How to get rid of heartburn in adults at home

Why does heartburn occur?

“Heartburn is one of the most common symptoms with which patients turn to a gastroenterologist,” says gastroenterologist Marat Zinnatullin. – Heartburn is perceived as a burning or warm feeling that occurs behind the sternum or in the epigastric region. But it is not always a sign of a problem with the gastrointestinal tract. In a completely healthy person, heartburn can occur under certain circumstances, for example, after food that stimulates acid formation or after physical activity that increases intra-abdominal pressure. But provided that heartburn occurs no more than 1 - 2 times a month. If it appears 2 times a week or more often, or 1 time a week, but throughout the year, then this is a reason to consult a doctor.

What is heartburn (reflux)

Heartburn is a common phenomenon, characterized by a burning sensation, heat near the stomach, abdominal pain, and sour belching.

Heartburn is a frequent companion to diseases such as:

• gastritis with high acidity of gastric juice;
• stomach and duodenal ulcers;
• cholecystitis;
• diaphragmatic hernia;
• intolerance to food components.

Heartburn often occurs during pregnancy; its appearance is provoked by periodic stress and anxiety. To get rid of it, the use of special medications is indicated. It is important to follow a diet, giving up some foods and increasing the amount of others.

Popular questions and answers

Gastroenterologist Marat Zinnatullin answered popular questions about heartburn

Why is heartburn dangerous?

Heartburn is dangerous because the contents of the stomach or intestines are thrown into the esophagus and inflammation occurs. This can lead to the formation of erosions, ulcers and complicated forms - Barrett's esophagus and esophageal cancer.

Is it possible to get rid of heartburn using traditional methods?

One of the simple and effective ways to get rid of heartburn is to drink alkaline mineral water. Among foods, ginger relieves heartburn. In extreme cases, you can use soda, but you should not abuse this method.

Help with heartburn

If, some time after eating, the expectant mother develops a feeling of warmth or burning behind the sternum, then this means heartburn.

Not all antacids can be used during pregnancy. For example, drugs containing bismuth nitrate ( Vicalin

etc.), should not be taken by expectant mothers due to the fact that the effect of bismuth on the development of the child is unknown.

Typically, heartburn appears after the 20th week of pregnancy and torments the expectant mother until the birth of the child.

how does she look

If, some time after eating, the expectant mother develops a feeling of warmth or burning behind the sternum, then this means heartburn. And most often these unpleasant sensations occur in the evening. Typically, heartburn appears after the 20th week of pregnancy and torments the expectant mother until the birth of the child. According to popular belief, it bothers the expectant mother when the baby's hair grows. In fact, heartburn occurs due to the fact that the acidic contents of the stomach are thrown into the lower parts of the esophagus. This happens because during pregnancy, the muscular sphincter located between the esophagus and the stomach relaxes under the influence of the hormone progesterone. Another reason for heartburn is that the enlarged uterus (and it increases greatly after the 20th week) puts pressure on neighboring organs: the stomach, intestines. As a result, the volume of the stomach decreases and even the usual amount of food leads to its overflow and reflux of food back into the esophagus.

what will help

If heartburn appears infrequently and does not bother you much, then in order to reduce its symptoms, you just need to eat right and change your lifestyle. The simplest thing that helps with heartburn:

• Fractional meals: eat frequently 5-6 times a day at intervals of 1.5-2 hours and in small portions. Eat slowly, chewing your food thoroughly.
• Healthy food: exclude fatty and fried foods, as well as chocolate. All these products provoke additional relaxation of the esophageal sphincter.
• Heartburn usually occurs in the first two hours after eating, so do not lie down immediately after eating.
• Sleep with the head end of the bed elevated; to do this, add another pillow.

simple remedies

The simplest thing that helps with heartburn is certain foods. For example, low-fat milk relieves the burning sensation behind the breastbone; just a few sips – and the heartburn goes away or is significantly reduced. Ice cream works the same way, as do grapefruit and carrot juices. You can get rid of heartburn by eating nuts (walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds), but they rather prevent heartburn than eliminate existing ones. And for some, ordinary seeds help cope with heartburn. In general, the expectant mother can only choose the right product for herself, but here, as with food in general, one must observe moderation. You don’t need to eat a bar of ice cream or a package of seeds every day, drink glasses of juice or endlessly eat nuts. Of course, they will help, but ice cream and nuts are high in fat and calories, and juices in large quantities hit the pancreas and increase sugar levels. A small amount of one product will completely cope with an attack of heartburn.

be careful

Some medications, especially antispasmodics (drugs that relieve spasms of smooth muscles of internal organs), for example, No-shpa

,
Papaverine
, relax the esophageal sphincter and thus contribute to the occurrence of heartburn. Some herbs, such as mint, also work. Clothing that tightens under the chest (elastic bands, belts), changes in body position (bending, turning) can also cause heartburn.

In general, every expectant mother can carefully observe herself and identify her personal cause of heartburn, then it will be much easier to deal with it.

old remedy

Baking soda is often used to relieve heartburn. It really helps relieve the unpleasant burning sensation very quickly, but at the same time it doesn’t last long. In addition, when soda interacts with gastric juice, carbon dioxide is formed, which irritates the stomach - as a result, new portions of hydrochloric acid are produced and heartburn resumes. It turns out that a teaspoon of soda in a glass of water instantly relieves heartburn, but in response to drinking soda the next time the attack of heartburn will be even stronger.

safe medicines

During pregnancy, you can use so-called antacid drugs (Maalox, Almagel, Rennie, Gaviscon)

. They contain magnesium and aluminum salts; they neutralize gastric acid, form a protective film on the wall of the stomach, and increase the tone of the lower esophageal sphincter. True, sometimes some antacids cause constipation (due to calcium or aluminum salts), and magnesium, on the contrary, has a laxative effect. Therefore, you should not use these drugs for a long time. Antacids can absorb other medications, so you should wait some time between taking antacids and other medications.

Despite the fact that heartburn is quite unpleasant for the mother, it does not affect the child in any way. Start your fight against heartburn with proper nutrition, and you may not need medications.

Treatment of heartburn during pregnancy

To treat heartburn during pregnancy in mild cases, it is enough to follow the following points:

• Dieting. For pregnant women, oatmeal, natural milk, boiled or baked meat and low-fat fish, and steamed omelettes are recommended. A diet for heartburn involves certain restrictions, especially in plant foods, which can lead to a deficiency of minerals and vitamins necessary for the body. To avoid this situation, you can take vitamin and mineral complexes designed specifically for pregnant women. Such drugs, for example, include the Pregnoton Mama complex. It contains folic acid, Omega-3, liposomal iron, iodine, selenium, biotin, zinc, and vitamins. All these substances are necessary for the proper formation and development of the fetus. The drug is available in the form of soft capsules that are easy to swallow. Thus, mother and baby will receive all the necessary substances even if they follow a diet.
• Lifestyle changes. Not only to prevent heartburn, but also in general during pregnancy, you need to give up alcohol and cigarettes, including electronic ones. After each meal, it is better to walk a little or sit quietly. Taking a horizontal position and bending over is strictly not recommended.
• Proper sleep. To prevent heartburn, pregnant women are advised to sleep with the head of the bed elevated. This is where an extra pillow can come in handy.
• Proper eating. Food must be chewed thoroughly and there is no rush. It is better to reduce the size of portions, but increase the number of meals.

Useful tips

Some important tips for heartburn:

1. To increase saliva production and reduce the amount of acid in the esophagus, you can use chewing gum.
2. Avoid alcoholic drinks, which weaken the LES and provoke reflux symptoms.
3. Maintain an even posture while eating and after eating. After finishing your meal, do not lie down in a horizontal position for at least two hours.
4. Do not eat before bed, otherwise the amount of acid in the stomach will increase. If you take a lying position, the efficiency of the sphincter will decrease and the juice will enter the esophagus, causing heartburn.
5. When choosing what to eat for heartburn, do not forget that you need to eat no later than 3-4 hours before bedtime.

Proper nutrition for GERD does not necessarily mean giving up your favorite foods. In most cases, small adjustments to the diet, lifestyle changes, and eating habits help. The main thing is to maintain the presence of fruits, vegetables, non-fat sources of protein and fiber in your diet. You will only have to give up fried, spicy, and salty foods.

Some foods on the list of prohibited foods can be eaten, but in reasonable quantities. Here it is important to monitor the body’s reactions to what you eat, draw conclusions and select a suitable diet for yourself.

Comments

Eating onions and heartburn

Onions have long been on the list of prohibited foods for people with heartburn. Raw onions are known to reduce the pressure of the lower esophageal sphincter, the muscle that keeps food from flowing back into the esophagus. Additionally, raw onions are known as a carminative, a class of foods rich in volatile oils that include mint and garlic, and which can cause heartburn symptoms in many people. It is also possible that raw onions cause an increase in stomach secretions, which can cause heartburn symptoms.

Most studies have been conducted on raw onions without specifying a specific type. Raw, cooked, or dehydrated onions can be eaten as long as they do not personally cause heartburn symptoms.

How to treat GERD?

Reflux should be treated in close cooperation with your doctor.

Self-medication is not acceptable here, because such symptoms can be caused by different pathologies, the treatment of which is different.

Purchasing medications without a doctor’s prescription can temporarily mask unpleasant symptoms, which will only delay complete relief from the pathology.

Treatment for GERD includes:

• taking medications;
• lifestyle changes;
• diet for reflux, esophagitis during exacerbation.

The essence of the diet

Only a doctor can advise which diet for GERD will be effective and which daily menu to prefer.

The essence of the heartburn diet is as follows:

• filling the daily diet with vegetable proteins;
• reduction in the amount of plant proteins;
• reducing the amount of sweets in the diet, you can replace them with juices and fruits;
• refusal of fermented milk products, sour fruits, which provoke an increase in the acidity of gastric juice;
• reducing the consumption of semi-finished products and fast food;
• replacing animal fats with vegetable ones: choose sunflower, corn, olive oils, prefer virgin, unrefined oils;
• refusal of dry food and snacks;
• Between meals, eat sandwiches with dried bread and butter (without smoked or boiled sausage).

List of foods that cause heartburn:

• fatty foods;
• onion;
• caffeine;
• chocolate;
• peppermint;
• alcohol;
• carbonated drinks;
• alcohol;
• citruses;
• tomatoes.

Choosing foods that are suitable for a person with reflux needs to be done individually. The food that is suitable for one person may be useless for another. Just because milk helps someone with heartburn doesn't necessarily mean it will help other people. In some cases, foods may provoke heartburn before bed, but are well tolerated if consumed in the first half of the day.

Organizing proper nutrition for GERD does not always mean giving up your favorite foods. In most cases, some exceptions are enough to alleviate the condition.

Consumption of certain products helps reduce the manifestations of negative symptoms of the disease and make a person’s life easier.

Fruits and vegetables

You should avoid foods that cause heartburn:

• oranges;
• limes;
• lemons;
• grapefruits.

Also read: What to do at the first signs of sinusitis? Types of disease and methods of treatment

Can be used:

• bananas;
• melons;
• grenades;
• apples;
• pears.

Avoid tomatoes, onions, sauces with irritants in the form of fats, and flavor enhancers.

Lean proteins

Eggs contain a lot of protein. If eating them causes heartburn, you should eat only whites, avoiding high-fat yolks. Otherwise, negative symptoms can increase.

Fried, fatty foods should be avoided

They reduce the pressure of the esophageal sphincter, which delays timely emptying of the stomach, which increases the risk of reflux.

It is better to choose lean cuts of meat, without excess fat content. It can be grilled, boiled, fried in a dry frying pan, or baked in the oven.

Complex carbohydrates

The diet for GERD with esophagitis should include sources of healthy complex carbohydrates:

• couscous;
• oatmeal;
• whole wheat bread;
• brown rice

Potatoes and other root vegetables are a source of carbohydrates and fiber, which are easily digestible. The main thing is not to add garlic or onions to these products. They are the ones who often provoke excess acid synthesis.

Healthy fats

The diet for GERD should include fats. Despite their high calorie content, they are a necessary part of the daily diet.

It is necessary to avoid saturated fats, which a person gets from dairy products and meat. Avoid trans fats found in processed foods, fatty additives, and margarine.

You can replace unhealthy fats with unsaturated fats found in plants and fish:

• monounsaturated fats, found in oils - olive, canola, sesame, sunflower, peanut, found in nuts and seeds;
• polyunsaturated fats are found in soybean, flaxseed, corn, nut oils, soybeans, tofu, salmon, trout, and other types of fatty fish.

13 foods that will relieve heartburn

To relieve reflux, you need to reduce the acidity inside the stomach. There are 13 products that do this job well.

Below is a table containing a list of foods that reduce stomach acidity.

Also read: Benefits of B vitamins for the body. Dietary rules for maintaining normal B vitamins

How to Avoid Heartburn When Eating Rice

You should take a responsible approach not only to cooking, but also to the choice of cereals. The following recommendations will help with this:

• You must strictly adhere to the cooking time indicated on the package. If the water boils away quickly enough during cooking, you need to add liquid. If the cereal looks dry even after cooking, you can soak the rice in hot water with the lid closed for about 10 minutes.
• Patients with gastritis should cook porridge only with water, without using milk, butter or salt.
• The healthiest rice is brown. It contains the largest amount of vitamins and microelements and is better absorbed. White rice contains much less nutrients, and the risk of heartburn when consumed is higher.

• Patients suffering from problems with the gastrointestinal tract should limit the consumption of short-grain rice, since cooking produces a large amount of gluten, which provokes the development of heartburn. It is best to eat brown rice. If the porridge is not soft enough or too thick, it should be pureed in a blender and diluted a little with water to obtain the optimal consistency.

By adhering to these simple rules, you can protect yourself from heartburn and eat your favorite dish without fear.

Heartburn can occur from drinking: bananas, tea, cigarettes. A burning sensation in the esophagus may appear after alcohol. Do not ignore the symptom, consult a doctor.

Heartburn from rice is a rare occurrence, from which it is easy to protect yourself. It is important to take a responsible approach to the selection of cereals, their storage and preparation, and also not to overdo it with additives.