Natural Acid Reflux Treatments

By Tom HouserDrugs are not always the answer when dealing with acid reflux.Most people have forgotten that the drug �Propulsid� was pulledoff the market several years ago after causing many deaths.Propulsid was used in the treatment of acid reflux. EvenPresident Clinton used this drug. Rather than rely on drugs to alleviate your acid refluxsymptoms, using a natural methods are what this article willfocus on. Drinking about a gallon of filtered water daily along with highdoses of quality probiotics is a good start in restoring thenormal stomach functions for most people. Ideally, you shoulddrink enough water to keep your urine a light shade of yellow.If you suffer from acid reflux, you may need to drink morewater in order to dilute the acid and get the pH levelnormalized in your stomach. Now, what are probiotics? Probiotics are dietary supplementscontaining potentially helpful bacteria or yeast. Lactic acidbacteria are the common microbe used in these supplements.Lactic acid bacteria, has been used in the food industry foryears because they convert sugars and other carbohydrates intolactic acid. This provides the sour taste in fermented dairyproducts such as yogurt. It also acts as a preservative bylowering the pH and thus causing fewer chances for organismsthat cause spoilage to grow. Probiotic bacteria cultures assist the human body�s naturallyoccurring microorganisms, ccalled gut flora that normally livein the digestive tract. Sometimes, these Probiotics arerecommended to patients by doctors and by nutritionists aftertaking antibiotics or as part of a treatment for stomachinfections. Many people believe that probiotics strengthen thebody�s immune system. Maintaining healthy gut flora isdependant on plenty of factors especially on the quality offood eaten. Other natural acid reflux treatments are the wormwood herbArtemisia asiatica or garlic. Artemisia asiatica supportshealthy fungal and microbial balance. Garlic is a food that youshould be eating everyday. Garlic has the ability to optimizebowel flora and kill pathogenic organisms such as H. pylori.This particular organism is the only bacterial organism in thestomach that stomach acid cannot kill. However, the garlic must be fresh. Before eating it, you mustchew or crush it with a spoon. If you swallow the cloves wholeyou will not convert the allicin in the garlic to its activeingredient. Allicin is a very powerful antibacterial and antifungal agent found in garlic. Although allicin is not presentin garlic in its natural state, when garlic is �damaged� bycutting or crushing, the enzyme alliinase acts on the chemicalalliin thus converting it into allicin. Allicin is not a verystable compound as it degrades slowly upon standing. Cookingdestroys allicin quickly. In conclusion, in order to get the true effects of allicin ingarlic, you must chew or crush it right before consuming it.About the Author: Thomas D. Houserhttp://www.acidcurereflux.comSource: http://www.isnare.com