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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Home Remedy For Acid Reflux - Herbal Tea

There are many things that cause problems for those who have GERD (otherwise known as acid reflux). There are some things you can’t eat, and some that you should.

There are times when this can be very confusing, and many don’t want to rely on medications to make all foods tolerable. If you want a home remedy for acid reflux, there are things you can try.

One of these things is drinking herbal teas. Some of them will help, and some might make matters worse, so you should know which to have and which to avoid.

When choosing herbal teas, there is one important thing to think about when you are choosing what you want to try. Caffeine is a known trigger for acid reflux, and it should be avoided. That means that any herbal teas that you try must be caffeine-free.

Though you can get decaffeinated coffee to drink, even that is known to aggravate GERD and should be avoided. This makes decaffeinated herbal teas the best choice when you seek a hot and soothing drink.

Some of them might even help with some of your symptoms of acid reflux.

Many suggest that ginger can help sooth acid reflux symptoms, and if you can find it in a tea, a cup after a meal might help your stomach settle down for the night. You can mix peppermint with aniseed and lavender for a great tasting and soothing blend.

You should boil a few cups of water and a teaspoon of your herbal mix, then drain the herbs after sitting for about ten minutes. If you boil this tea and want to have it sweetened, you might try honey instead of sugar or artificial sweetener.

Chicory Root can also be used to make a great herbal tea. You boil a few cups of this and then let sit for a while. You can then drink the tea with honey if you wish. Marshmallow tea might also help.

This is not tea made from the marshmallows in your cupboard as the name might suggest, but from a root by the same name. This is known to soothe the digestive system. Another popular type of tea is Chamomile. This is also known to help soothe the symptoms of acid reflux.

You can make many of these on your own, but you can also find them in natural food stores or special sections of your grocery store. Any of these teas might help you feel better, but you won’t know until you try them.

However, it is important that you talk with your doctor before you try them, as some can have side effects that you need to know about, and they might also mix badly with any prescription drugs that you might be taking for your acid reflux or for any other reason.

You usually will not have any problems with this type of home remedy for acid reflux, but you don’t want to take a chance with your health.


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Discover Natural Cures For Heartburn

People has always relied on natural cures for heartburn when it came to relieving the pain that heartburn causes. Heartburn occurs when acid is pushed up the esophagus and leaves you with a burn feeling in your chest.
Heartburn is caused by several things including eating too much or eating to fast. It can be caused by lying down quickly after eating or by consuming certain foods such as citrus, caffeine or spicy foods. Some people are more susceptible to heartburn including pregnant women, people with diabetes and those with asthma.
A lot of people with general occasional heartburn take over the counter antacids.

These medicines which come in liquid, tablet or effervescent forms help neutralize the acid in the stomach and create a layer to block the acid from going into the esophagus. For persistent, chronic or severe cases of heartburn prescription medicines are available.

As with most prescription medicines there are side effects. Some of which include constipation, weakness, bone pain, and tiredness. Some antacids deplete the body of needed minerals such as potassium which can cause severe problems. This has motivated the desire to find natural cures for heartburn.

Useful Natural Remedies

A simple natural cure for heartburn can be found in the garden or grocery store. It is peppermint tea or oil. Peppermint as with most mints has the ability to ease heartburn though a few say it can cause it as well. Peppermint has been used for centuries in Europe as a stomach soother and cure for heartburn while ginger has been used a natural cure for heartburn particularly in Asia.

Ginger is known to help with nausea and stomach upset. Care has to be taken with peppermint oil as it is possible that it can raise the blood pressure.

Other herbs known to be natural cures for heartburn include chamomile which is a tried and true favorite. In addition to helping stomach ailments and heartburn chamomile also relaxes the mind and body. This can be a great benefit after a bout of painful heartburn wakes you up in the middle of the night.

Some use plain old baking soda as a natural cure for heartburn. The premise here is that the liquid in your stomach that causes the pain is acidic while baking soda is a substance that acts as a neutralizer. It can help in sudden attacks when you do not feel like rushing out and getting an over the counter antacid.

If you do not get heartburn a lot and there is not much suffering than than you can try a natural cure for heartburn. There are a lot of useful remedies that you can use.

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