There are dozens of non-prescription medications for treating recurring heartburn and acid reflux. If you have tried them all and went the route of trying advice from friends and relatives to no avail, you need to get to the bottom of your problem. Treating the symptoms and not the cause is the reason nothing seems to be working for very long. Acid Reflux commonly also called Heartburn and is caused when the stomach acids back up into the esophagus, inducing a very burning sensation. It will occur when the valve separating the esophagus and stomach will not close, allowing the acid to go to the esophagus.

Normally there are a few reasonable explanations for your discomfort. Depending on the person, normally the two main reasons are what type of food you are eating and how much.

If the foods you are eating are high in acid content, this could be the reason. Typical food that contain high amounts of acid are fruits containing citric acid. Dairy foods are another culprit. Normally these include cheese and yogurt. Red meat can be another cause of your acid reflux. The acids that are present in the stomach react with the acids in food. This causes chaos in your stomach and the acid has to go somewhere. Up to the esophagus it goes causing frequent acid reflux. Some people have more of a sensitivity to certain foods than others and therefore they get frequent heartburn. Limiting the food that is known to cause acid reflux will normally cut down on the frequency of acid reflux.

Overeating is another cause of acid reflux. Even if the foods you are eating are good for you, too much will cause episodes of acid reflux. When you overfill your stomach, it sends the acids into the esophagus which in turn causes you to experience heartburn. It does not matter if you eat salad or pizza. If you eat too much, it can cause a problem. This has been experienced by many people after eating a large meal.

Other factors that have to be considered when you have frequent heartburn or acid reflux are if you are under a lot of stress or if you smoke. Stress can cause blood to be rerouted to muscles in your body which takes it away from the digestive system. This confuses chemicals in your stomach and they go into overtime creating acid. Smoking can cause heartburn or acid reflux by carrying certain tobacco ingredients go into your bloodstream which in turn takes them to the stomach and digestive track.

Controlling acid reflux can be accomplished a lot of the time on your own. If you watch the foods you eat and the amounts, try to keep your stress levels to a minimum, and cut down or quit smoking this can reduce or eliminate heartburn. If however after you try these solutions and you still have problems with frequent acid reflux or heartburn, you should see your doctor. The problems may be caused by something else entirely. Your doctor can test for the reason you are having frequent heartburn or reflux and will know what treatments are right for you.