Heartburn is a nagging complaint for many people. Some awaken with heartburn in the morning. Others experience it after the first cup of coffee in the morning. They may have heartburn once a week or five times a day.

Heartburn Prevention is a dream for many. Given a choice, they would choose never to experience another episode, but they would also choose not to take prescription medication as Heartburn Prevention. What might they do?

Potential Heartburn Prevention

The following ideas are among many suggestions doctors give for Heartburn Prevention. The author does not agree with all of these, but offers them as potential remedies you might want to try.

1. Clothing: Wear loose fitting clothing, especially at the waist. You may have to make a choice between pride and Heartburn Prevention.

2. Weight: Lose weight until you are at a healthy level for your body type and lifestyle. Many gain Heartburn Prevention with a loss of weight.

3. Slow Down: Fast eating may be triggering heartburn. Eat more slowly and take time to chew food well. It may be all you need to do for Heartburn Prevention.

4. Avoid Trigger Foods: These differ for each individual, it is believed. Try eliminating certain foods from your diet, one by one. If Heartburn Prevention is achieved when you eliminate tomatoes and tomato-based dishes, you will know that is a trigger food. If you eliminate a food for a few days and experience no change, add it back to your diet and eliminate a different food. Those that are thought to trigger heartburn include tomatoes, alcohol, caffeine, chocolate, citrus, spices, fatty foods, and peppermint.

5. Shrink Portions: Another possible means of Heartburn Prevention is to eat smaller portions - and smaller meals. Replace your normal 3 meals a day with 5 or 6 smaller meals. The sphincter muscle that controls heartburn will have less work to do and may gain in strength.

6. Early Evening Snacks: Limit your evening snacking, and eat nothing for two or three hours before going to sleep. This is said to be good Heartburn Prevention for those whose sleep is interrupted by episodes.

7. Reduce Stress: Perhaps the greatest form of Heartburn Prevention is to reduce stress in your life. Most of society is over-stressed these days, resulting in a variety of physical complaints, one of which is heartburn.

If you accomplish all of the above and still experience acid reflux, you may need prescription medication for Heartburn Prevention.

CAUTION: The author is not a medical professional, and presents this information for educational purposes only. Please talk to your doctor about your heartburn symptoms and Heartburn Prevention.

Other articles on this site describe the cause of acid reflux - a muscular cause. The ring of muscle between the esophagus and stomach (LES) fails to squeeze shut properly, allowing acid to flow back (reflux) into the esophagus.

Acid reflux and drinking coffee would seem, then, to be unrelated. How can the drinking of a certain beverage cause a muscle to malfunction? If acid reflux were a disease, with symptoms suggesting that coffee caused acid to build, it might be understandable. Acid reflux is, however, a muscular condition.

Caffeine

Acid reflux and drinking coffee is thought by some to be related by the presence of caffeine. Coffee was discovered more than a millennium ago, but little is known about the biological effects of coffee and its main active ingredient, caffeine.

What is known about caffeine includes these effects related to acid reflux, heartburn, and GERD.

* increases stomach acid production
* is well absorbed by the stomach
* enhances muscle performance

Some claim that caffeine relaxes the LES, allowing acid reflux to occur. There is no clinical proof for this supposition. In fact, tests indicate that caffeine enhances muscle performance and would, therefore, make the LES work better. In relation to acid reflux, it must also be noted that, after four days of regular use, caffeine no longer produces the above results. The body develops tolerance. Those who drink coffee regularly would soon have little to no increase of stomach acid production as a result. There would be little reason to expect acid reflux.

In some people tested, it appeared that coffee relaxed the LES, but caffeine was not shown to be the cause.

Other Ingredients

Perhaps some other ingredient in coffee causes acid reflux. Since caffeine is the principal active ingredient, this would seem unlikely. However, the cyclic dipeptides that give coffee its bitter flavor might possibly cause a degree of muscle relaxation. It has been found that some cyclic dipeptides, with increased solubility, might have potential as muscle relaxants. It is not yet known whether coffee is in that category.

Conclusion

The most likely relationship between acid reflux and drinking coffee may be the rest of the diet consumed by affected coffee drinkers. Certain foods or recipes taken with the coffee may be causing the acid reflux or heartburn.

Alternative causes are not to be ruled out, of course. Stress is top on the list of things other than food and beverage that can cause acid reflux.

CAUTION: This information is presented for educational purposes only. Please see your physician if you have ongoing, chronic heartburn, acid reflux, or GERD.

What is the best Heartburn Relief? The question is asked by millions who suffer from this common complaint. Perhaps they just ate too fast or too much. Maybe they ate spicy, fatty food - or their clothing is too tight. Whatever the circumstances, they are suffering a heartburn attack, and are looking for Heartburn Relief.

Heartburn medication is easy to find. Your local grocery store or pharmacy offers a wide selection. But what is the best Heartburn Relief?

Does It Really Spell Relief?

One heartburn medication has long claimed that its name spells relief. This heartburn medication is an antacid. It and similar antacids fill store shelves, promising relief from acid indigestion, heartburn, and sour stomach. The idea behind them is to neutralize the acid in the stomach. Some people believe the cause of heartburn is excess acid in the stomach. If that is true, they reason, the best Heartburn Relief is to chew a couple of Tums, Rolaids, Maalox, or some other antacid.

Antacids can provide short-term Heartburn Relief, but should not be used regularly. Antacids usually cause only minor side effects, which may include constipation, diarrhea, headaches, or nausea. The side effects of these Heartburn Relief medications go away on their own.

Acid Reducers

Relief of heartburn may require something stronger than antacids. Over-the-counter (OTC) heartburn medications that claim to be acid reducers promise Heartburn Relief in such cases. Among the OTC acid reducers are the following.

* H2 blockers: H2 blockers require more time to act than antacids, but provide Heartburn Relief for a longer period of time. H2 blockers reduce the amount of acid produced by the stomach. Some heartburn medications combine H2 blockers with antacids. Pepcid Complete is one such brand name heartburn medication. Such a combination medicine is said to give Heartburn Relief right away. The relief is said to last for many hours.

* Bismuth subsalicylate: This acid reducer works by balancing the manner in which fluid moves through the bowels. It is said to bind bacterial poisons to remove their risk, and kill germs. This Heartburn Relief medication is used also to treat diarrhea and vomiting.

* Proton pump inhibitors: Proton pump inhibitors shut down production of acid in the stomach. Heartburn Relief medications of this type require 1 to 4 days before they begin to work.

What is the best Heartburn Relief medication for you? That depends. If you are taking other prescription medications, you should always talk to your health care provider before using any Heartburn Relief medication. Even aspirin can be a problem if you take a bismuth subsalicylate OTC drug.

CAUTION: The author is not a licensed medical professional. The information given here is for educational purposes only. Please discuss your heartburn symptoms and Heartburn Relief medications with your doctor.