Belching, Burping, Stomach Aches

Belching (excuse you!)

My neighbor who is suffering from stomach aches and a lot of belching or burping asked me for help.  She was fine until her last pregnancy but still has the problem.  I did some research and came up with the following information.  If you have suffered with this please use the comment field and give her some suggestions.

Burping or belching simply means that your body is bringing up air from the stomach.  Every time you swallow and bring in air, the air builds up in your upper stomach. This causes your stomach to stretch, which triggers the LES (Lower esophageal sphincter (LES) to relax. When that happens, air escapes up your esophagus and out of your mouth. And we know too well what sound that makes.

Many women experience acid reflux for the first time during pregnancy. This is due to increasing levels of hormones combined with pressure from the growing fetus. Worst during the third trimester, the symptoms almost always go away after delivery.

Stomach abnormalities. One common cause of acid reflux disease is a stomach abnormality called a hiatal hernia, which can occur in people of any age. A hiatal hernia happens when the upper part of the stomach and LES move above the diaphragm. This is the muscle wall separating your stomach from your chest. When it works correctly, the diaphragm normally helps keep acid from rising into your esophagus. But if you have a hiatal hernia, it is easier for acid to move up into your esophagus.

Acid reflux foods. Eating large meals or lying down right after a meal can trigger heartburn or other symptoms of acid reflux disease, such as a dry cough or trouble swallowing. These are some of the common acid reflux foods that trigger symptoms:

·                                 Alcohol

·                                 Carbonated beverages

·                                 Chocolate

·                                 Citrus fruits, such as oranges or lemons

·                                 Coffee or tea (regular or decaffeinated)

·                                 Fatty or fried foods

·                                 Foods containing tomato, such as spaghetti sauce, salsa, or pizza

·                                 Garlic and onions

·                                 Mint

·                                 Spicy foods, such as those containing chili or curry

Other causes of acid reflux disease. Other common causes of acid reflux disease include:

·                                 Being overweight or obese

·                                 Eating a heavy meal and lying on your back or bending over at the waist

·                                 Snacking close to bedtime or lying down right after a meal

·                                 Taking aspirin or ibuprofen, some muscle relaxers, or certain blood pressure medications

·                                 Exercise may cause acid reflux by increasing the pressure in the abdominal cavity

Though heartburn triggers can vary from person to person, certain food and drinks are more prone to allowing stomach acid to splash up into your esophagus, including:

·                                 Meats. Ground beef, marbled sirloin, chicken nugget-style, and chicken/buffalo wings.

                         Fats, Oils & Sweets. Chocolate, regular corn and potato chips, high-fat butter cookies, brownies, doughnuts, creamy and oily salad dressings, fried or fatty food in general.

·                                 Fruits, Vegetables & Juice. Orange juice, lemon, lemonade, grapefruit juice, cranberry juice, tomato, mashed potatoes, French fries, raw onion, potato salad.

·                                 Other Beverages. Liquor, wine, coffee, and tea.

                          Grains. Macaroni and cheese, spaghetti with marinara sauce.

·                                 Dairy. Sour cream, milk shake, ice cream, regular cottage cheese.

Foods and beverages like these contribute to heartburn by lessening the effectiveness of the LES to keep stomach contents in the stomach. Smoking also plays a large role, and carbonated beverages should be added to the list as they can put pressure on the stomach, forcing stomach acid back up into the esophagus.

Avoid the foods and beverages above -- and eat smaller meals -- and you may decrease the amount of reflux from your stomach into the esophagus.

3 Heartburn-Preventing Lifestyle Changes

While watching what you eat and drink can help reduce your occurrences of heartburn, there are a few changes you can make in everyday life that can go hand in hand.

Watch Portion Size. Larger meals and higher-fat meals tend to stay in the stomach longer before moving into the small intestine, so the LES and esophagus are potentially exposed to stomach contents/acid for a longer time, according to Pat Baird, RD, with the National Heartburn Alliance.

So if you have frequent or occasional heartburn, it helps to keep meals in your stomach for as short a time as possible -- that means watching portion size.

Keep a Heartburn and Food Journal: "Keep in mind that anything we say about food and heartburn are generalizations and in any given individual, all bets are off," explains Shekhar Challa, MD, president of Kansas Medical Clinic and author of Spurn the Burn, Treat the Heat.

That's why it's important to keep a heartburn journal, discovering what triggers your heartburn, whether it's eating peppermint, drinking fruit juice, or lying down after a meal.

To make the most of your log, record symptoms, the time they occurred, what you ate, and activities you engaged in before the discomfort started.

Eat Out, Right. Many of us end up eating out many times a week and restaurants definitely offer a few challenge for those with heartburn. But, once you know what your personal heartburn triggers are, eating out can be easier, leaving just two important restaurant challenges:

·    High-fat foods. Choose low-fat options when you eat out and you'll avoid one of the prime triggers for heartburn -- fatty foods.

·    Huge portions. Eating too much can increase stomach pressure, causing acidic stomach contents to splash back into the esophagus. When you eat out, avoid big portions or take half your meal home.

Simple changes in diet and lifestyle can yield big heartburn relief. That's why it's a good idea to take the time to track your triggers, avoid the foods that irritate your heartburn, and make a few behavioral changes -- and reap the relief that follows.

Excessive burping, belching, stomach bloating and gas could be more than just typical upset stomach. They are indication of a poor digestive system. Those symptoms are the most common gastrointestinal (GI) complaint in the United States, affecting up to 55 million Americans.

One of the top reasons for poor digestive system is the lack of digestive enzyme . Digestive enzymes are naturally present in our bodies and in the food we eat; we cannot survive without them.

Digestion and food absorption would be difficult and insufficient without these essential protein molecules. However, most digestive enzymes are evaporated when cooking at moderate or high temperatures. It's important to maintain sufficient amounts of digestive enzymes so your body can maintain normal function and metabolize food properly.

Low levels of digestive enzymes will lead to poor digestion and severe digestive conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), excessive belching, burping, and poor absorption of essential nutrients from food.

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Heartburn is that burning feeling you get when stomach acid meets the lining of your esophagus (the tube that carries food from your mouth to your stomach). It’s is also the most common symptom of acid reflux disease.

When stomach acid repeatedly escapes into the esophagus, this creates a painful sensation—often like an intense burning in the chest and throat. Heartburn tends to occur or get worse after eating, lying down at night, or bending over.

Understanding night time heartburn

A study has revealed that nighttime heartburn is more common than previously thought. Nearly 8 out of 10 people with acid reflux disease suffer from nighttime heartburn.

Factors that can contribute to nighttime heartburn:

			Gravity—when you lie down, gravity isn’t able to keep stomach acid where it belongs, so it can easily back up into the esophagus
			Swallowing—saliva helps neutralize stomach acid, but since you swallow less while sleeping, you have less saliva to help keep the burn out of your esophagus

Try these night time tips:

			Give yourself a lift—try lifting the head of your bed 4-6 inches by putting a 4" x 4" piece of wood under it. Or you can get a special foam wedge specifically designed to angle your body
			Sleep on your left side—your esophagus enters your stomach at a slight angle on the right side of your body. So sleeping on your left side allows stomach contents to pool away from your esophagus

In addition to heartburn, you may have experienced a bad taste in your throat or belching.

Bad taste in your throat (yuck!)

You know the taste—that sour, bitter liquid in the back of your throat. The proper name for this symptom is regurgitation. It often causes a burning sensation because the liquid that backs up into your throat actually contains stomach acid. If stomach acid doesn’t stay where it belongs—in your stomach—and gives you a bad taste in your throat, it’s because the valve at the end of your esophagus (the lower esophageal sphincter, or LES) is not closing properly at the right time.

Avoid large amount of milk, cheese, meat, fatty foods and refined sugar