Baking Soda For Heartburn: Is it really a cure?

Growing up in Scotland, I was always told to take some baking soda in a glass of water to cure my heartburn. It might have been better had I just avoided foods such as shortbread and cream cakes, but as a kid, that's hard to do!

It does raise the question though of how effective is baking soda ans a cure for heartburn and if it is effective then why?

Based on my own experience, I have to say that as a temporary solution, baking soda for heartburn worked. It didn't taste all that great, but it certainly did the trick.

Baking soda for heartburn is simply another form of antacid and like other antacids such as Tums, you shouldn't take a lot of it. I always took just enough to rid myself of the taste and calm my throat down.

But is there such a thing as taking too much baking soda for heartburn? In short, yes. Because baking soda neutralizes acid, then if you take too much, you run the risk of neutralizing your stomach acid.

Understand that stomach acid is a necessary component of our digestive system and that when the stomach doesn't have enough acid, it produces more! So take just enough to solve your immediate problem.

Baking soda for heartburn is good as long as it is taken in moderation. However, when it is abused, it can cause a lot of adverse effects.

Baking soda has a lot of sodium in it, which is not really good for the body. People who are suffering from high blood pressure should take baking soda with caution because excess sodium in the body could trigger the rise of blood pressure.

Faced with the pain and discomfort of heartburn, it's easy to reach for the nearest solution. Instead of that, take a momen to consider why you have heartburn, then attack the root cause. More than likely your diet is causing your heartburn.

If you eat fatty food, raw onions, tomato-based products, food with vinegar in it, chocolate and other food that contain strong flavors then don't be surprised if you get heartburn. Start eliminating some of these foods and see what effect that has on your heartburn. You might find a diet change is a natural cure for heartburn.