Heartburn is an inevitable harbinger of diseases of the digestive system, manifested in sensations such as a burning sensation in the chest. It can occur for numerous reasons: from banal overeating to an attack of gastritis.
You can get rid of this sudden scourge in many ways, both medicinal and folk. Such a popular recipe as milk for heartburn has gained particular popularity. It is believed that milk perfectly helps to cope with attacks of heartburn and prevents its occurrence in the future.
But does milk really help with heartburn or is it a misconception? This needs to be sorted out.
Benefits and harms of the product
Milk is believed to be beneficial, especially for children. Undoubtedly, there are benefits, otherwise it would not be used to treat many ailments - after all, in folk medicine, milk is often used in recipes. Many people drink the drink just like that, but does it bring any benefits?
What are the beneficial qualities of the drink:
- The drink contains a lot of calcium and trace elements. It is the main source of calcium, which affects the growth and formation of bones and muscles.
- The content of phosphorus, sodium, magnesium and sulfur helps cope with fatigue and normalizes the functioning of internal organs.
- Milk promotes weight loss and controls the volume of fat deposits.
- It has a beneficial effect on the functions of the gastrointestinal tract and the gastric mucosa.
- A milk drink with honey is great for colds and insomnia.
- Anyone who drinks this drink daily will avoid heart attacks and other problems with the heart and the entire cardiovascular system.
But the drink can also cause harm to the human body, which consists of the following factors:
- Milk contains bacteria, and in huge quantities. Therefore, the risk of intestinal infection increases.
- It contains a lot of bad cholesterol and saturated fats, which provoke endocrine diseases.
- Destruction of pancreatic cells may occur.
- The drink is considered a strong allergen. There are more than 30% of people who cannot tolerate lactose. Against this background, asthma, various rashes, nausea, and bloating may develop.
- In infants, consuming large volumes of milk can lead to diabetes and obesity. Elderly people may have atherosclerosis.
Can a harmless drink harm a person? It turns out it can. Therefore, drink it within reasonable limits in order to receive benefits and not provoke the development of serious pathologies.
To combat heartburn
Milk against heartburn is considered the most reliable remedy, this has been believed since ancient times. This is a real salvation for people who are allergic to many medications, because milk helps against heartburn quickly and for a long time. Why the drink helps in principle is represented by the following points:
- This is an alkaline drink that interacts with the acid in the stomach, deactivating it.
- The drink is protein and contains many antacids, which reduce the concentration of gastric juice, causing heartburn to disappear.
- The metals contained in the drink react with the acid and neutralize it.
It is also necessary to take into account the fact that in the fight against these unpleasant symptoms you need to drink a small amount of milk. In this case, interacting with stomach acid, the milk curdles and the symptom goes away. But the food remains in the stomach and needs to be digested, so gastric juice begins to be produced, further increasing the acidity. Therefore, a reverse reaction occurs and the attack returns again, increasing in its manifestation. During heartburn, you need to drink milk in small volumes.
Often milk is drunk for heartburn when there is inflammation of the esophageal mucosa, resulting in the release of stomach contents - as a result, heartburn occurs. If you drink low-fat milk, it can soothe the mucous membrane and eliminate heartburn by covering the irritated mucous membrane.
Methods of application
There are several ways to use dairy-based heartburn remedies:
- Soda with milk. Pour 250 ml of milk into a container, bring to a boil, then turn off the gas. Add 4 grams to the drink. baking soda. Stir until the sizzling stops. Then cool the product and use 3-4 times a day half an hour before eating.
- Milk with honey. Add 1 tbsp to a glass of warm milk. l honey, drink the resulting mixture in small sips - usually the attack goes away after 15-20 minutes. This method is safe and quite suitable for relieving the symptoms of heartburn in both adults and young children.
- Kefir can be an excellent substitute for milk in the treatment of heartburn. To eliminate negative symptoms, it is enough to take 3-4 sips of a refreshing drink; in more advanced cases, you are allowed to drink a whole glass.
Tea with milk is not a good remedy for heartburn. The high caffeine content in its composition has a stimulating effect on the functioning of the pancreas, which causes increased secretion of bile. Also, bitterness in the mouth may appear if you drink a cup of tea on a full stomach, since the additional load on the valve and the pressing volume of liquid lead to the effusion of gastric juice into the esophageal canal. Dilution with milk softens the effect of caffeine, but if you have regular heartburn from tea, using this method is clearly not recommended.
So why does milk help relieve heartburn? This is explained by the following actions of the product when it enters the human body:
- Milk, like any other liquid, washes away the gastric juice that has accumulated on them from the inner walls of the esophagus;
- It creates a kind of thin membrane on the walls of the intestines. In terms of density, it is difficult to compare with mucous liquids, for example, jelly, but it still provides additional protection for the organ;
- Milk can reduce the concentration of acid in the stomach, as it has an alkaline reaction;
- The drink contains many useful elements. One of them are proteins that react with gastric juice and also reduce its concentration.
In addition to everything, milk saturates the body with vitamins, calcium, sulfur, phosphorus and other elements. All this has a beneficial effect on the state of the body and, in particular, its natural defenses.
Heartburn is a first-hand experience for most pregnant women. Even if a woman has never encountered this phenomenon before, it is during the period of waiting for the baby that she may feel discomfort in the chest area. This happens especially often in the later stages. This is explained by the fact that the expectant mother, as a rule, begins to eat more often and in larger quantities, her lifestyle becomes more passive and the fact that the grown fetus puts quite a lot of pressure on the internal organs cannot but affect the functioning of the gastrodigestive tract.
In search of a solution to the problem, many pregnant women think about the question of whether milk can quickly and effectively eliminate heartburn. Milk for heartburn during pregnancy is quite capable of demonstrating good results. Many women resort to this method of relieving symptoms because taking medications is not always advisable during this period.
Milk is a natural product rich in calcium and other beneficial substances. However, it is worth clarifying that if heartburn occurs too often and is accompanied by severe pain, it may not be possible to avoid taking medications. It is best to consult a doctor with this problem, who, based on the examination, will be able to select the most gentle treatment.
Another point that pregnant women need to take into account is that milk is part of the group of allergenic products, so before using it it is important to make sure that it does not harm the body.
Taking medication for various diseases should start with a small dosage, gradually increasing the volume. It is not advisable to consume milk with medications. After all, both drugs can dramatically reduce the degree of acidity in the body.
This can only be done when heartburn attacks are severe and occur more than once a day. In this situation, it is allowed to use milk with the addition of soda, replace it with potato juice or medicine. However, medications are used strictly, following the instructions.
Milk coats the mucous membrane of the stomach. Which becomes a good prevention of the appearance of peptic ulcers, erosions and, of course, heartburn.
Why doesn't milk help?
There are reasons why the drink does not help eliminate the unpleasant ailment in question. The first reason is individual intolerance - individual intolerance to certain types of proteins that are part of milk. In the presence of such a feature of the body, an allergy may even develop. Therefore, it is not recommended for such patients to cope with an attack in this way.
With age, the human body secretes less and less chymosin, which breaks down milk protein. Therefore, after 20 years, milk for heartburn should be used with caution. Otherwise, it will cause bloating and nausea.
Is it possible to drink milk if you have heartburn? Yes, you can, but only in small quantities and provided that the body accepts it well, without side effects.
Attack after drinking milk
In some cases, heartburn occurs from milk, as well as from dairy products. This is explained by the fact that milk contains not only proteins, but also fats, which, when entering the stomach, provoke an increased secretion of bile. An attack from drinking milk also develops if the following problems exist:
- Pathologies of organs involved in food digestion: pancreas, liver, gall bladder.
- Pathology of the entire gastrointestinal tract: with stomach ulcers, with gastritis.
- Diagnosed obesity is noted.
There is an accumulation of bile in the bladder, which is gradually released into the stomach and provokes the development of heartburn. Therefore, you should drink milk and eat low-fat dairy products.
Contraindications
Not everyone can drink milk to relieve heartburn. The contraindications are as follows:
- gastritis;
- pancreatitis;
- stomach ulcer;
- liver diseases;
- cholelithiasis;
- lactose intolerance;
- duodenal ulcer;
- elevated cholesterol levels.
Milk contains a lot of fat. Lipids stimulate the production of bile; doctors warn patients with diagnosed gastrointestinal diseases about this.
To eliminate heartburn, you should drink only very fresh product. Leaving it in the refrigerator for about a week will not solve the problem. Fermented milk products also do not eliminate the burning sensation.
During pregnancy
Milk for heartburn during pregnancy is another controversial issue. A pregnant woman often experiences heartburn due to physiological changes in the body. Drinking milk for heartburn during pregnancy is the main way to get rid of an attack, because it is absolutely safe for the fetus. Milk with honey and a couple of drops of fennel essential oil, drunk at night, is considered especially effective. A pregnant woman should drink this remedy not during the development of an unpleasant symptom, but as a preventive measure.
Although milk is considered an effective remedy, pregnant women should not drink it either if they are allergic to lactose or have an individual intolerance to milk, as well as toxicosis. Otherwise, the symptoms will simply become even worse. Goat's milk is considered especially useful in this case, because it contains fats and other substances that are easily absorbed by the body.
How to enhance the effect
Milk, if sodium bicarbonate is added to it, neutralizes hydrochloric acid in the stomach faster and more effectively. This method of getting rid of unpleasant symptoms cannot be used often, only as an “ambulance” for the stomach. Milk and soda, when consumed in moderation, disrupts the acid-base balance and leads to disorders in the urinary system.
The preparation of soda with milk is as follows: dissolve 1/3 of a teaspoon of soda in a glass of warm milk and drink in small sips. This remedy can be used if there are no contraindications for drinking milk.
Drinking milk for heartburn can lead to a double result: eliminating or increasing symptoms. Therefore, it is necessary to be treated with this remedy carefully. For relief, it is better to take low-fat milk, because otherwise you will only increase the discomfort.
Seeking advice
If heartburn begins to bother you more and more often, it means that it is better not to delay visiting a doctor. You can address your complaints to a therapist or gastroenterologist. The examination usually includes a clinical blood test and an endoscopic examination of the esophagus and stomach, during which the endoscopist sees with his own eyes what the mucous membrane of the digestive tract looks like. There are other methods for diagnosing GERD, which are determined by the attending physician, depending on the needs of the patient and the resources of the medical institution.
You should not try to fight the manifestations of heartburn with such folk remedies as soda solution, milk. They can only bring short-term relief, followed by a return of symptoms.
After using soda, you have to pay for temporary relief with subsequent deterioration of the condition.
Modern treatment of GERD uses:
- Proton pump inhibitors and histamine blockers to effectively suppress excess acid secretion.
- To improve the motility of the digestive tract, prokinetics are prescribed; they help fight reflux.
- In advanced cases, it is necessary to resort to surgical intervention.
