Heartburn is quite a common symptom that is estimated to affect hundreds of millions of people every month and accompany different gastrointestinal and other health conditions. The sensation of heartburn - unpleasing burning feeling in the chest - is caused by the damage the stomach acid delivers to the esophagus when it gets there. The severity of this sensation can vary from mild to very severe and last from a couple of minutes to days, which can certainly affect one's well-being and make a person look for possible solutions.

Fortunately, there are many effective medications that can help you with heartburn. Some are stronger than the others and will provide relief to a different extent. They all typically work by reducing the acid production in the stomach, which lowers the amount of stomach contents and prevents them from entering the esophagus. However, the biggest problem with medications in general is that they are synthetic and not everyone is happy with it. Sure, it's not smart to get picky when it comes to your health problems, but for some people it's not about being all pro-green. Synthetic medications always have side effects and for some people it's the negative part of using them that can cause even more problems than simple heartburn. That's why there are so many people out there looking for natural alternatives to such effective drugs like Nexium - they simply can't benefit from taking these drugs. So if you are also sensitive to synthetic drugs, the following tips will help you get a relief from heartburn naturally:

Use natural antacids

Antacids are natural ingredients that provide the same effect as prescription drugs like Nexium - lower the acidity in the stomach. The most common antacid is simple baking soda. You can dissolve a spoon of soda in a glass of water and use it for immediate heartburn relief as effective as some synthetic medications. But don't mistake simple baking soda with soda drinks. Such drinks are usually rich with sugar, which is known to provoke acidity in the stomach and will only make your heartburn worse.

Review your diet

Quite often heartburn results from a diet that stimulates acid production in the stomach. Spicy, fat and processed foods along with soft drinks will definitely raise the acidity in your stomach and provoke heartburn. Salt, caffeine and chocolate can also cause unpleasant sensations in the chest if taken in excess. Enrich your regimen with fruits and vegetables rich with fiber, which is the best product for normalizing stomach functions.

Keep your habits under control

Some bad habits can also cause heartburn and make you need drugs like Nexium. So getting rid of these habits will surely improve your heartburn problems. First of all, it was observed that smokers are more prone to experiencing heartburn than non-smokers. So if you need one more reason to quit smoking - this is it. If you love eating before bedtime you should also reconsider this habit. Doctors have clinically proven that by eating less than in 3 hours before bedtime you raise the risk of experiencing heartburn almost by twice.