Home Care Tips: Warding Off Acid Reflux Symptoms

Home Care in Lexington NC

Heartburn and acid reflux may be the source of plenty of jokes, especially about getting older, but if these ailments are a part of your home care journey with your loved ones, you know that they are nothing to laugh about. While extremely common, acid reflux can be very uncomfortable, and even painful, and if left unaddressed can lead to a variety of serious health consequences.

According to the Mayo Clinic, acid reflux occurs when acids from the stomach wash back up through the esophagus. This can lead to a bad taste in the mouth, a chronic sore throat, and that telltale burning sensation in the chest. While it is common for these symptoms to occur occasionally, especially after eating potentially irritating foods, if they occur several times per week, they could be classified as GERD, or gastroesophageal reflux disease. As much as 60 percent of the adult population will experience symptoms of acid reflux, and up to 20 percent will have these symptoms develop into GERD.

Fortunately a few simple lifestyle changes can help you and your parents ward off these unpleasant symptoms and stay healthier. Try these tips, and share them with your parents’ in home health care services provider, to help ward off acid reflux symptoms:

• Loosen up. While there are some studies that suggest that stress can make reflux symptoms worse, when it comes to taming your symptoms, you should really be thinking about loosening up your clothing. Tight pants, belts, dresses, and other garments that put pressure on the belly can push stomach acids and partially digested food up out of the stomach and back into the throat, causing and worsening symptoms.

• Shed some pounds. Even being slightly overweight puts additional pressure on your stomach, making digestion more difficult. Work toward cutting down on your weight by even a few pounds to ease this pressure and reduce symptoms.

• Sleep on an empty stomach. End your habit of eating a midnight snack or nightcap. Putting anything in the stomach before lying down increases the risk that those substances will make their way back up the esophagus, especially when you go horizontal.

• Find and avoid your triggers. While there are many foods linked to increased instance of acid reflux and GERD, everyone will respond to these triggers differently and will have foods that will cause and worsen their symptoms. Start keeping track of what you eat and drink and when you experience reflux symptoms so that you can identify the foods and beverages that bump up your experience of your symptoms. Foods like chocolate, coffee, carbonated beverages, tomatoes and tomato products, citrus fruits, and peppermint are all common triggers, so pay close attention when you consume these foods to make sure that they are not causing problems.

• Chew it out. Take out your frustration about experiencing these symptoms by literally chewing them out. Chewing mint-flavored gum has been shown to reduce symptoms of acid reflux and GERD, primarily because it increases saliva production, which neutralizes the acid.

If you or an aging loved one are considering home care in Lexington, NC, contact the caring professionals at TenderHearted Home Care today. Call us at (704) 612-4132.

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/heartburn/expert-answers/heartburn-gerd/faq-20057894

http://blog.aarp.org/2014/12/08/7-ways-to-reduce-acid-reflux-even-if-youre-the-president/