{"id":1958,"date":"2019-11-22T06:52:00","date_gmt":"2019-11-22T11:52:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.entofathens.com\/?p=1958"},"modified":"2019-12-02T12:30:26","modified_gmt":"2019-12-02T17:30:26","slug":"a-how-to-guide-for-treating-acid-reflux-at-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.entofathens.com\/a-how-to-guide-for-treating-acid-reflux-at-home\/","title":{"rendered":"A How-to Guide for Treating Acid Reflux at Home"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>It\u2019s\nbelieved that about one in every five people in Georgia suffers from acid\nreflux. This condition, characterized by a painful burning sensation in the\nchest that usually occurs following a meal, affects 60 million people across\nthe U.S. Instead of reaching for antacids, which aren\u2019t always effective, try\nsome natural remedies at home to relieve the discomfort.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Causes Heartburn<strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.entofathens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/fire-1-1280x2276.jpg\" alt=\"Fire \" class=\"wp-image-1960\" width=\"479\" height=\"851\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.entofathens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/fire-1-1280x2276.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/www.entofathens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/fire-1-768x1365.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.entofathens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/fire-1-864x1536.jpg 864w, https:\/\/www.entofathens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/fire-1-scaled.jpg 1152w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 479px) 100vw, 479px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Heartburn occurs when <strong>stomach acid flows into the esophagus<\/strong>, usually after you\u2019ve eaten.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Acid <a href=\"https:\/\/www.entofathens.com\/ent\/throat\/reflux\/\">reflux<\/a> has a fancy medical name, gastroesophageal reflux disease, which is usually just shortened to GERD. Some people simply call it heartburn. Any of the above are acceptable, though we prefer using as few syllables as possible.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What are the symptoms of GERD?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>In addition to the telltale <strong>burning sensation in the chest<\/strong>, symptoms include a <strong>sour or bitter taste in the mouth, burping<\/strong>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.entofathens.com\/ent\/speech-swallowing\/swallowing-disorders\/\">trouble swallowing<\/a>, <strong>regurgitation<\/strong> and <strong>nausea<\/strong>. These tend to be worse when you\u2019re lying down, interfering with sleep.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Preventing heartburn with OTC medicine<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Over-the-counter and prescription drugs are used for <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"symptom relief, including histamine-2 blockers (opens in a new tab)\" title=\"Histamine 2 blocker potentiates the effects of histamine 1 blocker in suppressing histamine-induced wheal | IJDVL\" href=\"http:\/\/www.ijdvl.com\/article.asp?issn=0378-6323;year=2008;volume=74;issue=5;spage=475;epage=477;...\" target=\"_blank\">symptom relief, including histamine-2 blockers<\/a> (<strong>Pepcid and Zantac<\/strong> are two examples), proton pump inhibitors (<strong>Nexium, Prevacid<\/strong>) and promotility agents, but many of these medications cause unpleasant side effects and must be used on a daily basis, even in the absence of symptoms, to maintain their effectiveness.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Your Athens ear, nose and throat doctor recommends the following natural remedies to help ease the discomfort associated with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.webmd.com\/heartburn-gerd\/guide\/reflux-disease-gerd-1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"GERD (opens in a new tab)\">GERD<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Heartburn Reduction through Lifestyle Modification<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><strong>Eat smaller portions<\/strong>. Large, heavy meals increase the risk of heartburn, so try plating less and chew your food slowly. This allows time for digestion and will have you feeling full sooner, which is good for your waistline.&nbsp;<\/li><li><strong>Avoid foods that trigger acid reflux<\/strong>. Some foods are more likely than others to produce acid reflux flare-ups. Stay away from fatty, greasy and spicy foods, in particular. Choose lean meats and green vegetables instead.&nbsp;<\/li><li><strong>Don&#8217;t eat right before bedtime<\/strong>. Heartburn symptoms are often worse when lying down, so try to finish eating a minimum of three hours before going to bed. This means no snacking, either!&nbsp;<\/li><li><strong>Limit alcohol consumption<\/strong>. Alcohol is a common acid reflux trigger, so if you are enjoying an adult beverage, drink in moderation and make sure \u201clast call\u201d occurs at least three hours    before you plan on going to bed.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li><li><strong>Chew gum<\/strong>. Chewing gum stimulates saliva production, which causes you to swallow more      frequently. This helps to cut back on acid buildup more quickly. Look for chewing gum that contains bicarbonate as an ingredient; this functions as an absorbable antacid that will help prevent symptoms.&nbsp;<\/li><li><strong>Take it easy after eating<\/strong>. When mom told you to wait half an hour after eating to go swimming, she was onto something there. Engaging in vigorous physical activity immediately after a meal can trigger heartburn, so wait 30-45 minutes before doing something that will get your heart pumping.&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Schedule an appointment if you still have acid reflux<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>These home remedies should prove beneficial in reducing acid reflux. If you have tried these and still find yourself suffering from frequent <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"heartburn (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mayoclinic.org\/diseases-conditions\/heartburn\/symptoms-causes\/syc-20373223\" target=\"_blank\">heartburn<\/a>\u2014especially if other symptoms such as painful swallowing, chronic sore throat or unexplained weight loss are noted\u2014make an appointment with an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.entofathens.com\/about-us\/our-team\/\">ENT specialist in Athens<\/a> to rule out anything serious.&nbsp; <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Learn about these other common conditions:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.entofathens.com\/feeling-off-balance-when-to-seek-treatment\/\">Feeling Off-Balance? When to Seek Treatment.<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It\u2019s believed that about one in every five people in Georgia suffers from acid reflux. This condition, characterized by a painful burning sensation in the chest that usually occurs following a meal, affects 60 million people across the U.S. Instead of reaching for antacids, which aren\u2019t always effective, try some natural remedies at home to&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1960,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","schema":"","fname":"","lname":"","position":"","credentials":"","placeID":"","no_match":false,"name":"","company":"","review":"","address":"","city":"","state":"","zip":"","lat":"","lng":"","phone1":"","phone2":"","fax":"","mon1":"","mon2":"","tue1":"","tue2":"","wed1":"","wed2":"","thu1":"","thu2":"","fri1":"","fri2":"","sat1":"","sat2":"","sun1":"","sun2":"","hours-note":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.entofathens.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1958"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.entofathens.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.entofathens.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.entofathens.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.entofathens.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1958"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.entofathens.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1958\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.entofathens.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1960"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.entofathens.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1958"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.entofathens.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1958"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.entofathens.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1958"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}