For people who suffer from heartburn there usually is a constant fight to find a consistent heartburn remedy. Not all remedies will work for everybody but there are natural remedies and medication you can take to relief heartburn.
Some are medicinal in nature, and others require simple lifestyle and diet modifications that may reduce or even eliminate your bouts of the painful burning that characterizes heartburn symptoms.
One way to begin to pinpoint the triggers of your heartburn is to keep a journal of the things you eat and activities that seem to precede the onset of your heartburn symptoms. Once you can figure out what the individual causes of your heartburn might be, you will be on the road to finding the right heartburn remedy for you.
Natural Heartburn Remedies
Most natural remedies for heartburn will involve avoiding the foods and activities that seem to bring on the painful symptoms. One of the first places to begin searching for a culprit is in your dietary choices. Some of the most common heartburn triggers are chocolate, peppermint, raw onion, fatty foods, and carbonated beverages. Tomatoes and tomato products as well as citrus fruits and juices are also common culprits in heartburn causes.
If dietary changes do not seem to do the trick, you can move to lifestyle modifications that will include exercise, not smoking and maintaining a healthy weight. You can also try eating smaller, more frequent meals and having the last meal at least two or three hours prior to bedtime.
If you notice that you are waking up at night or in the morning with your heartburn symptoms, you can raise the head of your bed two or three feet so that the upper part of your body is elevated at night. If you have tried most or all of these lifestyle modifications and you are still suffering from frequent heartburn symptoms, it might be time to talk to your doctor about heartburn remedies in the form of medications.
Medications for Heartburn
There are many over the counter (OTC) heartburn remedies available, and this is probably where your doctor will recommend that you begin. Antacids will work quickly to neutralize the acids in your stomach, but the results and relief will usually be short-lived.
For a heartburn remedy that will last longer, you can try an H2 blocker that will actually reduce the amount of digestive acid that your stomach produces. These medications can be found under commercial names like Pepcid, and while they are effective in long-term relief, they can also take much longer to begin working.
There are now OTC medicines that combine the best of both worlds by providing an antacid ingredient for quick relief and an H2 blocker for a long-term heartburn remedy.
Regardless of what heartburn remedy you take if you suffer from heartburn frequently it is a good idea to speak a physician and implement a plan to control heartburn.