Digestive Health and Heartburn – Are OTC Remedies Better Than Natural Remedies?

Are your over-the-counter (OTC) heartburn remedies really helping your heartburn, or do they cause even more problems for your health down the road?

Great health begins with cultivating beneficial flora (good bacteria) in the gut. The gut has lately been touted as the second brain because of the billions of neuro receptors in the gut endothelial lining. This massive neuro-network regulates immune function, hormones and inflammatory response, as well as nutrient absorption.

When your stomach gets out of balance it can result in heartburn, digestive distress, energy depletion and many other negative symptoms.

Popping antacids will only hide the symptoms temporarily by stopping stomach acid production. However OTC antacids contain toxic ingredients that can actually harm the function of the delicate neural tissues in your stomach lining. Common side effects of these toxins include headache, abdominal pain and diarrhea.

Antacids can also trigger calcium deficiency and impede your body’s ability to absorb protein (needed for muscle function). Your body will naturally respond to minerals like calcium, potassium and magnesium which restore digestive balance and proper pH levels, without the side effects of toxins.

Natural Remedies for Heartburn – All found at home!

Help for heartburn is as easy as supplementing with natural sources of minerals, enzymes and probiotics. Beneficial micro-organisms can then flourish. Try home heartburn remedies like raw apple cider vinegar mixed with water, naturally fermented foods, or eating a wider variety of brightly colored vegetables like carrots, beets and bitter greens. This colorful palette of healthy foods provided by Mother Nature offers a natural balance of vital minerals and essential elements.

Another mistake many people make is to cut sodium out of their diet entirely.

It’s good to decrease your intake of “chemical sodium”, which is found in table salt. But your body cannot live without sodium. It’s essential to the internal energy transfer between your body’s cells – giving your brain and muscles like your heart and lungs the necessary vitality to function. Unrefined sea salt (called French Gray) is an excellent example of a natural source of sodium. This sea salt provides an added bonus – it won’t cause high blood pressure or water retention. In fact without natural sodium your own stomach acid (HCL) would digest the lining of your stomach.

By simply eating a variety of raw vegetables and fruits you will also benefit from essential enzymes that your body needs. That’s why one of the oldest home heartburn remedies for acid reflux is to eat an apple. But don’t peel the apple; the enzymes to digest the apple are in the peel.
There may be more to colorful food than meets the eye.

Science is uncovering the benefits of amazing substances in the skins of brightly colored fruits and vegetables called phytochemicals. Help for heartburn can be found in these phytochemicals, antioxidants and flavonoids – they may help to alleviate acid reflux, digestive imbalance and heartburn.

The bottom line is acid reflux doesn’t have to ruin your life. Being able to enjoy the food you eat is one of the benefits of being healthy. You may just have to cut back on fried and processed foods and learn to appreciate what nature has already prepared for you.

It’s been said that variety is the spice of life and it’s true. A walk through your grocer’s fresh produce aisle or your local farmer’s market could help add a little color to your diet and a help for heartburn at the same time.

Chances are if you’re suffering from acid reflux, you’re not partaking from nature’s palette of colorful fruits and vegetables and not eating enough of live fermented foods.