Acid Reflux / Heartburn: Treatment & Prevention

Most people will experience heartburn at some point in their lives, and that includes me!

The symptoms include a burning pain in the chest or throat area and/or a sour taste in the mouth. These may be accompanied by nausea, difficulty swallowing, bloating and coughing.

Acid reflux is caused by stomach acid going up towards the throat; if chronic it is also called gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD). The most obvious causes are being overweight, smoking, stress, anti-inflammatory meds like Ibuprofen, hiatus hernia, trigger foods like alcohol, coffee and spicy foods

Some remedies include eating frequent small meals, not eating within 3 hours of going to bed, not lying down or bending over after meals, giving up smoking, and avoiding trigger foods.. Natural remedies vary from person to person:

- Ginger - never works for me!
- Liquorice - not a fan!
- Apple cider vinegar - some people may feel worse
- Cabbage juice - by far my favourite!!! Either drink it cold like vegetable juice (2 carrots and one celery stick may be added to one white cabbage if the taste is too strong) or hot like cabbage soup (drink only the liquid). I recommend this 3x a day until you are feeling better but be aware, initially, it might feel very strong!