BEHAVIORAL/DIET CHANGES
·Eat Smaller, More Frequent Meals Eating large meals would expand your stomach, this increases the upward pressure against your lower esophageal sphincter.
·Limit Intake of Acid-Stimulating Foods and Beverages. Such foods include citrus or acidic fruits and veggies like lemons, oranges, strawberries, pineapples; beverages like coffee and tea. ·Dont Lie Down For About 2 Hours After You Eat. Dont Snack Before Bed. Keep upright during digestion allows gravity to help keep the stomach acid from backflowing.
·Elevate Your Head a Few Inches While You Sleep. You can add another pillow in addition to your existing one for extra head elevation during sleeping. This method helps those with night time heartburn by reducing the pressure of having the stomach contents pressed flat against the LES when the head is not elevated.
·Dont Smoke/Quit Smoking. Nicotine relaxes the lower esophageal sphincter. The act of smoking also stimulates the production of stomach acid, worsening the existing acid reflux problems you may already have.
·Dont Drink/Quit Drinking Alcohol.
·Relax or Reduce the Stress Factors in Your Environment. There is insufficient evidence to say that stress is linked to heartburn, but stress is known to lead to behaviors that cause heartburn.
·Dont Wear Belts or Clothes that are Tight Fitting Around the Waist. Any upward pressure on the stomach will not be good for those with acid reflux. Having tight clothing squeeze your abdomen leads to an upward reflux of food contents into the lower esophagus through the Lower Esophageal Sphincter.
OVER THE COUNTER PRODUCTS
There are a variety of over-the-counter medications available for reducing acid reflux:
·Antacids Antacids neutralize the acid in the stomach. These are usually the first drugs recommended.Examples include: Alka-Seltzer, Maalox, Rolaids, Riopan.
·Histamine-2 Receptor Blockers Histamine-2 Receptor Blockers block the release of acids from the stomach. Examples include: Cimetidine (Tagamet), Ranitidine (Zantac)
·Proton Pump Inhibitors Proton Pump Inhibitors block the release of acids from the stomach. Examples include: Omeprazole (Prilosec), Lansoprazole(Prevacid)
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