Chia comes from the Aztec word, “chian”, which means oily. It is high in omega-3 fatty acid; in fact it has more than any other grain – even more than flax seed. It has the perfect omega-3 to omega-6 ratio. This unsaturated fatty acid is essential for most successful functions of the body.

Since 2,500 B.C. chia seed have been used as human food. Known as “the running food”, these seeds were cultivated by the ancient Mayans and Aztecs. We are just now beginning to discover the importance of this grain.

Chia is loaded with calcium, boron and other necessary minerals; antioxidants, vitamins and fiber. It is a complete source of protein, with all the amino acids in perfect balance. It is indeed the perfect food. The ancient Aztecs valued chia to the extent that it was traded as currency. In those times anything which could increase endurance and control the appetite, was considered invaluable. It enabled them to sustain themselves on long hunting expeditions and war raids.

Chia seed has the ability to absorb approximately 12 times its weight in liquid. Because of this factor, it is a dieter’s dream come true. If made into what is called “chia gel”, it becomes a nutritious drink that fills you up, thus decreasing the appetite. To make this gel, simply add 1/3 cup chia seed to two cups of water. Stir well, breaking up any clumps and store in the refrigerator for twelve hours before drinking. You can store it there for at least two weeks. I make mine in a glass bottle with a tight fitting lid.

Drinking a third cup of chia gel at the onset of acid reflux can eliminate it for many people. Try drinking that much three times a day. It might prevent acid reflux from occurring at all. I know of people who swallow a teaspoon of raw seeds if they experience acid reflux. The seeds absorb the acid just as they do water. Of course you wouldn’t want to ingest too much raw seed at a time unless you have a tremendous amount of acid… it might absorb your stomach. It is best to be conservative and find out what is effective for you.

Chia has other beneficial qualities, as well. It has a neutral taste. It is very easily digested and assimilated. It is soothing to the stomach and esophagus and it has healing properties. Like slippery elm, it is rich in mucilloid soluble fiber, thus allowing it to quell the burning pain of acid reflux in the esophagus and stomach. In ancient times the Indians used it to prevent infection and accelerate healing time, by packing the seed into open wounds.

Chia gel can be incorporated into many other foods without diluting flavor, while displacing fat and calories. It works brilliantly to enhance flavor while replacing fat. For these reasons, chia gel should be an important, if not vital, part of the acid reflux diet.

For breakfast it can be mixed with hot oatmeal, pancakes, and biscuits dough. It’s delicious mixed into scrambled eggs. Ground chia seed can be used in baking bread or as a simple topping on many dishes. Use chia seed gel in yogurt, jams and jellies. Its great mixed into polenta, grits, smoothies and milk shakes. Try it in you favorite blended health mix drink.

Chia gel can be added to soups, salad dressings and even the stuffing that you put in a chicken. The possibilities are practically endless. Try introducing ¼ cup of chia gel into your favorite potato salad recipe, reducing the mayonnaise, in like. It can be used in many baking recipes as a substitution for fat.

Put it the kid’s food. They will never know the difference, as it actually enhances the flavor of food. They will love it! Feed it to your dogs. I put it in my fourteen year old Jack Russell Terrier’s food every day. Not only does he have better digestion and energy, he has better bowel movements. By the way, the F.D.A considers chia a food with an established history of safe consumption.

Chia gel slows the release of carbohydrates and their conversion to glucose (blood sugar). So, besides controlling acid reflux, loosing weight, increasing endurance, chia has the added benefit of reducing blood sugar and hypertension. Because of its high unsaturated fatty acid content, it can even help with prostate problems. I do not think anyone could go wrong by making chia seed a part of their every day life. Because of its incredible health-giving aspects, chia seed is the perfect food for everyone. It is certainly a Godsend for the acid reflux sufferer, in so many ways.

So try chia seed now. You have nothing to loose but a little weight. You could improve your digestion and overall health. It’s certainly worth a try.

© Wind Publishing

For free recipes, articles and information on acid reflux, please visit: Reflux Gone Forever

There’s still no proof indicating that stress is a direct cause of acid reflux. However, many experts agree that stress is a major factor in contributing to the symptoms of the condition. Because physical activity has been known to reduce stress, those suffering from acid reflux can benefit from it. Let’s talk about the three major activities that can help treat acid reflux, naturally.

Activity 1: Conventional Exercise

There have been studies that show obesity as a worsening factor for acid reflux. When you overeat, your stomach will need to secrete more acid to digest all of the food you consumed. This means that excess acid can build up in the stomach. Therefore, exercise is needed to maintain a healthy weight.

There are some exercise positions (like bending) that cause acid reflux as it brings up the acid up to your esophagus . It’s a myth that exercise in general causes acid reflux-you just need to know which exercises you can and cannot do. Avoid bending (i.e. sit ups), bouncing, and applying too much pressure on the abdomen while exercising.

Conventional exercises that can help treat acid reflux include a variation of aerobic and anaerobic movements such as stair climbing, step exercises, bicycling, and stretching. When doing weight training, use weight machines instead. As you can see, these exercises don’t require a lot of bending and bouncing, so acid is kept below the esophagus.

Activity 2: Yoga And Stretching

Because of Yoga’s ability to reduce stress, it is also known to treat many conditions. Certain poses like the Sukhasana are designed to straighten the spine and help reduce metabolism and therefore over-activity in the digestive system. Different poses actually enhance each other. There are poses that incorporate breathing exercises that help further reduce stress while other poses improve your overall physical health. Because yoga mainly utilizes your own strength with very little force or exertion, you’re able to easily maintain yoga exercises and therefore easily treat acid reflux in the long run.

Activity 3: Meditation

Meditation is known to alleviate painful and discomforting symptoms of acid reflux. Try closing your eyes and releasing all kinds of thought from your mind. Simply breathe deeply and feel every sensation accompanied by your breathing, including your muscles loosening up and your whole body entering into a more relaxed state. You may then start to visualize something positive, like being in a tranquil place or simply looking at a perfectly blue sky. These simple techniques have been shown to reduce stress remarkably and so can naturally sooth nasty symptoms of acid reflux.

As you can see, an effective natural cure for acid reflux has a lot to do with you being proactive. While taking medication can treat you for now, think about what other things you can do to prevent acid reflux. Before trying out any of the methods in this article, consult your doctor first.

Alvin Hopkinson is a leading health researcher in the area of natural remedies and acid reflux cure. Discover how you can get rid of your acid reflux for good using proven home remedies, all without using harmful medications or drugs. Visit his site now at http://www.refluxremoval.com

Spring water for acid reflux can reduce and swindle the total amount of acid that your stomach may possess, causing the acid reflux to decrease in size, or leave without a trace. Although this hasn’t been a proven natural cure for acid reflux, most people who try it can see the difference when they hadn’t been trying it previously.

Chlorine-containing tap water alone could cause acid reflux alone. Spring water is chlorine-free. Also, the apple-cider vinegar cure is another natural cure for acid reflux that can benefit you and your health.

Another natural cure for acid reflux can be a good quality of yogurt consumed several times a day along with two acidophilus/bifodophilus capsules with a high bacterial count. Taking the capsules around 2-3 times a day with each meal for around 3 weeks straight for the symptoms of acid reflux to tally, and naturally, subside.

Yogurt contains a lot of bacteria, which is good for eating up the acid inside of your stomach. Eating a cup of yogurt in the morning, lunch, and after dinner should get you results after only one week.

If you do not want to increase the overall pain of acid reflux, stay away from aspirin and ibuprofen. These two drugs can spark up the acid within your stomach and cause you to have the acid reflux worse than ever before – these are the most common things people use today that can spark up the acid reflux, and is one of those things you do not want to use with a natural cure for acid reflux.

So just what is Acid Reflux?

Acid Reflux is a condition in which acid from the stomach escapes and moves up into the oesophagus. This is not a normal process of digestion and so can cause severe discomfort. If you have too much acid in your stomach it can eat away at the stomach lining and affect the muscles in the stomach and the oesophagus.

Some of the more common acid reflux causes include diet and lifestyle. It may not be so easy to change your lifestyle, maybe because of the type of job you do, which may be hectic and stressful. However making a small change in your diet and knowing what acid reflux foods to avoid can make a huge difference to how much you suffer.

Watching what you eat is essential if you suffer from acid reflux, and knowing what acid reflux foods to avoid is vital, as a poor diet is one of the main acid reflux causes. And it’s not just what you eat; it can also be how you eat. Try eating smaller more frequent meals as opposed to large heavy meals. Having less food in your stomach at any one time, means that your stomach does not have to produce such a large amount of acid to digest it.

Natural remedies for acid reflux can include just eating the right foods, and knowing what acid reflux foods to avoid. Fatty foods, acidic foods such as oranges or tomatoes should all be avoided, as should onions, chocolate, and any milk based products. Fast foods and fried foods are known to be some of the worst acid reflux causes.

As well as acid reflux foods to avoid, there are also foods that can be beneficial (thank goodness I hear you cry). Try switching to more fruit and vegetables, and complex carbohydrates in your diet. Some of these beneficial foods include apples, bananas, carrots, rice (brown or white), bread (wheat, multi grain, or white), corn bread, pasta, and cereals.

Meat and fish can also be part of a healthy diet as long as they are cooked the right way. Avoid frying and always buy lean meats. Fish can be steamed and things like beef and pork can be grilled. Chicken breasts are fine as long as you remove the skin. Also some dairy products are ok, fat free cream cheese, soy cheese, or feta cheese will not cause you any problems.

Along with these acid reflux foods to avoid there are also certain drinks and beverages to be aware of. Coffee, tea, or anything else with caffeine should be avoided. Alcohol is another no no, as is milk or any milk products. Smoking is also one of the worst acid reflux causes, so the cigarettes will have to go if you want to start feeling some improvement. Just by making these few changes in your diet can act like a natural cure for acid reflux.

Most doctors, unfortunately, have little knowledge of natural medicine. They receive no training of the natural healing skills in med school. It seems that most physicians only know how to support the pharmaceutical companies by writing out prescriptions. In fact, the medical community at large opposes natural medicine because there is no money in it for them.

If you choose to treat yourself by using natural techniques, then you are on your own unless you are lucky enough to have a holistic practitioner. Thankfully, we have the internet at our disposal where there is a bounty of information available. Our job then, is to glean out the good from the bad – to become an investigator and to find out what is best for us individually. At least, for the moment, we have the freedom to do so.

Acid reflux is essentially caused by improper eating habits. That includes what we eat, how we eat and where we eat. Most likely a person suffering from acid reflux has a damaged esophagus. It is essential to allow the esophagus to heal in order to break the acid reflux cycle. There are many safe and natural products available in health food stores and on the internet that can assist in this process. Following, are some easy steps that can be employed to become acid reflux free:

1. Eliminate the trigger causes. Everyone should know what foods usually cause acid reflux. We are all different and react to food and beverages in different ways. Many people find that by avoiding acidic foods like tomato sauce, coffee, red wine, chocolate, fried and spicy foods, they can reduce the chances of having acid reflux.

Foods that consist of highly refined carbohydrates and sugars also can contribute to this condition. Staying away from fast food restaurants is a wise thing to do. It is far healthier to eat a meal of fruit like bananas and apples, or soup and a salad than a greasy, fat filled burger with fries. Fast food places are designed to give you indigestion. By pushing that large carbonated soda with your fast food meal, they are guaranteeing that you will have heartburn. It is always best to drink nothing with a meal, as liquid dilutes the acids necessary for proper digestion. Carbonation only makes it worse.

2. Another great cause of acid reflux is eating under stressful conditions. It is wise not to eat while reading the newspaper or watching television. Even on the subliminal level, the slightest bit of unpleasant business can contribute to stress and indigestion. I have found that yoga and meditation tend to reduce the stress that we accumulate in day to day living. Give it a try.

Have you ever noticed that you are apt to have heartburn if you mix eating with argument? Suffice it to say that one should never eat while in a negative emotional state. This is a sure fire formula for acid reflux to flare up.

Eating slowly in a relaxed and pleasant environment is essential for good digestion. Chewing food thoroughly is also important, as food is easier to digest if broken down into tiny pieces. Also keep in mind that saliva mixed with food, is the first step in the digestive process. Therefore, avoiding that quick lunch on the run, will aid you in developing more healthy eating habits and reduce your chances of acid reflux.

Another important point to make is to always allow two to three hours after eating before you go to bed. This allows the food in the stomach to go down to the next level of digestion where it will not be able to reflux up into the esophagus.

3. Water consumption is very important. Drinking water is paramount to good health in general. By drinking water at the first sign of acid reflux, one can reduce the pain by diluting the acid in the stomach. As mentioned before, one should not drink while eating, but later if there is acid reflux.

Drinking copious amounts of fresh pure water helps the body become alkaline in nature. Water flushes out the acidic toxins which our bodies collect on a cellular lever. If we are alkaline in nature, we reduce the chances of developing acid reflux.

It has been proven that people who do regular aerobic exercise tend to have less acid reflux than those who don’t. Walking at a rapid pace for thirty minutes a day will do the job.

There are many other aspects to consider when attempting to become acid reflux free. The information above will certainly get you on your way.

© 2006 Wind Publishing

For free recipes, articles and information about acid reflux, please visit: http://www.refluxgoneforever.com

These drugs are convenient to use and can be initially useful, but many find that the side effects outweigh the benefits. When it comes to quitting them, one will find that it is not so easy.

PPI drugs are supposed to be used for a restricted period of time, however most patients continue their use indefinitely. Not only do patients abuse these drugs, but also the physicians who prescribe them. Unfortunately, there are no studies regarding the effects of the long term use of these drugs. One has to question whether the prolonged use of PPI drugs is really safe.

We do know that by reducing the production of stomach acid, the proper digestion and assimilation of food is restricted. Are chronic users of these drugs suffering from a form of malnutrition? It is important to keep in mind that stomach acid also keeps potentially dangerous intestinal bacteria in check. So what may seem to be acid reflux utopia, in reality may be acid reflux hell.

When one stops these drugs, after prolonged use, the acid pumps turn on again and come back with a vengeance producing more acid than they did before. This is referred to as “acid reflux rebound”. This is often such a terrible and frightening experience that most people become quickly discouraged and immediately get back on the drugs. This “catch 22” situation has proven to be a virtual gold mine for the pharmaceutical companies, who make billions of dollars in profits each year.

It is a horrible position to be in. You know you want to quite these drugs. They stop working and you are instructed to double the dose. You make an effort to stop, but it all backfires on you. Your throat burns like its on fire and your doctor tells you that if you don’t take the drugs you may develop esophageal cancer. Who wouldn’t be frightened?

Now for the good news; there are non-pharmaceutical things that one can do to survive “acid reflux rebound” and get back on the right track.

At this point there is most likely damage to the esophagus. One cannot hope to improve until the esophagus is well again.

In order to heal the esophageal damage, there are a few things to be considered. First and foremost one must temporarily change their diet. By now everyone should be aware of what foods and beverages trigger their acid reflux. Replace these offending foods with mild, easy to digest foods.

Instead of a slice of pizza with acidic tomato sauce, have a salad. Substitute that morning cup of coffee with a cup of tea. Have a glass of white instead of red wine with dinner. It’s just a matter of common sense, but these changes are necessary during the acid reflux recovery period.

In order to defeat the acid reflux syndrome, one must attempt to become as alkaline as possible. Anything which has an acidic effect on the body should be eliminated. Smoking is perhaps the most acidic thing one can do. Eating too much at one time causes an over production of stomach acid. Aerobic exercise actually causes the body to become more alkaline in nature.

Drinking copious amounts of clean fresh water will help flush out the acidic toxins which accumulate in the body. A body which is properly hydrated is rarely acidic in nature. A glass of water after a meal is a good idea, but drinking much of anything with meals is counter productive. This dilutes the digestive fluids, causing the stomach to produce more acid.

Believe it or not, chewing gum between meals is beneficial. Chewing produces saliva which is very alkaline. Chewing gum after meals puts more alkalinity in the stomach to counteract the over production of acid.

There are many natural ingredients found in grocery and health food stores, which can help during the acid reflux recovery period. Herbs, such as marshmallow and slippery elm have wonderful healing properties. Licorice, natural honey and aloe vera juice can sooth the esophageal lining and assist in the healing process.

There are very few cases of acid reflux which can’t be successfully treated if one understands what causes this condition. Simple things like eating slowly and chewing food thoroughly, in a pleasant relaxed atmosphere, can reduce ones chances of having acid reflux.

We do not have to be prisoners of this drug oriented “acid reflux rebound” effect. It is unfortunate that most doctors rely on pharmaceuticals as the only solution to the acid reflux condition.

With a little education regarding the causes of acid reflux and the knowledge of natural medicine, one can survive “acid reflux rebound” and go on to live a normal life. We are at the brink of a new era where the patient must sometimes also be the healer.

© 2007 Wind Publishing

For free recipes, articles and information about acid reflux, please visit: http://www.refluxgoneforever.com