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Nearly everyone suffers from heartburn at one time or another. This painful burning feeling in the throat or chest happens because stomach acid is backing up into the esophagus.

If you leave your heartburn untreated and it goes on for a long period of time, you can actually cause damage to your esophagus that is difficult to repair.

The good news is that you can get your heartburn under control before it gets out of hand, and it doesn't mean having to take a prescription pill or over-the-counter medicine every day.

There are all sorts of natural remedies for heartburn that can help you take control of your body and start feeling better.

The key to natural healing is actually giving your body time and the tools it needs to heal. That's the exact opposite of what most people do from day to day, not paying much attention to what they are putting into their bodies.

Did you know that different kinds of foods and activities can actually scratch up your esophagus? It's not just the acid that is a problem--though it certainly contributes to the problem of heartburn--but the damage that you're causing based on the foods you eat and things you do every day.

The sharp edges of crunchy foods, for instance, can make your heartburn situation worse because they can scratch the lower esophageal sphincter (LES), the part of the body that helps keep acid away from the esophagus. Spicy or acidic foods might also cause problems. Actually, there's a whole list of foods--including some things you might not expect--that can do more harm than good when you've got heartburn.

If you think about food actually scratching up your body as it goes down, that's a huge motivation to do something about it, isn't it?

Smoking is another huge thing that can contribute to heartburn and acid reflux. Smoking can irritate your throat and relax your LES, which is exactly what you don't want if you're trying to prevent heartburn.

Many people find that eating small meals is helpful for limiting heartburn, as well as limiting or eliminating alcohol, caffeine and carbonated beverages. For many people, it's a case of trial and error to find out exactly which food and beverage eliminations will work best for you. And there are definitely some things you should be eating to prevent heartburn and acid reflux.

These little tricks might not sound like much, but together they add up to the beginnings of a sound plan that can leave you heartburn free and also medication free.