When I was first diagnosed with breast cancer, I didn't know what I was going to do. After the devastation subsided, I decided to take a very standard, western approach to my healing. Although initial efforts were successful, my cancer recurred a few months later. I endured many additional months of treatment before I started focusing on myself. I decided it was time to incorporate complimentary alternative treatments into my healing regimen, including massage therapy. I can't even begin to tell you how much it changed my life. My healing became a process, instead of something I simply had to endure. I hope that the articles on my website can inspire you to stay open-minded about your own healthcare.
Acid reflux, also called gastroesophageal reflux disease, happens when the stomach acid comes up out of your stomach into your esophagus. This happens because there is a malfunctioning sphincter at the top of your stomach. Acid reflux can do things like cause the lining of esophagus to start to erode. You can take medication that helps reduce the acid in your stomach and keep it from rising up into your throat. You can also modify your diet to help with the problem:
Tracking Your Diet
One way to start modifying your diet is to start keeping track of what you are eating, when you are eating, and if you have acid reflux afterward. You should track these things for at least a week. You will need to keep track of everything you eat, not just meals. Snacks matter, too. That will give you a good idea of what your triggers are. Knowing what they are will help you to avoid them.
Foods to Avoid
When you look at your triggers, you know that those foods are the ones that you should cut down on or cut out of your diet. There may be things in your diet that are also causing acid reflux that you aren't aware of because they are masked by other triggers.
1. Chocolate: Sadly, chocolate is one of the things that may be masked by other triggers and is something that needs to be cut out of your diet. This is especially true of milk chocolate. Dark chocolate isn't as much a culprit because it doesn't have some of the things that milk chocolate does.
That includes fats like cocoa butter. Extra fats can cause acid reflux. Cocoa can do cause it as well. If you can't live without chocolate, try eating a little bit of good dark chocolate.
2. Soda pop: Sodas are another thing that you might not realize can cause a problem with acid reflux. That's because sodas are acidic. If you already have too much acid in your stomach, you don't need to have anything that will add more acid in. Caffeine can also trigger an acid reflux attack. Cutting sodas out of your diet, especially colas, can really help to avoid any acid reflux.
Acid reflux can cause a lot of problems. It can make you very uncomfortable. It can cause bleeding in your esophagus. But, you can help control it if you pay attention to your diet. To learn more, contact a company like Tampa Bay Reflux Center with any questions or concerns you have.
Share9 March 2015
