Home remedies for acid reflux described here are based on experiences of people worldwide. Some of them have proven scientific basis and some are not clinically proven. Similarly some of them prove effective in some individuals but not in others.

Home remedies for acid reflux include lifestyle changes and modifications in dietary habits. After reading this post you should be able to decide what is practical for you and how you can get rid of that annoying heart burn.

Of all the options, changing your diet is the easiest way to prevent acid reflux and GERD. Eating more of certain foods and less of some others is the key to controlling the acid reflux. You will have to experiment with these food items and discover what aggravates and what relieves your acid reflux and heartburn.

Home Remedies For Acid Reflux | Prevention of acid reflux:

Avoid acidic foods such as oranges, grapefruits, lemons, pineapples, tomatoes and cranberries etc. Also avoid alcohol, smoking and chocolates. They contribute to more acid in the stomach and can cause acid reflux and heartburn. Foods with more fatty content and dairy products take longer time and require more amount of acid for digestion.

Caffeine should be avoided in all forms including coffee, tea and cold drinks. Caffeine is quite acidic in nature and can cause significant heartburn because of acid reflux.

Overeating is a very common cause of heartburn. It’s common sense that large amount of food in the stomach will not leave much space for the digestive juices and acid, therefore causing reflux and heartburn. It is advisable to eat five small meals a day rather than three large meals.

Home Remedies for Acid Reflux:

When you don’t have access to medical treatment for acid reflux and heartburn or you don’t want to use such treatment to avoid side effects of the drugs, there are some proven home remedies for acid reflux you will benefit from:

• Mixture of honey and apple cider vinegar – Two teaspoons of unfiltered honey together with one teaspoon of apple cider vinegar mixed in a cup of warm water makes a good solution to relieve the pain of acid reflux.
• Baking soda – Since baking soda is alkaline in nature, it can neutralize the acid in the stomach. Make a solution of sodium bicarbonate or baking soda in the water and drink when you have the heartburn. It should not be taken too much since it can lead to other health problems.
• Peppermint – If you don’t have the above options, you can suck on a peppermint candy. Ensure it has peppermint oil which is frequently used in anti-gas preparations and antacids making it beneficial for the symptoms of heartburn.
• Fennel – Fennel is an aromatic herb. It is used to improve digestion and it is quite helpful to relieve the symptoms of acid reflux.

The home remedies for acid reflux discussed above can relieve your heartburn significantly.
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One of the most common causes of acid reflux is hiatal hernia. In this condition, the upper part of stomach including the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) is abnormally moves above the diaphragm. Diaphragm is a dome shaped group of muscles which separates the thorax from the abdomen. Normally it prevents the reflux of acid into esophagus but in case of hiatal hernia the acid regurgitates into the esophagus and causes inflammation resulting into symptoms.

Obesity or high body mass index (BMI) has been found to be associated with higher incidence of acid reflux disease.

Overeating and lying down immediately after the meals or bending the body at the waist can cause acid reflux. That’s why it has been recommended that there should be some time gap between the last meal and sleep.

Some foods and beverages contribute to acid reflux. For example, fatty or spicy foods, citrus fruits, tomato, chocolate, mint, alcohol, coffee, tea and carbonated drinks etc.

There is a wide range of medications which can cause acid reflux as a side effect. Some common medications are pain killers like ibuprofen, aspirin, some muscle relaxants, prednisolone and some blood pressure drugs.

Smoking is also known for causing acid reflux disease, especially in heavy smokers.

Acid reflux is commonly seen in later part of the pregnancy. It is due to the pressure of growing fetus on the stomach causing regurgitation of acid into the esophagus.

What is Acid Reflux?

To find the answers, first you need to understand the following:

1. The pipe like structure between our oral cavity and the stomach is called esophagus (oesophagus). In plain English we call it food pipe.

2. Stomach is a bag like structure in the upper part of the abdomen which stores the food we eat and some initial digestion takes place with the help of enzymes and acid.

3. There is a ring of muscle at the junction of the esophagus and the stomach called as Lower Esophageal Sphincter (LES). This sphincter acts as a valve and allows food from esophagus to the stomach but not the vice versa.

4. The stomach has a protective lining which prevents damage to itself from the acid which is produced by it. The esophagus does not have a similar protective lining and is damaged when and if the acid from the stomach ‘refluxes’ into the esophagus.

5. If the lower esophageal sphincter fails to close completely or opens frequently, it causes reflux of the acid into the esophagus.

Now you can understand that the acid injury to the lower part of esophagus (in severe cases, upper part as well) gives rise to the symptoms of pain, burning sensation, bloating and regurgitation of acid into throat. This condition is called Gastro-esophageal Reflux Disease (GERD).