3. Chew gum
The Journal of Dental Research conducted a study that showed people with symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), or chronic heartburn, experienced relief when they chewed a piece of sugar-free gum for 30 minutes after a meal. This is because chewing gum stimulates the salivary glands, and increases the flow of saliva. Any acid that has built up in the gut is diluted and washed away or cleared out more quickly. The clearance of acid then improves the symptoms of GERD. It is possible that the same school of thought could be applied to occasional heartburn as well. It’s our regular saliva that we swallow that actually makes normal bouts of reflux here and there completely painless.
You will need… -1 piece of sugar-free gum – Tip: choose chewing gum without artificial sweeteners.
Directions… After a meal, pop in a piece of sugar-free gum and chew for 30 minutes to help ward off heartburn.
Joy Mangiaracina
Gina Kabat