Use Licorice For Acid Reflux Pain Relief

If you are suffering from frequent and unrelenting heartburn, you probably would do just about anything for some relief. There are prescription medications that might help, but some people want to find a more natural way to help with the problem.

There are some who believe that a variety of lifestyle changes can be made, and that you can take licorice for acid reflux and feel some relief. Licorice root has been used for a long time for many different things with great success. There are some things you should know about it before you begin.

Acid reflux is the result of stomach acid moving up into the esophagus. It can go as high as the mouth, and throat, and can cause problems with sinuses and the respiratory system. The acid can do a lot of damage to these tissues, and you might even experience tooth decay.

It is often associated with a burning sensation that can be very hard to manage at times. For some people, the pain is unbearable, and medications are a must in order to stop the pain.

If you have reflux, you can try a few lifestyle modifications. If you are overweight, you may find relief in losing the extra pounds. This extra bulk can be part of the reason that the valve at the top of your stomach meant to contain the acid within is failing.

Smoking will make acid reflux worse, so if you smoke, now is the time to quit. Also, alcohol and drugs like Advil (NSAIDs) and aspirin might also be avoided. A person with acid reflux should also learn to avoid those foods that seem to make things worse for them, and also it’s a good idea to stop eating three hours before bedtime. A sleeping position with the head and upper body elevated is best.

You might also want to try licorice root to see if it does anything to help you. This is something that is otherwise referred to as DGL (De-Glycyrrhizinated Licorice). There have been some studies that suggest this is just as effective as some medications, and in some cases it worked better.

You should discuss this with your doctor before you begin however, because there can be problems.

Even though you might think of licorice roots as a natural remedy, it can still harm you if you are in poor health. Licorice has been known to raise blood pressure if you take the wrong kind. Always have medical help when you try something like this.

There are many people who have said they have found great relief in using licorice for acid reflux. Usual dosages are once a day or if you have a bad case of reflux, you might have to take it twice a day.

You may find that using this natural remedy along with a well thought-out meal plan, changes in lifestyle, and a new way of sleeping will help keep your symptoms to a minimum.



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7 Ways to Relieve Acid Reflux Symptoms

An acid reflux disease diet can help control the occurrence of acid reflux and decrease the risk of heartburn for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) sufferers.

Following a controlled diet is a matter of determining which foods trigger symptoms, and which foods are safe to eat.

Creating a two-week food diary, where you make a record of all the foods you ingest and the symptoms that follow, is the best way to discover the foods to eliminate. After two weeks, you should then present your food diary to your doctor or dietician so he/she can help create a acid reflux diet plan that is beneficial for you.

Although it is in your best interest to create a food diary, the following are 7 food categories and the related foods you should avoid, or are considered safe to eat in each.

The seven categories are:

1. Dairy 2. Meat 3. Grains 4. Vegetables and Fruit 5. Fats and oil 6. Sweets and snacks 7. Beverages
By knowing what you should and shouldn’t eat within each food category is how you create an acid reflux disease diet that effectively relieves symptoms by stopping them before they start.

Foods you should avoid

The following foods should be eliminated or dramatically limited in an acid reflux disease diet, as ingesting them, even in small quantities, can aggravate symptoms and lead to recurring heartburn.
Dairy - Cottage cheese, sour cream, ice cream and ice cream related products (I.E. milk shakes, floats, etc.)
Meat - Buffalo wings, chicken nuggets, ground beef, and marbled steak
Grains - Pasta with marinara sauce, macaroni and cheese
Vegetables & Fruit - Vegetables: raw onion, French fires, mashed potatoes.
Fruits: Citrus fruits and juices which include lemon, lime, lemonade, orange, orange juice, grapefruit and grapefruit juice, cranberry juice, tomato and tomato juice.
Fats and oil - Oily or creamy salad dressings, and essentially all fried or fatty processed Foods.
Sweets and Snacks - Chocolate, doughnuts, butter cookies, brownies, corn chips, and potato chips.
Beverages - Alcohol, regular or decaffeinated coffee and tea, high-sugared drinks such as soda.
 
Foods considered safe

The following foods are considered safe to eat and shouldn’t aggravate your GERD symptoms; therefore, they can become a regular part of your acid reflux disease diet.
Dairy - Fat-free cream cheese, feta or goat cheese, low-fat soy cheese.
Meat - Extra lean ground beef, London broiled steak, skinless chicken breast, egg whites, imitation eggs, and fish without additional fat. 
Grains - Whole grain or white bread, corn bread, oatmeal, bran cereal, white or brown rice
Vegetables & Fruit - Vegetables: broccoli, carrots, cabbage, peas, green beans, and baked potato.
Fruits: banana, fresh or dried apple, apple juice.
Fats and oil - low fat salad dressing
Sweets and Snacks - Pretzels, baked potato chips, graham crackers, rice cakes, fat free cookies, red liquorice, and jelly beans
Beverages - Water

Occasional treats
Last, but not least, the following is a brief list of foods you can occasionally enjoy in your acid reflux disease diet, but should be consumed with discretion and in moderation as they can aggravate symptoms:
Dairy - Yogurt, cheddar or mozzarella cheese
Meat - fired eggs, fried fish, hot dog, ham and tuna salad.
Grains - Granola cereal and muffin.
Vegetables & Fruit - Vegetables: garlic, leeks, and green onions.
Fruits: low-acid orange juice, dried cranberries, strawberries, raspberries and blueberries.
Fats and oil - ketchup
Sweets and Snacks - low-fat cookies
Beverages - non-alcoholic drinks and carbonated drinks

Finally, keep in mind that the above food lists are only general guidelines. Some of the foods considered safe to eat for one heartburn sufferer may not be the same for another.

Therefore, make sure you keep a food diary to determine what the best acid reflux disease diet is for you, so you can effectively treat and prevent your symptoms.

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Acid Reflux and Back Pain Can Be Connected

You may think that there is no logical connection between acid reflux and back pain, and in a way you are right. However, there may be connections that you might not have considered. Acid reflux can have a knock on effect to other parts of your body, but when you think of back pain, you might not think your stomach acid is at fault.

The problem is you never know if there is a connection between any two seemingly unrelated conditions unless you really think about it. You have to think of the more indirect reasons in order to take care of your back problems.

Acid reflux happens when the acids from the stomach move up through the esophagus and sometimes all the way into the mouth. The acid is produced in the stomach to aid in digestion, but should be held in the stomach by a small muscular value at the top end of the stomach.

When this valve is not working properly, the acid leaks up and causes pain and discomfort. This can also lead to damage to the soft tissues, which may or may not be repairable. Some people only have this problem once in a while, and over-the-counter medications help. Others have it daily, and must rely on a prescription to make symptoms bearable.

You may wonder how acid reflux might lead to back problems. In a way, it can, but in a very round-about way. Though the acid is not harming your back, the side effects can be. Some acid reflux sufferers find that the only way to gain relief while sleeping is to have their head elevated.

Because the valve at the top of the stomach isn’t closing properly, gravity can work against you when you lie down flat to sleep. This means the acid leaks into your esophagus while you sleep. You may wake up many times a night with intense pain in the chest.

To combat this, sufferers try sleeping with their head and upper body elevated. The problems occur if you don’t do this the right way, and the end result is you can hurt your back. It might not happen right away, but back pain start to appear after you do this night after night.

Other suggestions for having a painful back are as a result of eating the foods that cause acid reflux. There is very little information to be found to back this up, but it could be a possibility. When the pain is severe enough, it might radiate into your back.

This pain will be associated with other pains though, and will not be something that you feel all the time. If you have chronic back pain, it might be because of your sleeping position and not really the direct result of acid reflux.

If you are experiencing acid reflux and back pain, you should talk to your doctor about what is going on. It might be related, however, if it’s not, you do want to know what is causing your issues. There may be something going on that is totally unrelated to your reflux.

If that is the case, you want to get it taken care of incase something else even more serious than acid reflux is going on.


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