Is seems as though there’s a prescription for everything these days. If you mention symptoms to your doctor, they waste no time writing a prescription. Not all ailments require a prescription though. Heartburn does have prescription medication options, but sometimes, they’re just not needed if the case is not too severe. Treating heartburn at home, using baking soda is a viable alternative to shelling out money for medication. Baking soda is one of those items that every household needs to have. It’s good for just about anything, including making you teeth whiter, unclogging drains, and helping to relieve indigestion. But, does baking soda work for heartburn relief?
The discomfort of heartburn is never fun to deal with. Heartburn occurs after eating certain foods that have the acid pumps in the stomach working overtime. The over abundance of acid can rise up into the esophagus and can cause a burning sensation. It feels sort of like the inside of your chest is on fire. If you suffer from occasional heartburn, then baking soda is a good option. If you experience heartburn more often, and it’s persistent, then consult with your doctor. For mild heartburn, baking soda can relieve the burning sensation almost immediately.
The Recipe
One dose of baking soda is ½ teaspoon. Add ½ teaspoon to a four ounce cup of warm water, and mix it thoroughly to make sure the baking soda is dissolved completely. Sip the mixture slowly until it’s gone. You should feel relief right away. The baking soda works like an antacid. It slows down the acid production in the stomach, and helps to shut down the acid producing pumps. It’s OK to drink this mixture up to seven times a day. Taking more than seven doses of baking soda can have adverse effects. In excess amounts, baking soda can totally neutralize stomach acid, making it very difficult to digest food. Baking soda is also loaded with sodium. Just one teaspoon has over 1,200 milligrams. Needless to say, that’s quite a lot. This could potentially be a problem for people who have high blood pressure.
Prevent Heartburn
There are ways of preventing heartburn, however. Stay away from spicy foods. Foods that are spiced heavily can irritate the stomach, and cause acid pumps to work hard and produce too much acid. When this happens, heartburn will set in. Other foods to avoid are foods that are high in fat, certain kinds of chocolate, mint or peppermint products, caffeinated beverages such as coffee, fruit juices, alcoholic beverages, carbonated drinks, meatballs, onions, and tomato based products. Not all foods that cause heartburn in one person will effect another person the same way. Everyone has different foods that trigger a heartburn episode. Find out what foods give to you problems, and do your best to avoid them.
Causes of Heartburn
Things that can cause heartburn that you might not think about include stress and bad posture. Avoiding stress as much as possible can lessen your chance of getting heartburn. Make sure you sit and stand with proper posture. The more you slouch, the more the insides of your body will get scrunched up. Sitting and standing straight will let things flow smoothly, and will avoid the feelings of heartburn.
So, does baking soda work for heartburn relief? Yes, it does, but it’s not a long term solution to the problem. If you’re over the age of 60, don’t drink more than seven servings of the mixture of baking soda and warm water. If you have recurring heartburn, it’s best to consult your doctor. However, if you get heartburn only on rare occasions, then taking baking soda to relieve the burning sensation is just fine, as long as you don’t use too much of it.
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