A glass of slightly cold water can immediately increase gastric pH countering and calming the effect of highly a acidic gut. I highly recommend it to most people with chronic or sudden acid reflux attack.

Some people, however, choose to drink Alkaline water to combat acid reflux and manage the symptoms.

Now, a pH of 7 is considered neutral. Anything above is alkaline.

Alkaline water has a higher pH level than that of plain tap water. Tap water PH is normally between 6.5-7.5. Alkaline water PH is between 8-9 which means highly alkaline.

In fact, high pH of alkaline water neutralizes stomach acid in much the same way as antacids do which is why many people decide to use them on a daily basis.

Changing your diet and drinking alkaline water can stop or prevent esophageal damage.

But it’s always best to make a slow switch or transition from tap or filtered water to alkaline water.

You want your body to slowly get used to the high PH of alkaline water.

People with kidney disease for example, should not drink alkaline water. Another possible side effect is changes in stomach PH. This means that you may be interfering with proper digestion.

You see, the stomach PH is quite low, between 1.5 to 3.5. It is basically a reservoir of strong acid.

The pH of our stomach is critical to the digestion of nutrients and is the first line of defense against harmful bacteria and viruses.

Changing the stomach PH to more alkaline using alkaline water may do more damage than good especially when used for a long period of time.

That is why you should always discuss your doctor on whether drinking alkaline water will be good for you in your particular case and with your medical history.

Need guidance on how to control and manage your acid reflux? Check out my Heartburn No More program

The post Does drinking water help acid reflux? first appeared on Jeff Martin's Acid Reflux Blog.

However, many OTC’s that may aid digestion or help reduce acidity have several potential problems. OTC’s can actually aggravate your condition in the long run by irritating your stomach or esophagus lining.

Although OTCs have less known side effects than prescription treatments, they can still have side effects

As a rule you should avoid purchasing OTCs without consulting your doctor even if symptoms are severe.

Here is some information about OTC treatments and their effect on acid reflux:

Antacids:

Antacids are drugs aimed at neutralizing stomach acid by emptying the acid from the stomach. In this way the reflux liquid will contain no acid. Although antacids work very fast, their effect is quickly reduced as acid re-accumulates in the stomach.

The effect of neutralizing acid stomach is achieved using three basic salts – magnesium, calcium, and aluminum – with hydroxide or bicarbonate ions.

The problem with calcium-based antacids is that they also stimulate the release of a hormone called gastrin that is mainly responsible for stimulating the production of stomach acid, which is counterproductive. Antacids also have some side effects including constipation, diarrhea and nausea.

Pepto Bismol

Pepto Bismol is a famous antacid OTC product that may temporarily soothe acid reflux and IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) symptoms, ease nausea and help digestion.

Pepto Bismol contains bismuth subsalicylate, an active ingredient that impedes the growth of bacteria, particularly H. pylori, (a bacteria related to ulcers) and aspirin. Pepto Bismol can cause side effects such as ringing in the ears.

Foaming Agents

Foaming agents are drugs that help cover your stomach contents with foam to prevent acid reflux. They contain a combination of aluminum hydroxide gel, magnesium trisilicate and alginate.

Foaming agents are best taken after meals and in combination with other drugs to maximize their effectiveness. If your esophagus is damaged, foaming agents are useless.

H2Blockers

H2 blockers (histamine antagonists) suppress acid production by attaching themselves to the receptor cells in the stomach. H2 blockers do that to prevent histamine (They block histamine type 2) from stimulating the production of acid.

If you suffer from inflammation in the esophagus, H2 blockers are useless, but they can be effective at temporarily alleviating the symptoms of GERD. The difference between over-the-counter H2 blockers and those
prescribed is the strength of the drug.

Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPIs)

Proton pump inhibitors are more potent than H2 blockers, and their success rate at alleviating the symptoms of GERD is far greater.

PPIs work by blocking the production of acid in your stomach while helping your esophagus to heal
in case of inflammation as they protect it for any contact with acidic reflux.

PPIs are usually used when H2 blockers prove to be ineffective. They are best taken before meals.

Prokinetics

Prokinetics, also called pro-motility drugs, are aimed at helping your stomach expel content more rapidly, enhance the stomach muscle tone and strengthen the LES. Pro-motility drugs are most effective when taken before meals and at bedtime.

Need guidance on how to control and manage your acid reflux? Check out my Heartburn No More program

The post Over-The-Counter (OTC) Medications and their effect on heartburn first appeared on Jeff Martin's Acid Reflux Blog.

Charcoal, basically, has the ability to absorb a toxin, inactivate it and then carry it inert through the entire length of the digestive tract and out of the body.

Activated charcoal can also lower the concentration of total lipids, cholesterol, and triglycerides in the blood serum, liver, heart and brain.

Furthermore, it reduces the activity of several viruses (like cold or the flu) and can even be be an effective companion to any treatment of systemic Candida Albicans infections and has been used by physicians since the last century to treat various intestinal complaints (gas, ulcerative colitis, diarrhea).

Activated charcoal is highly adsorbent and thus when ingested at the same time as medication, supplements and foods it may decrease their utilization.

Therefore, always allow 2 hours before and wait 2 hours after using activated charcoal to eat, take supplements or swallow medication.

The optimal and most effective way to take charcoal would not be as pills or as liquid preparation of charcoal powder (it is unpalatable and messy), would be by adding bentonite to the powder-water mixture (it will reduce powdery mouth-feel and improves the taste without reducing the efficacy of activated charcoal).

For almost immediate relief from heartburn try the following: mix 1 tablespoon of activated charcoal powder, with 1 tablespoon of bentonite powder and add to a tall glass of water.

Need guidance on how to control and manage your acid reflux? Check out my Heartburn No More program

The post Can This Powder Bring Instant Relief From Heartburn? first appeared on Jeff Martin's Acid Reflux Blog.

This is the standard marketing practices of the medical and pharmaceutical industry.

I NEVER one time had a doctor mention calcium to me. But, I am sure you have heard or read about calcium in different advertisements by companies promoting antacids.

In many of them calcium is one of their main ingredients.

Why don’t doctors tell you about the benefits of Calcium? Either they don’t know themselves, they don’t want to tell you or there is some other unknown reason.

There is NO questioning the fact that Calcium is much stronger than any antacid you can take and cost pennies on the dollar compared to antacids.

You might already have calcium tablets in your home, if so try a few now and see how well they make you feel immediately.

Not only does calcium work faster, it is much much longer lasting than all the antacids and over the counter medicines.

If you go to the drugstore to buy calcium and you take a few when you first pick up the bottle, by the time you get to the checkout counter you probably will feel better.

By the time you get to your car, you will feel much better. And, by the time you get home your acid reflux or heartburn will or should be minimal.

Since all sufferers have a big problem sleeping and constantly being awakened by pain, it is recommended you consume two to three tablets prior to lying down for the night.

If you have a severe problem, all you have to do is consume additional tablets before bedtime.

During sleep you will to be without food for seven to nine hours so you might need a second helping of calcium in the middle of the night, especially if you are experiencing pain.

So make sure they are easy to reach and that you have a glass of water close at hand to ease the ingestion process.

First, look for smaller tablets that are easier to chew. Second, get yourself a mortar and pestle like a pharmacist uses and break them into smaller pieces.

Be sure not to grind them into a fine powder. You want rather large chunks of calcium going to your stomach similar to when you chew them.

The larger the pieces, the more acid is used to break them down and is absorbed by the Calcium.

Need guidance on how to control and manage your acid reflux? Check out my Heartburn No More program 

The post Why Don’t Doctors Tell You About The Benefits Of Calcium? first appeared on Jeff Martin's Acid Reflux Blog.