Easy 3 Tips You Can Do for Acid Reflux when lying down | AC Punc Acupuncture
In this blog, as an Oriental medicine doctor, I have seen many patients who had the same problems as yours, and I want to explain only three tips to prevent and help your acid reflux when lying down so that you can sleep whole through the night and not worry about anything in the future.
Do you have such troubles?
When lying down, you feel something in your throat.
You feel pain in your throat when you eat acidic food like Hamburgers or hot dogs.
You frequently burp even though you didn’t eat or drink anything.
Acid Reflux, also called Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD), is a chronic condition in which the stomach juice goes up to the throat, especially when lying down after eating. It can cause symptoms and complications, including sourness in the mouth, heartburn, bad breath, chest pain, vomiting, and respiratory distress.
1. When lying down, what should you do?
Use Incline bed when lying down. Also, do not lay down right after you eat, so the gastric acid won’t go up when you lay down. Raising the head of the bed by 4 to 6 inches prevents acid reflux when lying down, according to Webmed. You might think if you put up more than 6 inches may help to prevent the stomach acid from going upward. But, it can cause other disorders such as neck pain or lower back pain if the pillow is too high.
2. Be careful what you eat when you have GERD
To stop acid reflux, you need to be careful eating fried or greasy food. Because the stomach cannot digest greasy food, you will overflow the food and get indigestion if you overeat too often. Stop drinking coffee and alcohol. Coffee and alcohol are acidic beverages that induce stomach upset.
Eat more fermented food like tofu, miso, yogurt, etc. These food contain probiotics, which help your digestion. Many studies found the benefits of probiotics that help for heartburn, GERD, digestion problems, etc.
3. Why do you burp even though you didn’t eat or drink anything?
Because I am an Oriental Medicine doctor, I have a different point of view. From the traditional Chinese medicine perspective, acid reflux is caused by heat from the stomach. Stomach energy naturally goes down after the food is digested; however, if your stomach organ gets disfunction. The energy can go upward. When you light a fire, you can feel the heat upward. This same phenomenon happens in your stomach. To get rid of the heat from the stomach, I would recommend taking Chinese Herbs, such as Ban Xia Hou Po Tang. This formula is a classic formula for Acid reflux.
The principal herbs in this formula are Pinellia and Magnolia.
Pinellia has been using for eliminating phlegm, coughing, and vomiting.
But, it has been frequently reported about its toxicity.
This study shows that the herb’s toxicity will be minimized when it is appropriately processed. Therefore, even FDA states that it is OK to use Pinellia only in traditional Asian medicine.
And Magnolia has over 200 compounds that have antioxidants, anti-inflammatory, antibiotics effects.
In addition, this study shows that subjects with anxiety disorders took Magnolia supplements and lowered their stress levels by checking their cortisol, a stress suppressor.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I want you to try these easy 3 tips to ease your acid reflux, especially when lying down.
Firstly, please use the inclined bed to raise your head when you lie down.
Secondly, watch out for your diet. Please avoid the food or beverages that make your acidity worse and try to eat more fermented food like tofu, miso, yogurt, etc.
Finally, try to take Ban Xia Hou Po Tang, one of the most major Chinese herbs for acid reflux.
I hope it helps your condition, and you will be able to sleep without worry about your acidity.
Recommended article to read together
Ban Xia Hou Po Tang Benefits: Best Acid Reflux Herb
Please feel welcome to comment if you have any questions about this post.
Sayonara till next post.
About Author: Satoru Ozawa, DOM, L.Ac, ATC — Doctor of Oriental Medicine, an acupuncturist, and a Chinese herb specialist. With his ten years of experience in Oriental Medicine, he will recommend the best natural Remedies, including Acupuncture, Chinese herbs, and health tips to relieve your suffering.
Source
Efficacy and Safety of Modified Banxia Xiexin Decoction (Pinellia Decoction for Draining the Heart) for Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (2017)
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5337392/
Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease and Probiotics: A Systematic Review (2020)
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7019778/
Tips for Sleep Without Heartburn (2006)
https://www.webmd.com/heartburn-gerd/features/tips-for-sleep-without-heartburn
Pinelliae Rhizoma, a Toxic Chinese Herb, Can Significantly Inhibit CYP3A Activity in Rats(2015)
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6272293/
American Herbal Products Association’s Botanical Safety Handbook, Second Edition (2013)
Metabolomics reveals the mechanisms for the cardiotoxicity of Pinelliae Rhizoma and the toxicity-reducing effect of processing(2016)
https://www.nature.com/articles/srep34692
Safety and Toxicology of Magnolol and Honokiol(2018)
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29925102/
Effect of Magnolia officinalis and Phellodendron amurense (Relora®) on cortisol and psychological mood state in moderately stressed subjects(2013)
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23924268/
Originally published at https://acpunc.com on July 22, 2021.
