Often confused with heart pain, heartburn (commonly referred to as acid reflux) is a burning sensation in the chest, under your breastbone, that is often a symptom of an underlying digestive problem.
What happens in heartburn?
Heartburn is caused by stomach acid travelling back up your oesophagus. Our oesophagus is the tube carrying food from your mouth to your stomach, and has a circular band of muscle (sphincter) at its lower end responsible for preventing contents from the stomach travelling back up again. However, if the sphincter becomes weak, relaxes at the wrong moment, or doesn’t close entirely, stomach acid can flow back up.
Why does it hurt?
When stomach acid flows up suddenly into the oesophagus, it irritates the lining. Remember, stomach acid is very acidic and the effect of this on the sensitive lining results in a burning sensation. Some people describe this pain as feeling like you have drunk acid, or like your chest is on fire.
Tips to avoid heartburn
1. Watch what you eat. Certain foods can aggravate heartburn and it is best to avoid eating these foods if you suffer from heartburn:
- Coffee and chocolate
- Acidic foods such as tomatoes and oranges, or acidic juices
- Fatty or fried foods
- Spicy foods with black pepper, chilli or mustard
- Alcohol, as it has a relaxing effect on the oesophageal sphincter
2. Stay upright. Lying down or bending over can make it easier for the acid to flow back up again so avoid eating anything for at least 2-3 hours prior to going to sleep. This is also a good habit to ensure proper rest and good quality sleep. The last thing the body should be doing when repairing and resting is trying to digest and breakdown food!
3. Manage your weight. Excess weight places pressure on the stomach causing stomach acid to back up into the oesophagus.
4. Quit smoking. Smoking impairs the normal functioning of the oesophageal sphincter and may also increase the amount of acid in your stomach.
The bigger picture
Heartburn is often a symptom of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and can be seen hand-in-hand with bloating, gas and nausea. While the above tips help to manage the symptoms of heartburn, it is important to get to the root cause of the problem.
Taking a simple acid/alkali balancer for a short-term period of a few weeks can help as a temporary relief. However, without a good functioning digestive system, any other health efforts will be compromised. This is why taking an effective digestive supplement like Kiwi-Klenz is so important. In fact, we have customers who have reported that their acid reflux and GERD symptoms have decreased since they started taking Kiwi-Klenz.
What is Kiwi-Klenz?
Kiwi-Klenz is Xtendlife’s 100% natural, wholefood prebiotic supplement made completely from a unique Kiwifruit Extract and Kiwifruit powder to promote optimum digestive health.
There are a few different components that occur naturally in kiwifruit that help to encourage digestive balance.
- Phenolic compounds – Encourage the growth of healthy bacteria and supporting healthy microflora balance
- Digestive Enzymes – Aid in the breakdown of food, and especially helpful with animal and milk proteins which are hard to digest
- Soluble Fiber – Help to regulate the bowel and maintain healthy intestinal flora
While many supplement companies produce kiwifruit pulp supplements, we have recognized the importance of the kiwifruit skin, which is high in phenolic activity.
This is why we use include the unique Digesten-K® Kiwifruit Extract that is produced with the unique AquaPure 3-stage water extraction system that ensures the highest concentration of extracted components, prebiotics and purity. The result is a phenolic-rich supplement that is 100% pure and as close to its natural state as possible. No heat is used, which could destroy valuable nutrients, and no chemicals or solvents are used in the extraction process.
Choosing the best is an easy choice
Simple, convenient and affordable, one capsule of Kiwi-Klenz is equivalent to two whole kiwifruit; and the best thing is you can be assured the nutritional content of the product is consistent each and every time. This is different to purchasing kiwifruit, which is seasonal and nutritional content may vary due to shipping and storage time.
Taking care of your digestive system not only aids with heartburn but may also help with nutrient absorption and the passing of toxins from the body, providing a foundation for improved digestive function and a healthier, happier you.
In good health.