Here are some practical, effective and easy-to-follow ways on how to get relief today from the pain and agony caused by acid reflux syndrome.



1. Changing your lifestyle – it's never been too easy to break a habit but when health is at stake, that normally involves spending lots of money. Your decision to take a 180-degree turn from bad lifestyles will no longer be a battleground. With total commitment and 100% determination in your heart, it will be easy for you to follow these steps in reducing the occurrence of acid reflux side effects:

Position: The law of gravity will keep acid buildup out of its way into the esophagus by observing an upright posture at all times, especially after eating, to allow proper digestion process. After every meal, make an allowance of at least 2-3 hours before lying down or going to sleep. For some people who experience acid reflux more often at nighttime, they should raise their head 6-8 inches higher using a pillow and not with head lying flat on the same level with the bed while sleeping.

Exertion: Do not engage in any physical exertion such as exercising after finishing a meal for this can trigger the slowing down of the abdominal muscle contraction forcing the food in the stomach to travel back up into the esophagus.

Pregnancy: If acid reflux developed at pregnancy as a result of growing fetus inside the mother's womb that crowds the stomach area, all you can do is to follow strict rules of eating habit. The proper way is to eat small amount of food every meal but not reduce the number of meals and food you eat so as not to be deprived of having good nutrition. Once the baby was born, these symptoms will immediately stop.

Others: Proper and regular exercise, abstaining from smoking, alcohol, caffeine, and by not wearing tight fitting clothes around the midsection part of your body or even wearing a belt too tight, will help you get an effective acid reflux relief.

2. Changing your diet – To avoid pressure in your stomach, which causes acid reflux, make it a habit to eat five to six smaller meals in a frequent manner within the day instead of having three heavy meals at a certain period of time. Smaller meals are easy to digest and easily absorbed by the body without adding too much pressure on the stomach.

The other option is to eat the largest meal at lunchtime so that you can have small dinner and have no problem at all when you lie down and sleep at night. When eating always be reminded that you're in an upright and relaxed position to allow the normal flow of food digestion.

Different food types have different reactions to a person's body. Thus it is necessary to be aware of certain food and drinks that can trigger acid reflux and list them one by one taking note of each one's effect to your system.

Below is a list of the common food and drinks that can trigger acid reflux symptoms:

• Fried and fatty food

• Spicy and heavily seasoned food

• Onions and garlic

• Orange juice and tomato juice

• Alcohol

• Coffee

• Chocolate

• Peppermint and spearmint

3. Choosing a cure for acid reflux – More than getting an acid reflux relief thru changing of lifestyle and diet, one should also consider and choose a way to cure acid reflux. It is important to consult a doctor and follow some medications in order to reverse the damage that has been done to the esophagus, as well as prevent future damage with healthy lifestyle changes.

In view of this, take note that while there are numerous acid reflux relief options available, there are treatments that bring more harmful effects to the body than getting good relief or cure when taken over a long term. The primary reason is the disruption of the body's own natural biochemistry due to the neutralization of stomach acidity as a result of taking acid reflux medicines. Neutralizing or decreasing stomach acidity hinders proper food metabolism during digestion process. This in return is causing additional digestive system problems even worse than acid reflux.

See a doctor to seek for further professional help. Your physician can assist you in monitoring your medication progress and provide you with scientific approach of treatment, such as proton pump inhibitors, H2 blockers or promotility agents. Just be proactive and transparent enough to ask questions when in doubt of something, especially when it concerns diagnosis of medications.