5 Helpful Tips to Help Children with Indigestion

Indigestion is a form of upset stomach. It usually happens when people eat too much, too fast or foods that aren't agreeing with their body.

Heartburn typically happens in connection with indigestion. This doesn't mean there's anything wrong with someone's heart. Heartburn is a burning sensation that moves from a person's chest up into the neck and throat.

This is caused by the stomach acid, which normally doesn't cause a problem until it moves out of your stomach.

When someone has heartburn the stomach, acid splashes up out of the stomach and irritates the esophagus or the tube that carries food from the mouth to the stomach. This is also referred to as acid indigestion and it usually leaves a sour or bitter taste in the mouth. One of the best ways that a parent can help their children deal with indigestion is to prevent it entirely.

It is a good idea to avoid problem foods, and have your child eat smaller meals. Avoid giving them fatty, greasy foods as much as possible. Avoid giving chocolate or citrus fruits in excess. Make sure they eat slowly. Find ways to allow your children to relax

Here's Four Tricks to Help Indigestion

Probably no one out there hasn't been awakened in the middle of the night with a sudden and painful burning sensation in their stomach or chest. No matter what you have eaten, four proven remedies will help in alleviating your heartburn and indigestion so you can get back to sleep fast.

The first thing many decide to do is drink a glass of milk or use mints to relieve their heartburn and indigestion. However, this is something you shouldn't do. Milk may feel good initially as it goes down your throat but the fats and proteins in the milk will actually cause your stomach to produce more acid and make your heartburn and indigestion worse. While mints will also appear to sooth the indigestion they really, only help to relax the valve between your stomach and esophagus, which is supposed to help keep acid a bay.

As this valve becomes relaxed then more acid will move up into your esophagus and make your heartburn and indigestion pain worse. Therefore, it is best to instead drink a whole glass of water followed with a mixture of one-tablespoon baking powder and a half a glass of water. However, do not do this if you have high blood pressure or if you are pregnant since it can cause water retention and an increase in blood pressure.

A second trick you can use is to eat a banana each day. A banana acts as an antacid for the stomach to help soothe heartburn and indigestion. However, if you are already suffering from indigestion then you can eat a pineapple or papaya as well as drinking the juice depending on which you prefer. This will help settle your stomach naturally without the use of the chemicals you get in over-the-counter medicines. A few people have also said that eating a teaspoon full of mustard will immediately work to help their indigestion.

Third is to avoid eating at least two hours before you go to sleep. Late night snacks keep your stomach busy with digesting the food, and as a result it prevents you from having a deep, restful sleep at night. In addition, some people find that sleeping on their left side or at a somewhat upright angle will help keep acid down where it belongs.

Fourth is to avoid eating the foods that may cause your heartburn. Soda pop or any beverages with caffeine, alcohol, garlic, chocolate, citrus fruits, tomatoes and tomato-based products are all food that can cause indigestion and heartburn symptoms. However, some have said that downing a teaspoon full of vinegar will help soothe their heartburn immediately. Many wonder how giving your stomach more acid will help stop the excess of acid it is already producing. This is because the indigestion and heartburn is sometimes caused by too little acid in the stomach and vinegar will help give your stomach the little bit of extra acid it needs to calm down and stop, eliminating your indigestion and heartburn suffering.

and decrease their stress levels. Make sure they have time to digest their food, don't give a large meal and then rush off to sports practice.

However, if you child already has indigestion then a second way to help is provide them antacids. While these provide a rapid way to sooth indigestion, they are only effective for short periods and don't have the ability to treat any damage to the esophagus. There is a liquid suspension form available for children. The acid floats on the liquid in the stomach after a meal and the alginate molecules in the medicine bond to increase the surface tension, which diminishes the reflux that occurs after a meal.

A third option is to give them over-the-counter H2 receptor antagonist's medicines, which suppress or reduce the amount of acid the stomach produces. These are different from antacids because they can prevent heartburn rather than relieve them.

Proton pump inhibitors are a fourth option since they not only limit acid secretion in the stomach to help prevent indigestion, but in a large majority of the adult population, they also helped heal the esophagus.

There are also promotility agents that take effect in the esophagus and/or the stomach to help improve the motility of the food. However, there are significant side effects with these medications so you should discuss the use of them with your physician before giving them to your children.

These are five ways you can help a child with indigestion. However, you should remember that in an infant this condition is only temporary. In older children or those who continuously face indigestion then it may be a good idea to take them to see your physician rather than giving over-the-counter products. Your doctor can determine if there is another underlying condition and be able to give you the most accurate treatment plan for your child's indigestion.

Topics for further online research:

cures for acid reflux

natural remedy acid reflux

acid reflux and sharp eye

use vinegar for acid reflux

Dealing with Acid Reflux

What Are The Symptoms of Indigestion?

Four Questions about Indigestion

5 Helpful Tips to Help Children with Indigestion

How Acid Reflux Affects Women

How Doctors Look at Acid Reflux

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