A Healthy Remedy for Acid Reflux

Alkaline water has been associated with many health benefits, and perhaps one of the best is its ability to help with acid reflux. This is a problem that involves stomach acid and food going backward into the esophagus.

It happens because of an issue with the lower esophageal sphincter, which should shut so food stays in the stomach after passing through the esophagus. But with this condition, it does not.

Fortunately, alkaline water can replace your antacids as a way to relieve and manage this health condition.

How Alkaline Water Can Help

One method that helps acid reflux is to counteract the acidity of the stomach acid and create a better balance. While antacids are usually used for this purpose, you could instead rely on the healthier option of drinking alkaline water. The alkalinity of the water can help diffuse the acidity in the stomach.

In addition, James Rosser, Jr., MD FACS, says on The Dr. Oz Show website that many foods in a typical American diet add to the acid in the stomach. To fight that, he says it helps to eat more foods that encourage alkaline and to drink alkaline water.

Further, a study in the Annals of Otology, Rhinology and Laryngology found that alkaline water was able to attack pepsin, which is a stomach enzyme that helps create acid reflux. The water used in the study was at a pH level of 8.8. The study also looked at potential effects of regular tap water and bottled water, neither of which were able to fight pepsin like the alkaline water did.

Drink With Caution

While alkaline water can help acid reflux, it’s not the right move to drink as much of the beverage as you can when you’re experiencing acute symptoms of the health condition or when you have a meal. These are scenarios where more is not better. That’s because an excess of water can cause the stomach contents to get too full and come back.

While it’s possible to buy bottled alkaline water, you can easily make some at home instead with an alkaline water machine. These machines change the pH of your home’s own tap water so you always have alkaline water at your fingertips, giving you the ability to easily manage your acid reflux.