Controlling Heartburn

Even if many popular information sources and the media suggest that aspects of lifestyle and eating particular foods are at fault, the real causative agents of heartburn are somewhat more numerous with genetic, lifestyle and dietary elements interlinked. Just like other chronic ailments, heartburn is a result of complex and many-dimensioned causes.

Heartburn can be defined as the sensation of burning and of pain in the chest or throat area that is often felt after eating a meal. Although healthy people may experience such a feeling once per week or less, if heartburn occurs twice per week or more frequently, this may be a sign of a more severe medical condition called acid reflux disease, and also known as GERD (Gastro Esophageal Reflux Disease).

The LES or Lower Esophageal Sphincter should normally only relax to let nutritive elements flow into the digestive system and should not allow stomach contents to move back in the opposite sense. But in a reflux situation, the LES is weakened and digestive contents can move back into the esophagus, damaging esophageal cells in the wall lining and an activating the pain sensors. GERD is the offspring of two physiological malfunctions: the first is excess stomach acidity; and the second is the weakened sphincter (LES), which no longer performs its function correctly as a barrier between the stomach and the esophagus.

As mentioned above, several related factors result in a weakened LES or too high a level of stomach acidity. Amongst these factors are:

1. Genetically inherited characteristics.

2. Lifestyles, where habits such as smoking ruins the digestion, attacks the immune system and aggravates Candida multiplication, which then leads to the disease of acid reflux. Stress from lack of sleep, emotional pressure or excess of work also provokes these problems.

3. Infections from Candida. When circumstances permit, Candida bacteria replicate fast and establish colonies all over the body. These microorganisms then ferment and are the causative agent for the rejection of digestive contents to be rejected back into the esophagus. This is when esophageal cells are then inflamed and degraded. Note that Candida is normally resident in the human body, especially in domains of the intestines and the genitals. Usually, Candida is kept in equilibrium by friendly bacteria with no negative corporal effect.

4. Diet patterns, as in the regular and frequent eating of foods that provoke acid production, such as chocolates, peppermint, tomatoes and citrus fruits. Also, eating foods that are fatty or spicy and that weaken the LES, or foods that are hard to digest, can worsen acid reflux.

Whereas conventional medicine has only a superficial action, limiting any effect to purely the symptoms, a holistic, all-natural program focuses on the basic reasons to put in place the only real secure and workable acid reflux remedy. To halt heartburn and halt its return, the basic contributing factors must be addressed and this is what the holistic principles do.