Many people use home remedies for heartburn, but do they work? It depends on whether you have heartburn or GERD. This blog offers remedies and more.

By: Said Nabhan, M.D.

If you’re looking for some reliable home remedies for heartburn, put down that glass of milk and read on.

Milk is among many popular home remedies possibly used by the more than 60 million people in the U.S. who experience episodes of heartburn every month. And some of these remedies (such as milk), do offer temporary relief.

However, such home treatments can worsen the condition in the long term for certain people, research shows.

Knowing the difference will not only help ease your heartburn symptoms longer term but could also help prevent the onset of gastroesophageal acid reflux disease, or GERD, a chronic condition that affects 20% of adults.

If you experience episodes of heartburn, the home remedies for heartburn in this blog could help relieve your symptoms. More importantly, they could prevent your heartburn from developing into GERD.

How to Tell If You Need a Home Remedy for Heartburn

Before experimenting with home remedies for heartburn, you should first ensure that what you experience is indeed heartburn, and not GERD. Here are the differences:

Heartburn is caused by acid reflux, when the acids in your stomach occasionally back up into your food pipe (the esophagus). It’s characterized by a burning pain in the chest and/or stomach after eating, which might worsen when you bend over or lie down. Heartburn is itself a symptom of GERD.

GERD is a more serious condition in which the contents of your stomach always back up because of a weak or relaxed muscle between your stomach and esophagus (sphincter). Symptoms include chronic sore throat, persistent burping, bad breath, and difficulty or painful swallowing. GERD can also contribute to swollen gums and tooth erosion.

A gastroenterologist can diagnose with certainty whether you have heartburn or GERD.

Why You Experience Heartburn

If your symptoms indicate heartburn, it could be due to everyday factors you can control with a few lifestyle changes. These factors include:

• Your diet – Some foods trigger heartburn, and different people have different trigger foods. The most common culprits include acidic foods (citrus, tomatoes, coffee); spicy dishes; high-fat items (including French fries and pizza); garlic and onions; alcohol; and carbonated beverages.
• Certain activities – While weight loss is recommended for improving heartburn symptoms, some exercises might exacerbate symptoms by causing acids to back up or collect. These exercises include activities that require bending over and particular yoga poses, such as the downward dog, according to WebMD.
• Medications – Several drugs can weaken or relax your lower esophageal sphincter or lead to acid damage in the stomach. Among them are antibiotics; antidepressants and depressants; blood pressure medications; asthma medications; bone-loss drugs; and non-steroid anti-inflammatories such as aspirin and ibuprofen, Medical News Today reports.
• Stress – Research suggests that people under stress can be more sensitive to smaller amounts of acid in the esophagus, causing heartburn. Studies also link anxiety and depression with acid reflux.

Do Try These at Home: 9 Remedies for Heartburn

By avoiding or modifying the above triggers, you should be able to ease your heartburn symptoms and reduce the chances of your acid reflux developing into GERD. You can also try these doctor-approved home remedies for heartburn, which have the added benefit of supporting your overall gut wellness.

1. Change your meal pattern – Instead of three large meals a day plus snacks, adopt a routine of five or six small, planned meals. Also, take smaller bites and chew slowly. This can prevent overeating as well as pace your digestion.

2. Eat less when it’s late – Plan your main meal for the afternoon, rather than at night. This gives your digestive system plenty of time to break it all down. Make your evening meal light.

3. Don’t eat and rest – After any meal (including a light dinner), wait two or three hours before lying down. This gives your stomach time to empty out.

4. Don’t eat and run – Exercising on a full stomach can cause an acid reflux flareup, according to a report in Medical News Today. Wait a few hours and let your food exit your stomach.

5. Certain herbs and ingredients – Research suggests diluted baking soda, apple cider vinegar, ginger, and licorice supplements can ease heartburn pain. Consume these items occasionally and in small amounts; some might worsen heartburn if you take too much.

6. Sugar-free gum – Chewing gum (quietly) stimulates saliva, which can absorb and shield against acid. Chewing also tends to make you swallow more regularly, keeping acids down. (Sugar-free gum protects your teeth.)

7. Loosen up your waist – Body-hugging pants and other clothing that squeeze your abdomen can push stomach contents against the lower esophageal muscle.

8. Raise the bed, not your pillow – Tilt the top of your bed by about six inches using wood blocks or other stable objects. This way, when you lie down, your stomach contents won’t as easily back up. Raising your pillow will not do the trick for heartburn, WebMD reports.

9. Kick the habit – Cigarette smoking can compromise your esophageal muscle’s ability to seal and keep food in the stomach.

When You Should Call a Doctor

If you experience episodes of acid reflux more than two times a week and home remedies for heartburn do not produce significant relief, it is time to call your doctor. Our care team can guide you on a modification path to ease your symptoms and, if necessary, prescribe medications such as acid blockers.

If your symptoms persist, our gastroenterology specialists can perform one of several surgical procedures to tighten your sphincter muscle and help it perform better.

Until then, you can drink a little milk if it helps, but see your doctor before making it a home remedy.

If you think your heartburn might be gastroesophageal acid reflux disease, you can read more about GERD symptoms, diagnoses, and treatments on our website. If you’re still unsure of your condition, check out our blog that explains the differences between heartburn and GERD.