Where There’s Smoke, There’s Fire

Natural Heartburn Relief

Heartburn is commonly described as a sensation of something burning. It is felt just back of the breastbone’s lower end - at the lower end of the esophagus. It is as though someone lit a fire in your body.

Why the Smoke?

Smoke is frequently involved in the fire of heartburn. That is, smoking is often a cause of heartburn. Although smoking damages the entire body in one way or another, it is especially damaging to your digestive system.

Where there’s smoke, there’s fire.

In order to use natural Heartburn Relief as a smoker, you should first understand the connection between smoking and heartburn.

Smoking and Heartburn

1. Recent studies indicate that smoking causes the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) to relax. The LES is the ring of muscle that opens to allow food to enter the stomach. It should then close quickly to keep food and stomach acids in the stomach where they belong. If it relaxes or fails to function properly, stomach acid can flow back into the esophagus. The sensitive esophagus tissues send the brain a message of something burning. Natural Heartburn Relief must keep the LES from relaxing or strengthen it to close more readily.

2. Other studies indicate that smoking harms salivary function. Those who smoke require a longer time for acids to be cleared from the esophagus. The longer it takes, of course, the more you are likely to incur damage. Natural Heartburn Relief must improve salivary function.

3. It has been reported that those who smoke bring about changes in the composition of their saliva. Your saliva normally contains chemicals known as bicarbonates that neutralize acid. The saliva of those who smoke has been found to contain much smaller amounts of bicarbonates. Their saliva is less able to neutralize stomach acid. When the LES open, acid is more likely to damage esophageal tissues. Natural Heartburn Relief must raise levels of bicarbonates in the saliva.

Natural Heartburn Relief for Smokers

Smokers should use natural Heartburn Relief methods given in other articles at this site, but they will need additional natural Heartburn Relief also.

If you are a smoker, and suffer frequent heartburn, you should first visit your physician to determine if underlying causes are contributing to your heartburn. The natural Heartburn Relief information here is intended for educational purposes only.

With your doctor’s approval, try these approaches to natural Heartburn Relief for smokers.

1. Stop smoking. Natural Heartburn Relief will never be fully realized as long as you smoke at all. Stop smoking of all kinds.

2. Stop chewing tobacco. Tobacco in any form will negate efforts at natural Heartburn Relief.

3. Replace smoking with another form of relaxation: deep breathing, exercise, meditation, stretching, or walking.