One natural method of controlling heartburn in Georgia is to eat apples. Apples, especially sweet varieties, work to counteract the acid in the stomach. It may take testing a few varieties of apples to find the ones that work the best for you. Delicious and Braeburn apples are said to be among the most effective.

When you eat your apples is also important. You should eat half an apple after each meal to prevent heartburn from occurring at these times. Also, you should have a whole apple as a snack in the middle of the afternoon. Finally, if you have trouble with acid reflux after you’ve gone to bed, have half an apple before turning in for the night.

Along with your apples, you should have a teaspoon of honey or black strap molasses. You can put the syrupy addition directly on your apple, eat it directly or add it to apple juice. Both honey and black strap molasses add to the alkalinity of the apple and help to further neutralize stomach acid.

When you’ve eaten enough half apples to last a lifetime, switch things up by having apple juice. Add your honey or molasses to the juice for added effectiveness.

Eating apples is a good way to reduce the symptoms of heartburn in Georgia, but it is not a cure. If you stop eating them, the reflux can return at any time.

The cause of heartburn is different depending on the person, although doctors have identified some common triggers, such as fried foods, pregnancy and certain drinks. In order to figure out what is causing your symptoms, it’s a good idea to keep a food diary that lists the foods you eat, your symptoms and your activities. In particular, avoid the following types of drinks in order to avoid heartburn; doing so can help you to avoid complications associated with GERD and may prevent the need for laparoscopic surgery.

1. Alcohol

The effects of alcohol on the body in relation to GERD are two-fold: the body produces more stomach acid and allows the muscles in the lower esophagus to relax. The obvious result is heartburn. If you would like to continue to enjoy a drink from time to time, dilute the alcohol with club soda or water or choose white wine over red.

2. Citrus Juices

Pineapple and orange juice both cause an increase in production of stomach acid. Other types of juice that can cause heartburn include cranberry, lemon, grapefruit and lime.

3. Carbonated Beverages

All carbonated beverages can cause heartburn due to the bubbles inherent in these types of drinks.

4. Caffeinated Drinks

Soda, tea and coffee with caffeine cause heartburn in many people. Instead, try versions without caffeine.

5. Tomato Juice

Tomato juice, such as V-8, increases the amount of stomach acid that your body produces, while also relaxing the esophageal muscles.

6. Milk

Milk is a trigger for many people, but drinking fat free milk can actually improve GERD by neutralizing stomach acid.

Water is the best thing you can drink in hopes of warding off heartburn. Water keeps the digestive system moving, which stops acid from building up in the stomach. Additionally, water doesn’t signal the stomach to produce additional acid.

You may have noticed that a glass of milk can help with the symptoms of heartburn. The reason for this is twofold. First, milk neutralizes the acid. Second, it dilutes it and washes it back down into the stomach. For this reason, many people use a glass of cold milk as a home remedy for heartburn.

There are a few things to keep in mind before you make milk your go-to remedy for heartburn and GERD symptoms. First, make sure that you reach for skim milk instead of low-fat or whole milk. The fat in whole milk can cause a rebound effect, leaving you with a worse case of heartburn than you had before.

Second, milk will not cure the underlying cause if your heartburn occurs because of GERD. It will only temporarily improve your symptoms. If you get heartburn often, there are several changes you can make to help prevent it. If you smoke cigarettes, stop. They can weaken the esophageal sphincter. Wear loose and comfortable clothing. Avoid eating foods that cause heartburn symptoms, such as fatty, acidic and spicy foods. Abstain from eating less than three hours before bedtime, or before lying down. When you eat out at one of Albany’s restaurants, drink water instead of coffee, soda or beer. Contact a doctor if self-help measures do not improve heartburn symptoms.

Your stomach has a mucus lining that protects it from the acid that digests your food. Your esophagus, however, lacks this protection and as a result is vulnerable to ulcers if you have acid reflux.

Luckily, many people can manage heartburn and acid reflux by limiting trigger foods and changing other behaviors. Wearing loose clothing and eating no less than two hours before lying down in the evening are both lifestyle choices that can help prevent acid reflux. Many people also get relief by eating smaller, more frequent meals instead of three large meals in a day.

There are many foods that can cause heartburn or reflux. Different people will be susceptible to different foods. The only way to learn your trigger foods is to track your diet and your symptoms. Some foods that can cause heartburn and acid reflux include:

• Fried foods. The high fat content can cause heartburn in many people.
• Acidic foods such as tomato and citrus products.
• Alcoholic beverages.
• Spicy foods, which can be irritating.
• Carbonated or caffeinated beverages.

By keeping track of your diet, you can gradually identify which foods you should avoid in order to prevent acid reflux and heartburn. If you have ongoing problems with reflux or heartburn, contact an Albany area doctor to discuss treatment options.

The throat is affected because the esophageal muscle is weakened and is therefore unable to close tightly. When this occurs, contents from the stomach, including acid, rise back up into the throat, causing discomfort. Heartburn resulting from acid reflux occurs most often in people who have Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD). GERD is a chronic condition that can have new symptoms over time, including the constant need to clear one’s throat, hoarseness, coughing, the feeling that there’s a lump in the throat, choking and frequent sore throats. More serious conditions can also develop as a result of acid reflux, including pneumonia and infections of the voice box and upper esophagus.

Chronic acid reflux may result in pulmonary fibrosis, a condition in which the tissue of the lungs thickens due to injury or infection. GERD can make asthma symptoms worse and therefore needs to be monitored by your Albany, GA doctor. Dietary changes and medication that neutralizes or reduces stomach acid can prevent future symptoms. Some people also report that eating smaller meals and identifying and avoiding trigger foods can help keep symptoms at bay. Surgical procedures are also available for people who don’t experience relief from dietary changes and medication.

If left untreated, GERD and acid reflux can cause damage to the lining of the esophagus. This damage can make it difficult to swallow, and can even result in esophageal cancer. Another condition, called esophagitis, causes ulcers and bleeding. For these reasons, it’s very important to see a doctor if you have symptoms associated with acid reflux and GERD.

Heartburn is most commonly associated with weakening of the lower esophageal sphincter that restricts stomach acids to the stomach, as well as disorders of the esophagus that may interrupt peristalsis which is the muscular motion that propels food down into the stomach.

Recent studies have attempted to define the correlation between stress and Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD). While past studies have determined that extensive and long term stressors are directly attributable to Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD), other studies have determined that controversial topics under discussion may also have a correlation to an abnormal effect on the mechanism of the esophagus.

Certain reactive personality types were associated with a higher level of stomach acid output when confronted with stressors such as problem solving as compared to other less reactive personalities. While these studies have set out to determine the correlation between stress and Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD), researchers have also noted that the presence of stress in reactive individuals may produce complaints of heartburn symptoms while not actually raising the level of gastric acid exposure in the esophagus.

Further studies have indicated that continual or sustained stress had the highest direct correlation to symptoms of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) symptoms. Studies have shown that patients suffering from such mental stressors as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, depression or anxiety were ten to twenty percent more likely to suffer from Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) as those with the mental stress disorder.

There are few simple lifestyle changes you could make that will make the spicy food burn less in the long run:

• The first suggestion is to lose weight. Losing weight will reduce the amount of pressure on the valve between the stomach and the esophagus and this will reduce your GERD symptoms. Becoming healthier overall will allow you to enjoy the foods you love much more while you eat them, in limited quantities of course.
• Second, stop drinking carbonated beverages. This is especially important to remember while you are eating. Carbonated beverages cause gas, which causes the valve between the stomach and the esophagus to open so air can escape. The problem is that stomach acid will also escape, ultimately resulting in heartburn. The good news, water is a much healthier option, and switching to water over soda can help you cut a few hundred calories out of your day easily!
• Third, limit yourself. Spicy chicken wings are great, but that is no reason to eat 75 of them. Limit yourself to a proper serving and the resulting heartburn is likely to be less as well.
• Fourth idea, do not eat before going to bed. Give your stomach a few hours to digest before falling asleep. Eating spicy foods too close to bedtime can also exacerbate GERD symptoms. This is because when you lie down you remove the force of gravity which aids in keeping stomach acid in your stomach. If you are prone to heartburn while lying down consider raising the head of the bed a few inches. This might help keep the stomach acid where it belongs.
• Lastly, try chewing gum after a spicy meal to prevent heartburn. The saliva generated from chewing gum helps food enter the stomach and also neutralizes some of the stomach acid. Mint, however, can relax the valve and allow stomach acid to escape, so try a sugar free fruit flavored variety instead.

If your GERD symptoms are severe or persist then you should consult a doctor. In the meantime, enjoy that spicy meal and try one of these suggestions to help keep your heartburn from causing you extra discomfort.

Others may be spared the immediate discomfort only to suffer delayed heartburn hours or even a couple of days later. This type of delayed reflux is a result of what doctor’s call delayed gastric emptying where the stomach takes longer to process the food and pass it through the gastrointestinal system. Just as sufferers of chronic gastroesophageal reflux disease must adhere to a streamlined diet plan, those who suffer from delayed reflux and heartburn can benefit greatly by following similar plans.

To combat the symptoms of reflux patients should choose to eat smaller meals and refrain from eating later in the evening. This allows the stomach to process a smaller amount of food as well as process the food more thoroughly before we go to sleep for the night. We should also maintain a diary of the food we eat, including the way we feel following the meal. This helps to identify which foods that cause heartburn and which foods cause the episodes to occur more frequently.

Some foods to avoid are those with a higher acid content such as citrus fruits and tomatoes. It is also recommended that those who suffer from gastroesophageal reflux disease avoid coffee, alcohol products and fatty foods.

Another contributing factor to gastroesophageal reflux disease is stress. Identifying the stressors in our daily lives and then finding ways to cope with or eliminate the stress can reduce episodes of heartburn. Additionally, before reaching for the medicine cabinet, some physicians recommend trying a slice of bread or a glass of milk to reduce the effects of heartburn.

Finally, if you find you are unable to adequately manage your chronic or delayed gastroesophageal reflux disease episodes there are several medications that can be taken under the supervision of a physician to help gain the control you need.

While studies show that certain exercises that strain the abdominal muscles or cause constant jarring, in turn increase the chances and occurrences or gastroesophageal reflux disease, there are other exercises that will not.

For patients whose weight is contributory to the symptoms of heartburn, weight loss from exercise and proper dieting can reduce the symptoms and occurrences of heartburn. Specialist recommend following certain rules to limit these symptoms and benefit from healthy exercise.

First, when engaging in exercise, try it on an empty stomach. Avoid exercising after a meal when the stomach is full and stomach acid is breaking down the meal. Exercising on an empty stomach takes advantage of less acid in the stomach to reflux into the esophagus.

Adjust your diet to include less fats and more fiber. This will reduce the occurrence of heartburn symptoms. While tailoring your diet to reduce symptoms of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease it is also important to stay away from sports drinks which have been known to exacerbate heartburn symptoms. There is nothing better for the body than good old fashioned water.

Take the medicine that has been prescribed by your doctor or specialist. If you find that your medicine is less effective in controlling heartburn symptoms, speak to your physician to see if there might be something else you might benefit from.

Finally, keep in mind the exercises that trigger your heartburn symptoms and avoid those triggers. If you find that all the exercise you know make your symptoms worse, consult a personal trainer or specialist that can recommend more exercises for you.

The study indicated that overweight individuals (BMI of 25 to 30) and obese individuals (BMI over 30) were two and three times as likely, respectively, to develop symptoms of GERD. Those that were overweight showed an acid reflux correlation while those that were obese showed a triple risk of having GERD symptoms, such as acid regurgitation, heartburn, difficulty swallowing and chest pain. Even individuals with a BMI of 21 to 25, who endured small gains in weight, showed increased likelihood of developing gastroesophageal reflux disease.

It seems as though abdominal obesity is one culprit causing heartburn. Too much fat in the abdomen can compress the stomach and raise its pressure, which may lead to acid reflux. Further, overweight and obese people tend to eat foods that are higher in fat, which can also increase heartburn symptoms.

The good news is that you can substantially improve your gastroesophageal reflux disease symptoms by losing just 10 percent of your body weight. If you’re unable to lose the weight on your own, then your Albany, GA weight loss clinic can help. Additionally, if you notice that whenever you gain a few pounds that you develop increased acid reflux symptoms, then losing those few extra pounds may help alleviate your symptoms.