Treating Your Heartburn With Antacids?

There are very few medical conditions nowadays that just have one way to fix. With most, there is either no known solution, or there are many, all taking slightly different routes to reach the same end result; a cure. With acid reflux, there are many arguments saying that a simple lifestyle change will be adequate, but antacids are recommended by many doctors.

Why not try a natural, effective treatment for heartburn?

No one particularly likes the thought of chemicals, or anything that sounds like one, so unless you know already, you're probably wondering just what exactly antacids are. The name is basically a contraction of anti-acid, and really needs no further explanation. They are compounds which when mixed with acid cause the acid to become weaker, the more you take the weaker the acid gets. Antacids enter the body in exactly the same way as food does, and they have their effect in the stomach.

Clearly you don't want to take too many, this would in fact increase reflux (just not acidic) as food wouldn't be broken down and would fester in the stomach until some more acid came along, and would in fact cause extremely serious problems. However, they are great for just taking the edge off your bubbling stomach, and calming it down a bit.

The time when you should take them varies between people, and different doctors will recommend different things, the best thing is to find out what works best for you. Do bear in mind that they're not a lasting solution like pills are, which will last for around 24 hours. Most antacids will only be effective for an hour at the absolute maximum after they're taken.

Buying antacids can be a confusing business, with three different types on the market; calcium, aluminium and magnesium based. Speak to your doctor before you buy anything, but just as a quick guide, most doctors will say that calcium is no good for GERD, as it gives off gastrin which actually causes more acid to be produced, and the same goes for aluminium as it can cause constipation. Magnesium based ones are generally the best, with milk of magnesia being a timeless remedy, still working perfectly today.