Heartburn

[Fae Oonagh]

Home Remedies For Heartburn
Certain foods may not agree with you, causing the stomach acid to back up (reflux). That's when you have heartburn (you literally feel like your heart is burning). My mother used to get heartburn a lot. I remember asking her, "How do you know when you have it?" My mother would always answer, "You'll know!" She was right.

Signs & Symptoms
Mild nausea.
Burning sensation behind breastbone.
Upper abdominal fullness or heaviness.
Excessive gas or belching.
Full feeling in abdomen.
Acid taste in mouth.
Growling stomach.
Pain or pressure behind breastbone.
Pain between shoulders or in neck that follows food.
Natural home remedies
When you have heartburn, it's best not to lie down. The backflow of stomach acid into the esophagus increases when you lie on your right side, so if you have to lie down, stay on your left side. If that doesn't work, stay on your feet and try one of the following remedies.

Eat six blanched almonds. Chew each one at least 30 times.
Eat a slice of raw potato.
Mix 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar and 1 tablespoon of honey into a cup of warm water. Stir and drink.
Grate a raw potato and put it in cheese­cloth. Squeeze out the juice in a glass. Add twice the amount of warm water as potato juice and drink it down.
Drink a teaspoon of baking soda in a glass of water for immediate relief.
Peel and eat a raw carrot. Chew each bite 30 times.
Take cayenne, comfrey, pepsin, or thyme.
Lemon Aid

If you have heartburn from eating something sweet, squeeze the juice from half a lemon into a cup of warm water. Add ½ teaspoon of salt and drink it slowly.
Keep chewable papaya tablets with you and, at the first sign of heartburn or any kind of indigestion, pop papaya pills in your mouth, chew and swallow.
A cup of peppermint tea has been known to relieve the discomfort of heartburn. It helps relieve gas, too.
Eat 1 teaspoon of gomasio (sesame seeds and sea salt, available at health food stores). Chew thoroughly before swallowing.
Be a Flake!

This may not be too appetizing, but it works -swallow a teaspoon or two of uncooked oat flakes, after chewing thoroughly.
The flow of saliva can neutralize the stomach acids that slosh up and cause heartburn.
According to the late Wylie J. Dodds, MD, who was a professor of radiology and medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, chewing gum (we suggest sugarless) can increase the production of saliva eight or nine times, and reduce the damage caused by stomach acids.

Heartburn Prevention
Turmeric, a basic ingredient in Indian curry dishes, is also a digestive aid. It stimulates the flow of saliva (saliva neutralizes acid and helps push digestive juices back down to where they belong). If you're about to eat food that gives you heartburn, spice up the food with turmeric.
If it's not an appropriate ingredient for the food, take two or three turmeric capsules, (available at health food stores) before the meal.