9 Supplements To Help Relieve Heartburn
Did you know that heartburn affects approximately 60 Million Americans at least once a month, according to the American College of Gastroenterology? Unfortunately for more than 15 million Americans, they suffer from heartburn daily.
The medical term for heartburn is acid reflux. Acid reflux occurs when the stomach acid in the stomach ends up backing up into the esophagus. When the stomach acid backs up into the esophagus, many people describe the feeling as burning in the chest to the neck. This is where the term heartburn comes from.
Heartburn can be incredibly uncomfortable, and feel as if someone lit a fire in your chest. If you suffer from acid reflux, you want immediate relief. There are several over-the-counter medications you can try, but those do not work for everyone and sometimes can take a while to work. In some cases, you must take some over-the-counter medications every day to prevent heartburn symptoms from occurring.
Luckily, there are several supplements that people have found success in when it comes to treating heartburn and relieving the uncomfortable symptoms associated with it.
Zinc
Adding a Zinc supplement to your diet may help to decrease heartburn. Zinc plays a crucial role in both stomach and intestinal health. Zinc helps to regulate the amount of stomach acid that is secreted by the body.
Additionally, Zinc helps to heal the membranes and protects the layers of the stomach from stomach acid.
Melatonin
Melatonin is naturally secreted by the body and can help with more than just getting a good night’s sleep. Melatonin also can improve acid reflux. In addition, melatonin helps to improve heartburn symptoms for two main reasons.
Melatonin works to help reduce heartburn because it helps to regulate esophageal tone. In addition, melatonin is also secreted by the gastrointestinal tract as well as the pituitary gland.
The gastrointestinal tract secretes more melatonin than the pituitary gland does. Studies found that the gastrointestinal tract secretes over 400 times more melatonin than the pituitary gland does.
Additionally, these studies have found that people with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and acid reflux typically have lower melatonin levels in their system.
D-Limonene
D-Limonene supplements help reduce heartburn because they provide a barrier that floats on top of the stomach acid. This barrier helps to prevent stomach acid from coming up into the esophagus and causing discomfort to the esophagus, which attributes to heartburn.
Marshmallow Root
Marshmallow Root is a herb that helps to coat and provide a barrier to both the esophagus and the stomach. This barrier helps to relieve heartburn because it prevents damage from stomach acid, which leads to heartburn.
B Vitamins
There have been several studies on B Vitamins and their use to treat and help relieve heartburn symptoms. B Vitamins help to reduce inflammation in the esophagus. In many cases of acid reflux, this inflammation is attributed to the discomfort of acid reflux and heartburn.
B Vitamins have been found to improve the long-term effects of acid reflux and provide immediate relief. In addition, studies have found that when B-Vitamins and Folates are taken together, there is a link between taking these supplements and a lower risk of a condition known as Barrett’s esophagus and esophageal cancer. Barrett’s esophagus and esophageal cancer are potential complications of long-term GERD.
Iberogast
Iberogast is another supplement to consider when trying to relieve heartburn. However, Iberogast works a little differently than the other supplements on this list. Iberogast is a supplement used to commonly help improve symptoms and treat irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
Iberogast works to improve heartburn because it helps to hinder the rebound activity of stomach acid. Unfortunately, with some antiacid medications, once someone stops taking certain antacid medications, there is a rebound effect. This rebound effect causes an increase in stomach acid to be produced by the body.
If you have heartburn due to the increase in stomach acid after stopping antiacid medications, taking an Iberogast supplement may help relieve your symptoms.
Betaine Hydrochloride (HCL) With Pepsin
While heartburn may be caused by having too much stomach acid, having low stomach acid levels has also been associated with heartburn.
Betaine Hydrochloride (HCL) is a supplement that helps to increase stomach acid production. Studies have found that with low levels of stomach acid, people suffer from slower digestion, slower absorption of nutrients, stomach pain, and more symptoms of heartburn or acid reflux.
Ginger
Ginger has been used as a remedy for stomach discomfort and nausea for years, but many people have found that it relieves their heartburn symptoms as well.
Ginger works to speed up emptying the stomach, which helps relieve heartburn since delayed stomach emptying may lead to heartburn and regurgitation of stomach acid.
It is important to note that too much Ginger has had the opposite effect and some people have found that taking too much Ginger increased their heartburn. Therefore, it is crucial to take Ginger as directed.
Probiotics
Probiotics are naturally found bacteria that live in the digestive tract. The role of probiotics is to improve gut health and help to improve the body’s immune functions. However, studies have also found that taking an additional probiotic supplement may help decrease acid reflux symptoms.
Relieve Your Heartburn Today
Heartburn can leave someone in a lot of pain and want to find relief from their symptoms fast. Unfortunately, sometimes over-the-counter medications are not the best option for relieving symptoms fast and can even lead to someone becoming reliant on these medications, so there is no rebound in stomach acid production. If this may be the cause of your heartburn, then try taking an Iberogast supplement instead.
You don’t have to struggle with indigestion and heartburn. Trying a Zinc, Melatonin, D-Limonene, Marshmallow Root, B Vitamin, Iberogast, Betaine Hydrochloride (HCL), Ginger, or Probiotic supplement may be the solution for you to get the heartburn relief you need.