How to Relieve Heartburn

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Heartburn is extremely uncomfortable and it's not always clear what causes it. Some people say 'don't eat so much' or 'don't eat so fast'. Other like to blame spicy foods such as hot curries or Cajun seasonings; other cite grapefruits, oranges and antacids or and acid suppressor like ranitidine, omeprazole or cimetidine. But the long-term goal is to pinpoint - and avoid - your personal heartburn triggers.

Steps

Stay upright, no matter how bad you feel. If you're standing, gravity helps to keep acid in your stomach. Avoid bending over after a meal, and definitely don't lie down.
Drink a large glass of water as soon as you feel the telltale flicker of a heartburn. The water will wash the acid back down your esophagus and into your stomach.
Drink heartburn-easing tea.
- Add a teaspoon of freshly grated root ginger to a cup of boiling water, steep for 10 minutes, and drink. Long used to quell the nausea caused by motion sickness, ginger also helps to relax the muscles that line the walls of the esophagus, so stomach acid doesn't get pushed upwards.
- A tea made from anise, caraway or fennel seed can also ease the burn, according to herbalists. Add 2 teaspoons of any one of them to a cup of boiling water, allow to infuse for 10 minutes, strain and drink.
- Add a teaspoon of powdered bark into a cup of hot water and drink a few cups throughout the day.
Drink a tablespoon of vinegar. This may seem contrary to reason because vinegar is very acidic; however, an excess of acid is not always the cause of heartburn. The esophagus is supposed to close off from the stomach when it comes in contact with acid, and if this is not functioning properly, even normal amounts of stomach acid can cause heartburn. The acidic shock of drinking a tablespoon of vinegar can cause it to close, thus preventing acid from rising up. It will burn as you swallow it, but within seconds the heartburn will be cured.
- If the taste of the vinegar is too strong for you, you can mix it with a glass of apple cider; but it may lessen the effectiveness. Experiment with more or less amounts of cider to see what tastes acceptable to you and still works effectively.
Chew on a piece of sugar-free gum, suck on a boiled sweet or daydream about juicy steaks or buttery new potatoes - whatever it takes to get you to generate and swallow extra saliva. Saliva helps to neutralize stomach acid.

Take in the juices of vegetables likes carrots, cucumbers, radishes or beetroot. They help to tame the acid in the stomach due to their alkaline nature. Feel free to add a pinch of salt and pepper for flavour. If juicing vegetables is inconvenient or doesn't appeal to you, just eat the vegetables raw.
Mix half a teaspoon of bicarb and a few drops of lemon juice in half a cup of warm water. Don't drink the diluted bicarb on its own: you need the lemon juice to dispel some of the gas which bicarb creates in the stomach when it comes into contact with stomach acid.
- Limonene, a compound in lemons, helps short circuit the production of the acid in the stomach. Try squeezing the juice of one lemon into a glass of water and drink.
Try a glass of whole milk. It's not just good for your bones!
Eat a whole apple! This helps most but not all people.
Chew antacids, such as Tums or Rolaids, or drink Pepto-Bismol. These almost always help heartburn, though you may need to eat two. Also helps with calcium intake!
Mix some baking soda (AKA sodium bicarbonate) with water and drink the solution. Your stomach produces hydrochloric acid in order to digest food. This is a strong acid which is very corrosive, and causes the burn in your chest. You can neutralize some of the acid by consuming a base. It doesn't taste good, but it will bring the pH of the liquid in your stomach up so it isn't so corrosive and will help ease the burn.
See a doctor if heartburn persists or gets worse. In the longer term, it can cause damage, such as ulcers, and it can be a symptom of other conditions. A doctor should be able to help treat persistent heartburn.

Tips

If night time heartburn plagues you, eat meals at least two to three hours before you go to bed. The added time will give acid levels a chance to decrease before you lie down.
You might also raise the head of your bed 10-15cm with large wooden blocks or old phone books. When you sleep tilted at an angle, gravity helps to keep acid in the stomach.
Try sleeping on your left side. When you lie on your left side, the stomach hangs down and fluids pool along the greater curvature, away from the lower esophageal sphincter. Pooled fluids thus stay farther away from the esophagus. *chew an almond or two thoroughly till it's just flour. Somehow the almond oil and juice calms the acids.
Eat smaller, more frequent meals to minimize the production of stomach acid. And avoid eating too much in one sitting; doing so can force open the lower esophageal sphincter, the thick ring of muscle that separates the stomach from the esophagus and keeps stomach acid where it belongs.

Warnings

When heartburn symptoms become severe, keep you up at night, or occur at least twice a week, you may have Acid Reflux Disease, which if not controlled can lead to esophageal cancer. If it persists, it is advisable to see a doctor.
If you experience discolored, cold, and/or clammy skin, in addition to rapid heartbeat, seek medical attention immediately, as this not heartburn, but rather a heart attack.
If taking baking soda to get rid or heartburn, remember that this chemical has a large amount of sodium, so if you are on a low-sodium diet try to use alternative, non-sodium antacids.

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