Information on How to Relieve Heartburn
So you have heartburn and you need to know how to relieve it. That's understandable, because heartburn hurts! No one enjoys that burning feeling in the chest. Sometimes it stays low, at the top of the stomach, other times it rises up to the throat and mouth, and can leave one with a sour or bitter taste in the mouth!
Antacids
One of the most common ways of how to relieve heartburn is to take an antacid tablet when heartburn strikes. One or two tablets, chewed and swallowed, can often alleviate the heartburn quickly, quashing the fire. This method is quick and relatively inexpensive, and definitely easy to have on hand. They can be bought at almost any drug or grocery store - some brand names are Tums and Rolaids.
Baking Soda
Another method is to use a drink of sodium bicarbonate, dissolved in water. While the taste is nothing great, many people say that it is not only a good way of how to relieve their heartburn right on the spot, but it will keep them from having another bout of heartburn for several days. "Sodium bicarbonate" is also known as baking soda, available right in your kitchen cupboard.
H2 Blockers and Other Drugs
There is another medicine that is available over-the-counter. They are H2-receptor antagonists, also known as H2 Blockers. They are a form of systemic treatment. They work to decrease the amount of acid produced by the stomach. While they are effective, they take from half an hour to an hour to work their magic, so many people take them prior to eating their meal - to prevent heartburn rather than to cure the problem after it takes hold. Some of the brand names are Tagamet, Pepcid, and Zantac.
Another positive choice in how to relieve heartburn is to use an alginate. Alginates work by forming a protective barrier in the stomach to keep the acid in the stomach from coming back up the esophagus. It is not a systemic drug - and works faster than many forms of medicine for heartburn. It also gives longer-lasting relief than an antacid.
The last medical way of how to relieve heartburn is by taking a proton-pump inhibitor. It is used for those who don't respond well to the acid blockers or the antacids.
PPIs, Proton pump inhibitors are a heartburn medicine that can be helpful for those who do not respond well to the antacids or acid blockers. These are a systemic heartburn medicine, and directly block acid production in the stomach, by disfiguring and disabling the proteins (proton pumps) that affect the pH of the stomach, which allows the body to digest them. This form of heartburn medicine is not fast-acting, but they do provide long-lasting relief. Nevertheless, they are intended to only be taken for a short time.
If you know how to relieve heartburn, you will be saving yourself from suffering before you get to see a doctor.
