The first symptom you’re likely to experience with acid reflux is a burning in your esophagus. This sensation happens when the acids wash back up from your stomach through the lower esophageal sphincter.
Other symptoms may include:
Your symptoms may worsen when you lay down too quickly after eating or if you bend over.
- heartburn
- chest pain
- difficulty swallowing
- a dry cough
- a sore throat
- a sensation of a lump in your throat
If you have acid reflux more than twice per week or if it starts to affect your everyday life, you may have a condition called gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). This condition may lead to damage of your esophagus or other serious health issues if you don’t get treatment for it.
In a study on GERD, researchers identified stress, sitting jobs, food and drinking habits as a lifestyle factor that impacted their reflux symptoms. Researchers have found that increase in stress leads to an increase in acid, stomach secretes. And, best way to fight with stress is to hit the mat.
Let’s give yoga a try.
If you want to try yoga to see if it helps your acid reflux symptoms but you’re not sure where to start, please contact your nearest therapy yoga centre and discuss your symptoms. On special request, BMS Yoga & Rehab Studio, Bangalore, can also provide you the right yoga complete sequence is to help you relieve tension in your neck, chest, abdomen & spine. We will instructs you to practice right asana twist with your breathing synch, which can help relieve stress and lowers acid formation in stomach.
Here are some tips if you’d like to incorporate yoga & healthy lifestyles into your treatment plan for acid reflux or GERD:
Practice Standing or sitting twists. ( All asanas twist sequence will help in detoxification of stomach and chest.)
Avoid Inversions ( any inverted poses, like Downward Dog, Shoulder stand might cause acid to flow up.)
Everyone responds differently to yoga. If a move doesn’t feel comfortable or if it makes your acid reflux worse, you don’t need to keep doing it. Adding yoga to your treatment plan should help relieve stress and reduce acid formation in stomach which will improve your condition.
Foods to be added with acid reflux
- Chapati prepared with missa aata ( wheat + barley + Gram + Soyabean with Chaff).
- Leafy & green vegetables, gourd, sweet luffa, pointed gourd, pumpkin, drumstick, bean.
- Salad & sprouted grains.
- Intake of triphala powder with Isabgol husk with warm milk/water once a week.
- Porridge
- Pomegranate & Apple
- Dry Grapes
- Raisins
- Gulkand
- Moong Dal
- Sweet of Ash Gourd
- Amla Jam
Foods to avoid with Acid Reflux
- Fried Food & Junk Food
- Fermented Food – Idli – Dosa
- Tea, Coffee, Cold drinks
- Urad Dal, Rajmah Dal, Gram, Masoor Dal
- Hot Spices, Red Chilli , powder of dry green mango
- Brinjal
- Potato
- Cauliflower
- Pickle
- Maida Products (fine flour) and besan (Gram flour)
- Curd
- Smoking
- Alcohol
- Hot Food
- Citrus juices are naturally highly acidic and thus can aggravate acid reflux. Examples of citrus juices include:
- lemon juice
- orange juice
- tangerine juice
- lime juice
- grapefruit juice
Does water help reduce acid reflux?
Drinking regular water will provide much relief. The pH of most water is neutral, or 7, which can help raise the pH of an acidic meal, and dissolves its acids.
But by practicing healthy drinking habits can only help it out.
You should keep a gap of at least 1 hour between water intake and food and also after taking food, keep one hour of gap. You should sip water rather drink at a time.
Keep a note of how your symptoms respond to specific foods and drinks, you can reduce your reflux symptoms and improve your quality of life.
Namaste
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