Friday, May 22, 2009

An Overview of Heartburn and Acid Reflux Disease

The truth is that these over the counter heartburn remedies do not cure the problem. They merely relieve the burning pain for a limited period of time. More worrying to me is the fact that if these medicines are used over a long period of time they can contribute to other health problems for example links have been found between these remedies and hypertension and other serious illnesses.

Drugs prescribed by your doctor are really not much better. They may be more efficient at keeping symptoms at bay for longer but there is a catch. Most of these cannot be prescribed for more than 12 weeks. The reason? After this time there is a tendency for them to encourage the stomach to produce excess acid.

If you have never had an attack of heartburn, gastric reflux or indigestion then you will never know how quickly an attack can come on and how unpleasant it is when that "pain" hits. Initially, you try and ride out the pain but this can only go on for so long before you need help usually with antacids or prescription pills.

This will usually do the job and give you instant relief. The big question is how long before the next attack and will you need something stronger as the attacks start to occur more often. For most people this is OK but if you are like me, then you will want to look at why these attacks are happening and what you can do with your diet and lifestyle to eradicate the problem naturally.

Many acid reflux sufferers are asking about a GERD alternative - what foods help heartburn? If you are suffering from Gastro Esophageal Reflux Disease (GERD), you may want to consider how your diet impacts your reflux problems. Did you know that most acid reflux problems are caused by a poor diet? It only makes sense that a GERD alternative treatment must include your diet to work. In this article, you will learn 5 dieting tips to cure your acid reflux disease.

Avoiding the things on this list and developing good nutrition and fitness habits can cut back on the number of times you have to take heartburn medication, and keeping the acid out of the esophagus will help it to serve you happily for much longer. Gradually introduce heartburn-avoidance habits into your life to avoid making yourself wonder whether life is worth living, even with heartburn, but do introduce them.