Are you interested in how to get rid of heartburn?So, you also fell into a very large category of people who suffer from this affliction. Medical statistics say that heartburn periodically occurs in about 70% of all people. But if someone remembers heartburn several times a year, then someone is forced to live with heartburn almost constantly. What to do? Just endure this discomfort? Of course not! There are quite a few ways to get rid of heartburn, both with the help of medications and with the help of traditional medicine recipes. This is what we will talk about now. And first, let's figure out what heartburn is and why it appears. After all, only by knowing the causes of heartburn and eliminating them, you can begin treatment.
Causes of heartburn
What heartburn feels like is a burning sensation in thechest and esophagus, everyone knows. But why does it occur? Between the esophagus and the stomach there is a valve that prevents the contents of the stomach from entering the esophagus. In some cases, this valve weakens and as a result, the notorious reflux of gastric juice into the esophagus occurs. But gastric juice contains a fairly large percentage of hydrochloric acid. And when hydrochloric acid comes into contact with the mucous membrane of the esophagus, it first becomes irritated, and then an inflammatory process develops. And a burning sensation occurs - heartburn. The degree of its severity depends on the degree of the inflammatory process. Why does heartburn occur? Doctors identify several main reasons:
- Diet of human food
Watch what you eat. Heartburn often develops after eating foods such as:
In case heartburn occursexclusively after eating certain foods, it is extremely easy to solve the problem - completely exclude them from your menu. But even if the appearance of heartburn is in no way related to nutrition, you should not eat the above-mentioned foods either - there is no need to create unnecessary provoking factors.
- Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract
One of the most popular reasons for the occurrenceheartburn – the presence of diseases of one or another gastrointestinal tract. Most often, such a disease is gastric ulcer and/or gastritis. Moreover, many people believe that heartburn occurs with an increased level of acidity of gastric juice. In fact, this is not true at all – and with a reduced level of acidity, heartburn occurs no less often.
- Drug use
Some medications, such asaspirin – can also cause heartburn. Therefore, if a person has heartburn while taking certain medications, it is necessary to stop the treatment and seek help from the attending physician as soon as possible. He will select another course of treatment.
- Smoking
Hostages of such a pernicious habit as smoking,suffer from heartburn three times more often than the rest of the population. Therefore, try to, if not completely quit smoking, then at least reduce the number of cigarettes you smoke to a minimum.
Treatment of heartburn medications
So, how do you get rid of heartburn?First, you need to see a doctor - a gastroenterologist, to make sure that the cause of its appearance is not a particular disease. Otherwise, the treatment of heartburn will be long and almost useless. The doctor will prescribe an examination and, if necessary, select the optimal course of treatment. In the same case, if heartburn occurred for other reasons, you can alleviate the patient's condition with the help of special drugs - antacids. The principle of action of these drugs is extremely simple - they protect the mucous membrane of the esophagus from the aggressive effects of hydrochloric acid, which is part of the gastric juice. In addition, if the acidity level of the gastric juice is significantly increased, you can use drugs that reduce acidity. Such drugs include "Gastal", "Maalox", "Rennie", "Gastal" and others. Do not forget about the simple rule - before using any drug, be sure to carefully read the instructions for its use. And even better, consult a doctor.
Treatment of heartburn with folk medicine
Folk remedies are no less effectiveheartburn treatment. We offer you only the most effective of them, absolutely safe and proven over the years. The only thing you should pay attention to is the components included in this or that remedy. The sick person should not have an allergic reaction to them.
- Potato juice
Potato juice is very effective in eliminatingthe most severe heartburn. In addition, it relieves inflammation of the mucous membrane of both the esophagus and the stomach. That is why potato juice is also used to treat gastritis and gastric ulcer and duodenal ulcer. Treatment with potato juice is extremely simple. Every morning, 30 minutes before breakfast, the sick person should drink half a glass of freshly squeezed potato juice. Please note - the juice should be squeezed out immediately before use, as it very quickly loses its beneficial properties. The duration of the course of treatment is 14 days. Heartburn disappears very quickly - on the second or third day. However, do not stop the treatment under any circumstances, so that the heartburn does not return again.
- Decoction of root aira
If heartburn is particularly bothersome,try treatment with a decoction of calamus root. It is prepared as follows. Grind the calamus root - you should get two tablespoons, place it in a glass container and pour one liter of water. Put it in the refrigerator to infuse for three days. After that, pour the infusion into an enamel pan, bring to a boil and reduce the heat. Cook for about 15 minutes. After that, strain the decoction with a gauze cloth, cool and pour into a glass container. The resulting decoction should be taken twice a day, in the morning and before bed. In just one day, the sick person will feel significant relief. And the full course of treatment should last exactly one month. If necessary, the treatment can be repeated after two weeks. Although, as a rule, this is not required - heartburn disappears for about six months.
- Pharmacy Chamomile
The most common pharmacy chamomile is also veryquickly relieves inflammation of the mucous membranes of the stomach and esophagus. In addition, chamomile helps to normalize the acidity of gastric juice. Due to these properties, chamomile is a very effective remedy for the treatment of heartburn. For this, a chamomile decoction is used. It is prepared in a standard way - place 5 tablespoons of dry chamomile flowers in an enamel container, pour in one liter of water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cook for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat, wrap the pan in a warm terry towel and leave to brew for two hours. After this, strain the broth with gauze, pour into a glass container. Ideally, use chamomile broth as regular tea leaves. Just three cups of such tea a day will allow you to forget about heartburn and gastritis for a long time, if you have it. Well, if you don't like this kind of tea, drink half a glass of this decoction every morning before breakfast. To make it more pleasant, you can add one tablespoon of any natural honey.
- Aloe and honey
If heartburn is a result of gastritis orstomach ulcer, you can try to get rid of the disease with a mixture of honey and aloe. This mixture is prepared as follows. Pre-prepare the aloe - place 5 aloe leaves in the freezer, leave for 10 days. Please note - the plant should be at least 5 years old. After this, mince the aloe leaves, add five tablespoons of any natural honey. Mix the ingredients thoroughly, bring to a boil in a water bath and immediately turn off the heat. Mix the mixture again and transfer to a glass container with a lid. Store it exclusively in the refrigerator. Such a mixture should be taken half a teaspoon before each meal, but not less than three times a day. Heartburn stops within 24 hours, and pain disappears on the third. The full course of treatment should last at least 10 days. As a rule, such treatment is very effective.
- Infusion of plantain
In case the cause of heartburn issmoking, you can try to get rid of it with the help of plantain infusion. Place five tablespoons of crushed plantain leaves in a thermos, pour one liter of boiling water and close. It is necessary to insist it for one day, then strain it with a gauze cloth. Take 100 grams of such a decoction before each meal. In just one day, heartburn attacks will decrease, in three - they will disappear completely. In order to consolidate the effect, continue the treatment for 10 days. Please note - this recipe should not be used by people suffering from hypertension.
- Buckwheat flour
Heat a frying pan, place 400 grams on itbuckwheat and fry it well. After that, cool the groats, grind them into flour using a coffee grinder and pour into a glass container with a lid. A sick person should take one teaspoon of buckwheat flour of this mixture before each meal. The duration of the course of treatment is 21 days.
- St. John's Wort
Place five tablespoons in an enamel pan.spoons of dry St. John's wort, pour in two glasses of water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover the pan with a lid and boil for 20 minutes. After that, wrap the pan with a warm terry towel and leave for three hours. Strain the decoction with gauze, pour into a glass container. This decoction should be taken before each meal, half a glass, at least 5 times a day. Relief will come within 24 hours. But do not stop treatment for another two weeks - otherwise, heartburn attacks will very quickly resume. Please note - this remedy is in no way allowed to eliminate heartburn in pregnant women!
Emergency help for heartburn
Of course, the above methods of howget rid of heartburn, are extremely effective. However, it takes some time for relief to come. But what if heartburn is unbearably annoying right now? There is a way out - emergency improvised remedies for heartburn. They relieve heartburn in a matter of minutes. But do not forget that such recipes for heartburn cannot become an alternative to full-fledged treatment - they eliminate only the consequences, but not the cause of heartburn.
- Soda solution
Baking soda solution helps to get rid of heartburna few seconds. And it is precisely because of this that this method has become widespread. However, it is necessary to resort to it to get rid of heartburn only in extreme cases. The principle of action of soda is simple - it enters into a chemical reaction with hydrochloric acid contained in gastric juice. However, such a reaction has an extremely negative effect on the condition of the mucous membranes of the stomach and esophagus, only aggravating the situation. As a result, you will have to be treated not only for heartburn, but also for gastritis, at best.
- Vegetable oil
As soon as you feel it startingattack of heartburn, immediately take one tablespoon of any vegetable oil. The oil coats the mucous membrane of the esophagus and suppresses heartburn. But do not forget that the oil has a mild laxative effect. Therefore, if you have a tendency to diarrhea, use this remedy for heartburn with caution.
- Milk and activated carbon
A safer remedy for heartburn isactivated carbon. Warm up half a glass of milk, dissolve 10 tablets of activated carbon in it and drink it all at once. Heartburn will disappear in about 15 minutes. By the way, such a method of emergency aid is considered the most gentle. If self-treatment for heartburn does not bring results within a month, go straight to a gastroenterologist. Otherwise, various complications may develop. And it will be much more difficult to cope with them. Be healthy! We recommend reading: