you can drink milk. If you choose to drink milk, make sure to get fat-free milk, because the fat in the milk can stimulate the stomach to produce more acid. Another natural way to treat heartburn and acid reflux is to chew gum. Gum stimulates the production of saliva, which is an acid buffer. Chewing gum also makes you swallow more often, which can push back the acids that are causing the pain. Mixing baking soda with a glass of water is a remedy you can use, but make sure not to do it too often. Baking soda helps neutralize the acid in the stomach, but it is full of salt, which can be unhealthy to the body in the long run.
No matter what treatment you decide to do, check with a doctor before starting treatment. Look into the side effects of each treatment, and try different ones in order to find the correct one for you.
