Did you know that Gastroesophageal Reflux (GER) affects 60 million people in the U.S? And out of those 60 million, 25 million suffer from heartburn every day.
Spicy foods and takeout may seem harmless and convenient, but they come with their own consequences.
On average, the symptoms of acid reflux can last for 2 hours.Pregnant women are more vulnerable, with 25% experiencing symptoms in their third trimester.
And while heartburn is a symptom of GER, there’s a lot more to it than that! The million dollar question is, what causes heartburn, and can it be prevented?
Fatty foods are a big no-no if you suffer from acid reflux. Just because some foods aren’t spicy, it doesn’t mean you that you shouldn’t avoid them!
But why should you avoid them? That’s because your digestive system takes more time to digest fatty foods and this can irritate your stomach acids.
You probably didn’t expect to see citrus fruits on the list! But it makes sense. Citrus fruits such as key limes and lemons are acidic by nature. If you’re already suffering from acid reflux, you should avoid citrus fruits.
Even oranges, despite tasting sweet, are acidic. If you love drinking a glass of orange juice every morning, it’s best to switch to green tea.
Certain medicines can also lead to heartburn. An aspirin every once in a while isn’t going to result in that “fiery” feeling, but regular usage can lead to acid reflux.
Other than this, popular painkillers like Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAID) can also irritate the esophagus. These include ibuprofen, naproxen, and prescription Cox-2 inhibitors such as Celebrex.
Certain medicines used to treat high blood pressure also trigger acid reflux because they contain calcium channel blockers and nitrates. These relax the LES muscle, which causes the stomach acids to retreat.
Chemotherapy, narcotics, antidepressants, iron supplements, birth control pills, and asthma medicine can also lead to heartburn.
Therefore, it’s important to talk to your doctor before you make the decision to stop taking your medicines.
These are just some of the many reasons why some individuals are vulnerable to heart burn.
Making dietary and lifestyle changes can prevent the problem. Taking enzyme supplements to boost immunity can also help.
So now that you have the basic gist of what your body needs, get to it! Order your supply of high quality digestive enzyme supplements. And give your digestive system the boost it needs!