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When it comes to preventing and treating heartburn, there a number of ways you can go about it. First and foremost is to make certain lifestyle changes, including watching what you eat. Medication also plays in role in bringing relief from the pain of heartburn. Bear in mind that the severity of your symptoms will play a defining role in the course of treatment that your doctor recommends for you. Nevertheless, the more lifestyle changes you make in your life, the healthier you will be and the less often you will have to cope with episodes of heartburn.

Lifestyle Changes

Refrain From Sleeping After Eating: Do not lie down to take a nap or go to bed at night for at least three hours following a meal. Gravity is more likely to work against you and push stomach juices into the esophagus if you are lying in a horizontal position. Remain upright until the digestive process is well underway. A full stomach, sleep and reflux can easily combine to make you feel miserable.

Avoid Alcohol: The reason alcohol is bad for those with heartburn is that it causes more stomach acid to be produced than usual. This then serves to relax the lower esophageal sphincter which then makes it all that much easier for the contents of the stomach to reflux up into the esophagus and into the throat. The back up of stomach acid can lead to irritation and inflammation in the esophagus.

Don’t Eat These Foods

Potatoes and Onions: Fruits are more bothersome to heartburn sufferers then vegetables but there are two vegetables that sufferers of this problem are encouraged to avoid: potatoes and onions. Both potatoes and onions can lead to heartburn. That includes eating them in any context. Onions eaten as onion rings equal a double problem - onions smothered in a fried fatty batter. The same is true of potatoes. Whether they are mashed, boiled, roasted or baked they are likely to cause you problems.

Dairy Products: If you think drinking milk when you suffer from indigestion or heartburn is a good idea because it will coat your stomach and protect it, then unfortunately you have been misinformed. There is a selection of dairy products that actually can make these types of problems a great deal worse. Three of the worst offenders include ice cream, sour cream and cottage cheese.

Beverages: Food is not the only thing that can trigger an attack of heartburn. Alcoholic beverages are not good for those who suffer from reflux and other related problems. In particular, wine and liquor are the alcoholic beverages that you should avoid the most. Coffee and tea are two other beverages that can trigger a heartburn episode.

Medications

Antacids: A doctor will sometimes recommend medication for heartburn if lifestyle modifications have not brought about the desired results. Over-the-counter antacids are an option as these do not require a prescription. There are also medications that work to halt the production of acid as well as those that aid the stomach muscles in doing their job properly. It is important to become aware of the fact that antacids do have potential side effects. The magnesium salt that is a part of antacids can cause diarrhea while the aluminum can lead to constipation. The two kinds of salts are very often found in balanced quantities in the same product in order to prevent either one of these problems from occurring. The one helps to cancel the other one out and vice versa.

H2 Blockers: H2 blockers are medications that slow down the production of acid in the stomach. This type of medication has the strength of a prescription drug but can be purchased as an over-the-counter product. Examples of these include Pepcid (famotidine), Tagamet (cimetidine), Zantac (ranitidine) and Axid (nizatidine). These drugs are only meant to be used on a short-term basis. If your symptoms persist beyond a few weeks then you should schedule an appointment with your doctor. H2 blockers are generally effective for half of those who suffer from the symptoms of heartburn. Many sufferers benefit the most from taking H2 blockers when they go to bed at night.

Almost everyone suffers from heartburn symptoms at one time or another. Learn more about heartburn remedies and how to recognize, prevent and treat this uncomfortable condition at Heartburn Relief.