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Heartburn, Baking Soda and Antacids - What You Must Know

By: Natalie Beech Can baking soda from your kitchen cupboard in a glass of water soothe your heartburn or acid reflux? Well, yes it can. But there are some important points you must know about using baking soda or any antacid as a heartburn remedy.

What Is Heartburn and How Can Baking Soda Help?

Some people suffer heartburn after eating too quickly or eating particular foods. It results from a little stomach acid squirting up into your esophagus, which is the tube that leads from your mouth to your stomach. This ‘acid reflux’ irritates the walls of the esophagus resulting in a burning sensation. It actually has nothing to do with the heart but because the burning is felt in the chest area, it was referred to as ‘heartburn’. Symptoms of heartburn can mask the more serious symptoms of heart disease so it is important to find the causes of the acid reflux and eliminate them.

For the occasional, mild heartburn, sipping a little water can help dilute the acid and cool the burning sensation. Saliva produced in the mouth is naturally alkaline and so can neutralize the acid. Chewing gum is a good way to increase the saliva for swallowing.

However, baking soda for heartburn is such an effective remedy because it too is alkaline and will help to neutralize the acid. Just one teaspoon in a glass of water, sipped slowly, should bring adequate relief. The benefits of baking soda over antacids, is that you can buy it from any food store, it is cheap and it does not require a prescription. And if you bake cookies, then you have a ready supply already!

When Baking Soda and Antacids Can Cause Problems

If you take too much baking soda, or any antacid medication, then you start to neutralize the acid in the stomach. The stomach then compensates by producing more acid, leading to you taking more baking soda or antacid. This can exhaust the stomach cells and so the levels of stomach acid can drop over time. You might think this is a good thing for your heartburn, but reduced levels of stomach acid can impair digestion to such an extent that food is not properly broken down. Allergies and inflammation in various areas of the body can be the result.

Those suffering from high blood pressure should avoid excess sodium, which is present in baking soda and many antacids. Some antacids also contain calcium and magnesium which can cause mineral imbalances over a long period of time and aluminum salts which have been associated with Alzheimer’s disease. Note also that some medicines and also some medical conditions can weaken the esophageal sphincter and cause acid reflux. These include: calcium channel blockers for hypertension, asthma medication, anxiety medication, antihistamines, or prescription pain killers. So consult your doctor if you think your medication might have this side effect, or if you suffer from frequent heartburn.

Baking soda, as with any over-the-counter antacid, is not a long term solution for heartburn. Your first step should be to discover what causes your heartburn. You may find that the causes of acid reflux are the opposite to what you might expect. Your priority should be to find a cure for your heartburn. You may be surprised by what you find. But you need to know what the solutions are for your long term health.

Article Source: http://www.lifeweightloss.com

About the author: Natalie Beech is a health writer who writes informatively about heartburn. Discover surprising information about heartburn and acid reflux at The Heartburn Relief Website
This article is available as a unique content article with free reprint rights.

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