Natural Remedies for Heartburn: Introduction
‘Heartburn’ is a symptom of acid reflux. So the main question to consider when trying to remedy your heartburn is: what is acid reflux, and how do I alleviate it? This post will explain:
- The three types of acid reflux
- To what degree there is a heart connection in heartburn
- The medical approach to remedying acid reflux/heartburn
- The natural remedy.
This post will give some short-term natural solutions, as well as the actual causes of your heartburn and how to restore the functioning of your body, so that it is able to remedy the problem itself without the need for suppressive medications that heal nothing.
Disclaimer: The information provided on this blog is for informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. No claims are being made to heal or cure “diseases.” The philosophy of Plato’s Garden is that through proper nutrition, herbal medicine, spiritual and emotional cleansing, and other holistic means, the body can heal itself, restore balance, and return to a state of cellular vitality. By using this blog, you acknowledge and agree that you are responsible for your own health decisions and that I am not liable for any outcomes related to your use of the information presented here.
Three types of acid reflux
Heartburn is a symptom of acid reflux. It is the burning sensation which is a result of acid entering and burning your esophageal tissue. The acid in question is hydrochloric acid (maybe a bit of pepsin too), which is naturally produced in the stomach lining by parietal cells in order to begin the process of breaking down proteins for digestion.
The basic order of digestion of proteins is: Hydrochloric acid (HCl) denatures proteins, pepsin (an enzyme activated by HCl) breaks proteins down into smaller peptides. All of this happens in the stomach. When these peptides enter the duodenum, bicarbonate is excreted by the pancreas to neutralise the roughly 2 pH slurry into a 7-8 pH. Once the peptides are 7-8 pH, and only when/if that is accomplished, the pancreas then excretes the enzymes trypsin, carboxypeptidase, and chymotrypsin, which break the peptides into even smaller peptides. At this point the epithelial cells of the small intestines can finish the peptide digestion and procure amino acids for absorption and utilisation.
(This explanation of protein break-down is hopefully interesting, but primarily it serves to furnish an understanding of the first type of acid reflux.)
There are three types of acid reflux:
- A weakness in the pancreatic duct or the pancreas itself. Imagine you ate heavy protein source (meat/cheese), and your neutraliser of the protein (bicarbonate) is insufficient. To reiterate how proteins are broken down, when you eat a food containing proteins, you are invoking some degree of hydrochloric acid (HCl), which is a roughly 2 pH acid. Your duodenum needs to get that slurry of peptides back to 7-8 pH before chymotrypsin and trypsin can be activated (excreted from the pancreas into the small bowels), which are the finishing enzymes of protein digestion.
So, your acid reflux (heartburn) may either be due to a genetic pancreatic weakness which is causing an insufficient production of bicarbonate, weak connective tissue in the pancreatic duct (para-thyroid issues), or you’re eating too much protein and combining it with other foods (e.g. meat + bread) in a bad combination too often. Lack of bicarbonate can cause a high acidic environment which increases gastric pressure, leading to discharge of acids through the lower esophageal sphincter into the esophagus. There is a very small section of tissue between the stomach and the duodenum where the body needs to neutralise a 2 pH to a 7-8 pH in a short amount of time and space. If you eat large amounts of protein and invoke large amounts of hydrochloric acid once in a while, that’s one thing; but doing it over and over again will lead to acid reflux due to the large amounts of bicarbonate that need to be produced. And if a more complete protein is not fully broken down due to trypsin/chymotripsin never being activated, it can be absorbed into the blood and become a free radical in the body, leading to further issues. - The second type of gastric reflux is systemic interstitial (in the spaces between cells) lymphatic stagnation. Meaning- you’re not properly filtering through your kidneys, and the acidic cellular waste from all parts of the body are not being filtered and removed through the kidney/bladder system or skin, leading to a retention of acids interstitially, which results in systemic acidosis. If this is the reason for your acid reflux, then your problem isn’t just in the stomach and esophagus – your problem lies with the entire system (lymphatic system) being backed up and stagnant. In other words, your sewer system is broken, and the acid waste of cells is burning away in all corners of the body. But depending on your genetics, you can feel burning in different parts of your body before the others, so if you have a genetic down-line of other members of the family with stomach or esophagus weakness, you’ll start to feel the burn around there.
- The third possible cause of acid reflux is sulfur. If you get sulfur built up interstitially in the gut wall, it’s not very fun; you can experience gas, bloating, pain, fungus, etc. Sulfur is not your friend! Grab that glucosamine bottle and bury it deep in the back yard so no one else finds it! It’s also difficult (but not impossible) to detoxify sulfur.
Is there a heart connection in 'heartburn'?
To a degree, because for one thing, the seat of the autonomic nervous system is in the stomach, and you can get neurological-related heart arrhythmia from inflammation/acidosis of the stomach. The second reason is that the lymphatic system is likely backed up interstitially (around the cells) of your stomach tissue and esophageal lining. If that part of your body is backed up lymphatically, there’s a good chance multiple areas of your body are too, including the heart tissue, especially because the heart tissue is so near to the esophageal tissue. If you back up in one place, you are backed up in all places because this is a whole-body system (the lymphatic system).
Another link between digestion and heart pain is that your heart grew out of the embryonic tail of the fetus, and is uniquely tied, neurologically, to the descending colon. If there is agitation in the descending colon, maybe from eating too much irritating proteins or from improperly digested proteins, then you can feel pain in the heart from that.
To summarise, agitations in the stomach and descending colon can cause neurological tremors that can negatively affect the heart; and if the type of acid reflux causing your heartburn is systemic lymphatic stagnation, then chances are your heart is also congested to some degree.
The Conventional Approach
The medical approach to acid reflux is typically antacids, H2 blockers, or proton pump inhibitors (PPIs). Let’s discuss the fault of each in turn:
- Antacids: These include Gaviscon, Pepto-bismol, Tums, Rolaids, etc. They use a variety of ingredients to neutralise HCl, like calcium carbonate, and some have aluminum/magnesium hydroxide or alginic acid. Probably gaviscon is the worst, as it is uses alginic acid which creates a foamy coat on top of the stomach lining (probably not very easy for the digestive tract to clear). But overall they aren’t terrible remedies as short-term solutions, they just miss the point. Even consuming bicarbonate, the same chemical produced by your pancreas, is an ineffective treatment because it disturbs the protein breakdown process. It’s almost like pouring gasoline directly into the combustion chamber of a car engine, it’ll just cause the engine to stall out because the process requires greater precision. Antacids are neutralising the acid in the stomach, not the duodenum, and are blocking any further protein denaturation. Most importantly they are not getting at the root of the problem, they are masking it. And the problem will continue to get worse until the root is addressed.
- H2 blockers: These work by blocking histamine receptors in the stomach lining. Histamine is a natural compound in the body which activates hydrochloric acid production. By blocking the receptors for histamine, the stomach is unable to produce as much hydrochloric acid.
- Proton pump inhibitors: Are a more powerful medication, lasting longer than H2 blockers and with a stronger effect. They work by blocking the proton pump in parietal cells, which is needed for gastric acid production.
Both H2 blockers and PPIs work in a similar way, the main distinction being that PPIs are stronger and more effective, but with greater side-effects. And both are incredibly stupid methods for dealing with acid reflux (and GERD).
But your body is not stupid, there are millions of complexities it deals with on a daily basis, small decisions only it can make. Stomach acid is not just necessary for digesting proteins, it is necessary for the absorption of calcium, magnesium, iron, vitamin B12, etc. We have a mere glimmer of understanding of how the body works; and if it decides to produce stomach acid despite a potential for tissue damage, then that is the intelligent action. The body intelligently understands the pros and cons, the long and short-term benefits and negatives, of its actions; and by monkeywrenching the body’s ability to produce stomach acid, the medications are sabotaging the body for a short-term relief. They’re also sabotaging your pain centers, which would have otherwise eventually have redirected your actions.
A short-term relief might be okay if the medical doctors would explain the diet and lifestyle changes necessary to alleviate the root cause of the acid reflux, but I’m guessing that doesn’t happen very often.
The reality of these medications and pharmaceuticals is that they are extremely dangerous. When health problems are acute or subacute, like a mild case of heart burn, then their drugs appear to be miraculous. The pain goes away, and the person can go on happily with their life. But when the problem reaches chronic or degenerative stages, their drugs are going to hurt you very, very badly. They were hurting you before, you just couldn’t perceive it. And that is the nature of suppressive medications, they have a beautiful face, but a terrible personality.
Perhaps worst of all, they alter your perception. You don’t even know you have a problem until it’s pretty much too late, because by the time their medications stop working your problem has become chronic/degenerative. At that point they can’t mask the pain and symptoms anymore, and unless you figure out how to heal quickly, you’re in big trouble. There’s also a buy-in effect, where even though their treatment hasn’t worked, the buyer has already committed to the modality, and they’ll keep going down the same path.
But you don’t have to continue down that dark path. Exit the Cave. Head towards the light– a.k.a.: natural remedy.
Natural Remedies to Heartburn
Long-term Remedy
First, establish what side of chemistry causes heartburn/acid reflux: acid. So the natural remedy for heartburn is to seek an alkaline response; it’s like putting water on a fire. But when there is no alkaline solution, the body resorts to lipids (which is why your lymphatic system is a lipid-cholesterol based system). In other words, what you need to be doing is eating an alkaline-ash diet in alignment with your nature (e.g. fruits & vegetables), or at least have a functioning set of kidneys and properly moving lymphatic system to clean up the mess.
Whether you have pancreatic weakness, excess sulfur, or systemic lymphatic stagnation, the solution is pretty much the same. You need to change your diet, and you need to get your kidneys and bowels cleansed and nourished. The kidneys are so important for healing, because they are the organs which excrete the metabolic waste (cellular waste) from the trillions and trillions of cells in your body, to the outside world. If the kidneys aren’t functioning properly, there is almost nothing you can do to heal systemic issues. How do you expect to remove stagnant acidic waste without the kidneys? It cannot be done. In that scenario the body may produce tumours to attempt to sequester the waste, but that won’t work forever. The lymphatic system (a system trickling through every milimeter of your body, 5x larger than the circulation system) is the lipid-based immune system of your body. It takes up the 2-3 pH acidic waste from every single cell in your body, and does its best to excrete it from the body through either the skin or the kidneys/bladder. There is no other place that the waste can go, except through the kidneys/bladder and the skin (the skin is a secondary eliminative system). The bowels are a different branch of elimination, they deal with the waste from digestive processes (also important to remedy).
Solution: Get your kidneys operating properly, get your lymphatic system moving, hydrate your body with nutrient/water-dense alkalising foods, and cut back on the protein consumption (particularly dairy) and especially combining multiple food groups with protein. Eat one-two food types at a time, and increase the amount of fruit and vegetables in your diet. There are multiple levels you can take this, even making a small change (like eating solely fruit for breakfast) can have a significant effect on your heartburn and general health overall. But it’s your choice how healthy you want to become. If you really want to get your health back or to greater levels than ever before, then change your diet, start using medicinal herbs, and learn about detoxification. (See here)
Short Term Solutions:
The best short-term solution when you’re experiencing heartburn is to stop eating anything, and unless you have a nice stomach/bowels herbal tea or the herbs listed below, don’t drink too much either. Leave your body alone to deal with whatever you’ve already consumed, pain (and boredom) be damned. Food, and maybe alcohol, are the primary reasons for your short-term pain and your long-term pain, so stop eating. Tomorrow morning, eat a banana for breakfast or a bowl of blueberries, and eat a salad at lunch. If you have the discipline to do this, you already know the pain will go away, don’t you?
To remedy the pain & assist the stomach and pancreas:
*Herbs are generally extremely safe, but you still need to know what you’re doing to use some of them. If you’re on medications, or have complex health issues, the safest thing to do is hire an herbalist to ensure none of the herbs are conflicting.*
Fenugreek seeds: These have a dual function for gastric reflux: they are a pancreas herb, one of the most useful for helping regulate sugar metabolism in diabetes, and can potentially enhance bicarbonate production; and they are also a digestive calming herb. Fenugreek seeds are mucilaginous, meaning they produce a gel-like substance when combined with water, and this gel coats the stomach lining and digestive tract in a protective, natural way that has much fewer (if any) side-effects than the foam produced from something like a antacid’s alginic acid.
To use: an infusion is sufficient in my view (pour boiling water over the seeds and allow to steep for 20+min). Drink a cup every hour or two (max 4 cups).
Licorice root decoction: An infusion would also work, or sucking on a licorice stick. Licorice is a powerful and multifaceted herb, but similarly to fenugreek seeds it has demulcent mucilaginous properties, meaning that it will coat your digestive tract in a protective coating that will mitigate tissue damage. It is also helpful in enhancing the stimulation of digestive juices (which will lessen gastric pressure), stimulates mucus production in the gut, and is slightly alkalising. (Don’t use licorice if you have high blood pressure)
Some other great herbs for heartburn: Ginger (don’t use too much as it can be a bit hot/stimulating), Peppermint, Fennel, Aloe Vera, Marshmallow root, Slippery Elm bark, White Oak bark. All of them can be taken in a tea/infusion.
I first got into herbal medicine because I was a binge eater, and I would eat ungodly amounts of processed foods until I was sick, and then eat a bit more; and nothing helped like a stomach/general health herbal tea. It would completely eliminate the pain and discomfort. If you get your hands on a good general health tea, it is life-changing.
Baking soda – The problem is acid, so you can neutralise it with a high base like bicarbonate (baking soda). It’s a sloppy way to heal the body, though, and should never be considered a long-term fix, because it ignores the root cause, and also delivers the bicarbonate directly into the stomach (and on top of hydrochloric acid) rather than directly between the stomach and duodenum.
Chew Gum – Preferably xylitol gum, as xylitol enhances alkaline saliva production. Chewing gum invokes saliva, which is a 6-7.5 pH solution that when swallowed can remedy excess acidity in the gut. One of the reasons you feel saliva brewing under your tongue when you’re about to throw up is to protect your teeth from hydrochloric acid, but it can also be swallowed for digestive relief.
Apple cider vinegar – I only mention this because it’s sometimes recommended for heart burn. Some health thinkers believe that some cases of acid reflux may actually be due to not having enough hydrochloric acid. Because apple cider vinegar is quite acidic, it supposedly makes up for having low acid. The theory makes no sense to me, unless the person is on H2 blockers or PPIs, and even then a mild acid like vinegar is starkly different and no replacement for HCl. I also can’t imagine a scenario where food with insufficient HCl acid would cause more burning than HCl itself, as only the most acidic foods would reach 2-3 pH (maybe sodas, but then why add vinegar?). Potentially if the cause of the acid reflux were sulfur, then the additional acid may cut it in some way, I’m not sure how that would work. Regardless, some health thinkers also recommend mixing apple cider vinegar with baking soda, which will just cause them to neutralise (baking soda is high pH, Acid cider vinegar is low) and do nothing (for the same reason never combine vinegar and baking soda when cleaning fruits and vegetables. Read about the best way to wash fruit/vegetables here).
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