If heartburn is a constant in your life then you probably need to re-think several factors concerning your diet and lifestyle. Apart from the obvious, that is seeking medical advice; if you are prone to attacks two or more times a week then some steps can be taken to help reduce the incidence.

Did You Know?

Depending on the level of incidence, there are several natural remedies for heartburn which could provide relief. While it's advised to seek medical help if it affects you several times a week, for less chronic sufferers, consuming natural products such as fennel and rhubarb may be beneficial.

Could These Factors Be Contributing To Heartburn?

While many will look for a natural remedy for heartburn before deciding to pay their doctor a visit, check to see whether the following might be aggravating the problem.

- Stress may not be a consideration by many sufferers but it has been established that there may be definate connection

- If you smoke then you need to give serious consideration to quitting.

- Being overweight can aggravate the incidence. Consider shedding those extra pounds.

- Alternatively, wearing tight clothing especially around the waist area could be a trigger for a attack.

- If you are taking medications and you notice that there seems to be a connection between an attack and medicine consumption then see your doctor immediately.

- Food is obviously something we cannot do without but there are certain foods that may be causing the incidence of heartburn in your life. Identify which foods seem to correlate with an attack and again, see your doctor. It's more than likely you'll need to manage more carefully the consumption of a particular food whether it be fatty, spicy, dairy, coffee or alcohol related. It also may be prudent to cut it out altogether.

Getting Medical Advice

For chronic sufferers, it almost doesn't matter what they eat or drink. In this instance, the problem may go a little deeper than just a normal trigger pattern and could very well be medically related. The problem in a lot of cases is that sufferers will usually try and live with the problem hoping that a natural remedy will "fall into their lap." This is folly and suffering in silence is not the answer.

The bottomline is if heartburn affects your quality of life then you may be "sitting on" a serious problem. For example, suffering attacks despite taking medication or having problems with your sleep patterns because of it means your condition could be worse than you think. It might be time to analyse your situation with your doctor.