❤️Heartburn ❤️

For the day that's in it (?), I'm talking about the heartburn (Gastroesophegeal Reflex Disease) today.

One of the most asked questions when I was working in health shops was how to deal with the acid reflux.

In fact, so many people are on the anti-acid medications in Ireland, including babies some times!

But when I explained the mechanism of acid reflux, people used to get all puzzled...
So, here we go.
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❤️You Need Stomach Acid To Close Your Lower Esophageal Sphincter❤️

Your stomach is naturally very acidic.
As acidic as your car battery to be exact. (Ph 0.8) 🚗👀
That's because our stomach has to kill pathogenic microbiota as well as breaking down the food we eat.

It's amazing that this organ has a strong enough lining so that its contents don't melt itself! The contents stay safely enclosed in the stomach. The part that is responsible for it is the lower esophageal sphincter: stopping the foods to come back up.

This sphincter closes properly in response to the acid in stomach! 💡

When your stomach is not acidic enough for whatever the reason, it gets loose open and the acid (and the acidic contents) leaks back up. Your esophagus doesn't have the same strong lining like the stomach. So, your esophagus would be damaged (burnt by the acid), you have hear burn.

So, the anti-acid medication is questionable to me since what you need is your stomach to produce acid.

By lowering the stomach acidity, you are more susceptible to infections because pathogenic microbiota might survive.

Also, the stomach acid and Ph of the foods coming out of the stomach is a trigger for the certain hormones to adjust the ph of the foods to be more alkaline to suit the environment of the small intestine and encourage the beneficial microbiota to grow.
Also, various digestive enzymes are produced by the digestive organs taking a cue from the stomach acid. What a system! ✨
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❤️How To Produce More Stomach Acid❤️

So, you might find anti-acid medications give you a relief but it might be a temporary fix.

We need our body to produce the acid so that the lower esophageal sphincter closes properly.

My suggestions are as below.

❤️Prepare the meals by yourself.
When you touch the food and smell the foods cooking, the sensory nerves sending signals to your brain. The brain sends digestive organs the signals saying "Food is coming! Be prepared!" Your mouth gets watery with saliva, your stomach begins producing the acid and the other digestive organs get ready with enzymes!

❤️Don't Drink Too Much Water Right Before/After and During The Meal.
Hydration is important. But drinking too much water before/after/during the meal dilute the stomach juice, causing slower digestion.
Sip water to moisten your mouth so that you don't choke on your food. But no gulping down the glass!

❤️Chew, chew, chew...
We eat too quickly! I confess I do, too! But, really, the digestion is like a domino. If it goes well at the start (in the mouth), it most likely goes well with the rest.

❤️Eat Bitter Foods Before The Meal
Rocket leaves, dandelion leaves, chicory, warer with lemon, etc... When we taste bitter, our digestive organs produce what they need to break down foods that come after. The reason why the bitter has been known as a great digestive aid in the west is for this.

A quick run through of what I think of the heartburn.

May your heart be burning with love, not with reflux! 

Happy Valentine's Day to us all! ❤️