If your are taking antacids as treatment for heartburn pain, you are not in sync with your stomach. If the antacids are working then you already have one important piece of information – you have an acid/alkaline imbalance. Baking soda in water or a calcium tablet will buy some time. But you need to know whatâs going on if you want to escape this cycle.
Pain can be a real wakeup call. For some people identifying the cause of heartburn is an easy task. For others, not so. Keeping a record of meals can go a long way towards identifying the culprits. Pencil and paper will work, software is OK, if youâve got it. The important thing is get it in writing. Yours doesnât have to be very detailed but who knows, it could come in handy.
Documenting what you ate, how much, when and how pleasing the experience could yield important data that can be used to treat your personal heartburn. The important thing is to make a heartburn action plan. This is a simple but necessary way to start the right treatment.
Think of a heartburn treatment as a personal plan to break the cycle. To eliminate the need to medicate frequently after meals. The approach will work best if itâs tailored to the cause of your heartburn.
Some treatments to try:
1. More alkaline foods – include more foods with calcium, potassium and magnesium in your diet. Prevent acid reflux with âgood foodsâ rather than trying to correct the damage afterwards with antacids.
2. Better posture – some heartburn can be eliminated by sitting and standing erect, especially after a meal. Slouching or reclining after a meal makes it very easy for a weakened esophageal valve to spill stomach acid.
3. Give your tummy a break – There is no reward for being the first one finished eating. Thorough chewing, especially dense protein, can speed digestion and reduce acid production.
4. Quit your beefinâ – Any thing you can do to reduce the consumption of meat will reduce stomach acid. Smaller portions, fewer times a week is helpful.
5. The 3-2-1 meal plan – To avoid that after dinner acid reflux try switching your meals around so that the meals get progressively smaller, with the last meal of the day being the smallest.
You know that a roll of antacids is not a long term solution. Thatâs why itâs important to get started. Find the cause of this heartburn and put a treatment plan on paper. Take the this 2-step plan of find it and fix it and you should be seeing improvements quickly.
Get started today. Make a healthy step forward by putting together a personal plan for your heartburn success. Think about how nice it will feel to be able to look back and say, âI did it!â