About twenty percent of the population is affected by heartburn every week. Although it is true that heartburn does affect everyone on occasion, some people get it more often and seek natural heartburn relief.

Take note that heartburn on a regular basis is a symptom of GERD or gastro-esophageal refluxing disease along with liquid or food regurgitation and a sour mouth taste.

Aside from this, GERD symptoms also include sore throat, hoarseness, wheezing or coughing, heartburn and chest pain when sitting or lying down.

What happens when you have GERD is that the contents of your stomach go back up your esophagus which can thus irritate your esophagus’ delicate lining and create pain.

The first instinct that people have when heartburn hits them is to run to the nearest drugstore around the corner and pop the first antacid they can get their hands on into their mouth.

The fact is that chemical-based antacids not only have temporary effects, these can sometimes aggravate your heartburn and cause you to depend heavily on them, plus can have nasty side effects that natural heartburn relief does not give you.

Natural remedies for heartburn are also available for those of you who would like to try them. You might also want to see a doctor and report that the heartburn you have is occurring on a regular basis.

When left untreated, GERD can cause ulcers, bleeding in the esophagus, strictures and esophagitis. Aside from this, GERD can also develop into esophageal cancer and Barrett’s esophagus.

To remedy your heartburn, try and avoid the triggers. These include alcoholic beverages, soda, citrus fruits or juices, coffee, fatty and spicy food, vinegar, black pepper, garlic, raw onion, tomatoes, spearmint, peppermint and chocolate.

Fifty-eight percent of heartburn sufferers say they have hectic lifestyles and their symptoms are aggravated by stress which is home or work related.

Here a few natural heartburn relief tips you may want to try.

Try not to go to bed too soon after eating and eat your food in small portions. Instead on three large meal have a number of smaller ones. Take time when eating and do not hurriedly swallow your food, or eat and run.

One natural remedy for heartburn that is within your control is to quit smoking. Nicotine weakens the lower esophagus sphincter which is the esophagus’ band of muscles in its lower end. This closes off the esophagus and prevents acid from coming back up. Nicotine thus plays a big part in heartburn.

For those who want a traditional remedy, licorice is one tested and tried remedy for heartburn. There is currently chewable types of the herb licorice which has its glycyrrhizin content removed and is highly recommended for heartburn relief.

Natural heartburn relief will also result from drinking a fourth of a cup of the juice of the aloe vera plant. Aloe tends to soothe the esophagus and keep your stomach acid from coming up.

Slippery Elm is another natural remedy that a lot of people from North America use to soothe sore throats and relieve heartburn. Part of the family of elms, slippery elm trees grow in the eastern portion of North America. Many sore throat lozenges found in drug stores have slippery elm as an ingredient and many people swear by it.

Next time you have a bout of heartburn try some of these natural heartburn relief suggestions. You will be glad you did.