Thursday, February 1, 2007

Natural Cure For Acid Reflux

You know it’s going to hit you moments after you’ve eaten something you shouldn’t have. You start to feel that burning sensation in your stomach that slowly works its way into the back of your throat. Not only is it uncomfortable, leaves a nasty bitter taste in your mouth but it won’t go away either. You gulp down ant-acids to no avail. That painful burning sensation stays with you for hours on end. And laying down doesn’t help, just makes it worse making it nearly impossible to sleep.

These are the joys of acid reflux disease, also known as gastro-esophageal reflux disease. Acid reflux occurs when the contents of the stomach are regurgitated into the esophagus and throat. The culprit is a muscle in your esophagus that’s not working correctly. Normally it restricts the contents of you stomach from flowing back into your esophagus, but when it doesn’t function right your stomach acid and bile flows back into your esophagus causing that burning sensation and bitter taste.

There are quite a few natural cures for acid reflux but the best way to mitigate its affects is to eat a balanced diet that helps restrict the over production of gastric acids. If you suffer from acid reflux then you will come to know which foods tend to aggravate the condition so you can avoid those. Other things to avoid include fatty food, certain spices, caffeine and citrus fruits as these can cause episodes of acid reflux. Smoking has also been shown to increase the chances of acid reflux.

The known natural cures for acid reflux all have one thing in common. They calm the stomach and its production of gastric acids. One of the best ways to do this is to drink one table spoon of apple cider vinegar mixed in a glass of water. It is also best to drink this during a meal to get the most effective results.

Several fruits and vegetables are good when it comes to controlling the affects of acid reflux. These include, bananas, apples, figs, pineapple and papaya. You can also get the same effect from eating cabbage and carrots.
You can also use herbs and spices to help calm your stomach. Cinnamon, Cardamom, Mace, Nutmeg and Slippery Elm all have been shown to have reduced gastric acid secretion and settle an upset stomach.

One last natural cure you can use is chewing gum. Chewing gum increases saliva out put which is an ant-acid produced by the body. As you chew the gum and swallow your own saliva it calms your stomach.

Having to deal with acid reflux is not fun, but with changes to your diet and using some of these natural cures you should be able to live an acid reflux free lifestyle.

For more detailed information about a Natural Cure for Acid Reflux Please Click Here.

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Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Natural Cure For Asthma

If you experience sudden bouts of breathlessness, you are suffering from asthma. When some dust, smoke or the scent of any odd flower or perfume will get you whizzing, coughing and gasping, you are suffering from asthma. These are just some of the allergens that can irritate your nasal passage. Other irritants are exercise, pollution or smog, a sudden change in weather, cold or any infection of the airways.

Though asthma attack can be scary, there is no need to panic. Besides following doctor’s medications, there are certain tips that you can follow to prevent asthma. First, it is important for you to guard yourself against dust mite allergies and hay fever. Take the following steps:

Go for yoga: Performing simple yogic breathing where you exhale for twice as long as you inhale can prevent against future asthma attacks. This technique has been proven to be very effective. The effect of this breathing is similar to that obtained by the use of a corticosteroid inhaler. To do this breathing, close your eyes, inhale and then exhale naturally. Pause without holding your breath for one or two seconds before the next inhalation. This will allow the exhalation to complete naturally. Do not try to breathe deeply or slowly. But if there is a need to breathe deeply, you can do so till you can come back to breathing exercise.

Avoid sleeping on full stomach: Sleeping while your stomach is full can aggravate your asthma. Asthma is caused by stomach reflux, which occurs when stomach acid goes back into esophagus. This causes the stomach contents to regurgitate into your mouth and then drip down into the airways when you are lying down or sleeping. Avoid heavy snacks and take an antacid to reduce your stomach’s acidity. Theophylline medications can also aggravate the asthma by increasing the stomach’s reflux. If you are on this medication and are experiencing stomach reflux problem, consult your doctor to reduce the dosage.

Note your food sensitivity: Eating or smelling certain foods can trigger an asthma attack in some people. Foods like milk, eggs, seafood and nuts are the main culprits.

Eat plenty of fish: Eskimos rarely suffer from asthma. Hence, some researchers conclude that eating plenty of fish may prevent asthma. The fishes more likely to have an impact on asthma are omega-3 rich fish like sardines, mackerels and herring.

Take multiple vitamins: Taking a good vitamin/mineral supplement and having a diet rich in fruits and vegetables might help; since some nutrients have been shown to prevent asthma. People who take vitamin C and zinc are less likely to suffer more than the others. Increase your intake of citrus fruits, broccoli and peppers for vitamin C and beef, crab and oysters for zinc.

Get relief from caffeine: Coffee has been shown to help people with asthma. It has the same effect as theophylline. A cup of a regular strong black coffee will have beneficial effect on asthma. But do not use caffeine as a substitute for or along with other medications and must be always used in case of emergency. When you do not have medications, you can have 2 cups of regular strong black coffee for instant relief. You can get relief, albeit slower, with hot cocoa or milk chocolate.

About the Author: Sharon hopkins has been managing a number of natural home remedies websites which gives information on Home based cure for Asthma by following some simple methods.

Find more on Home Remedies for Asthma and also know other Home Treatments for Common Ailments at Natural Cure Health Guide – Free Information on General Health Issues.