Causes Of Heartburn
Wondering what are the causes of heartburn? Welcome to CausesOfHeartburn.org – Your source for everything about heartburn!
Learning about what causes heartburn can be the first step in controlling or eliminating your heartburn problem. If you have done any research on the subject, you probably have come to the conclusion that you should avoid most foods and drink obscene amounts of water each day. If you listen to most of the articles out there, at some point you will have to cross off almost every food source available! Not to mention that you can’t lay down after eating, can’t eat before bed, need to lose weight, can’t drink alcohol, and eat small meals, (assuming that you can find something that you are allowed to eat!)
Now don’t get me wrong, all of these things have some merit and may help you to eliminate heartburn, but are they reasonable? Is this really a plan that you are going to stick to? It’s the same as saying that to lose weight, just quit eating so much and run 15 miles a day! I guess that would work, but who is really going to do it consistently? No one. That’s why we have so many overweight people with heartburn in America these days.
I don’t know about you, but I would rather be able to enjoy life in moderation, and still get my heartburn under control. It doesn’t really matter if it works if nobody is going to follow it. I think that what I have learned is that there is a better way. A way that is more realistic and easier to implement.
One thing that I noticed while learning how to control my acid indigestion or heartburn is the lack of focus on the mental side of it. The amount of stress that we are under today is incredible. There is a reason that so many have heart problems, heart burn, road rage, and good ole like a two year old temper tantrums! Without getting too new age on you, I think that meditation or even just taking five minutes a day to relax and clear your mind can do wonders. Even exercising will help relief some of that stress that we are accumulating on a daily basis.
Think of it this way. Make a fist as hard as you can and see how long you can hold it. After a few moments, it starts to hurt, doesn’t it? Well think of your stomach the same way. All of the problems and stress of the day is balling your stomach up and causing the acid to increase. I’m not suggesting that you can control your heartburn solely with your mind, although it can definitely help.
There are many ways to control or reduce your heartburn or acid indigestion. What’s the best way? . . . The way that works for you, right? People are different and there is no one way that will work for everybody. You need to find what works for you and stick with it. In my opinion, the best place to start is by going to your doctor and discussing your condition with him or her. They can guide you on what they feel is best for you. That being said, don’t be afraid to try some natural healing methods. In the end, you will most likely get the best results from the natural methods. These will most assuredly include a slight change in your diet and relaxing a little bit more. Less stress just may equal less heartburn.
Keeping track of what you are eating.
You really need to know what you ate before you got heartburn to see if there is a common pattern. You just may be surprised at what kind of foods actually give you heartburn. People are different and you need to find out how your specific body reacts.
Of course the obvious types such as spicy foods, alcohol, and citrus juices should be closely monitored and eaten in moderation. You would be surprised though that some foods that seem harmless, may cause you that familiar burn that we are trying so hard to eliminate.
The best way to keep track of what you ate is to keep a food journal or diary each meal. It doesn’t have to be real specific, just jot down what you ate and drank, and how much. This will serve as a guide or record that you can go over and determine what foods you should avoid. It will also rule out foods that may of been falsely accused!
The food doesn’t always cause the acid in your stomach to increase, sometimes it causes the LES (lower esophageal sphincter) valve to loosen. This is the valve that controls what goes in or out of your stomach from your esophagus. If it is not properly functioning, it can allow acid to enter the esophagus. Your stomach has a liner that protects it from the acid, your esophagus doesn’t have this liner, which is why it burns.
Heartburn, acid indigestion, acid reflux, gerd, or whatever you want to call it can be extremely painful. You have to be proactive and find out the cause of it and then you can work on a plan to eliminate it. Lucky for you that you found this site, because as a past heartburn sufferer myself, I am going to go over as much information as I can to help you.