Heart burn is a painful condition that affects 60 million Americans. It occurs when stomach acid and other food materials back up into the esophagus. When this happens, those stomach materials remain in the lower part of the esophagus causing heartburn and sometimes nausea. This can lead to esophagus damage.

The Causes of Heart Burn

Heart burn is caused by a failure of the lower esophageal sphincter, which is located on the lower end of the esophagus. When it is working properly, this muscle pushes food out of the esophagus and into the stomach. But failure means that stomach acid can rise into your throat, or food can linger in your esophagus, causing damage.

There are other possible causes for heart burn. One is a hiatal hernia where the stomach protrudes through the opening of the diaphragm (the muscular wall that separates the chest cavity from the abdomen) that the esophagus travels to meet the stomach. The other is a week or slow esophagus that does not contract enough to move the items quickly into the stomach.

Helping Heart Burn

Most of the time, lifestyle changes are the first thing recommended for heartburn relief. This would include knowing which foods are good and bad for heartburn, quitting smoking, reducing stress, eating smaller meals, exercising, and avoiding alcohol.

Patients may also try sleeping with their heads higher than their stomachs and not lying down until at least three hours after eating.

Help for Avoiding Heartburn

Around 94% of those who suffer from heartburn can link their symptoms to specific foods. To reduce painful heartburn, it is very important to avoid the foods listed. In addition to the foods listed, there are other foods that will induce heartburn in some people.

It is important to keep a food and heartburn journal for at least two weeks to discover what foods lead to heartburn and what foods are okay to eat. Eating healthier can be a great way not only to reduce your heartburn but can also assist you in losing weight.

Some foods pose a higher heartburn risk than others. Here are a few of the most notorious:

Relieve episodic heartburn safely and naturally.