Monday, February 2, 2009

Acid Reflux Relief With Coconut


Tropical countries like the Philippines grow coconuts in abundance. The coconut tree is a very useful tree. People in these areas found plenty of uses for the coconut tree, from its trunk, leaves, and to its fruits. Not a single part of the coconut plant is wasted as all of it has specific uses. With recent developments, the attention of Americans has been brought to the medical values of the coconut fruit. Especially in the past few years, clinical studies showed that components of the coconut have remarkable effects as antihistamines, anti-infectives/antiseptics, enhances and strengthens the immune system as well as a glucocortcoid antagonist. It has also been found that coconuts can effectively relieve acid reflux symptoms.

Acid reflux is a problem faced by many and is caused by common irritation on the walls of the esophagus. This comes about after consuming a meal or a snack. Acid reflux is also commonly known as heartburn because it is often characterized by the tightening of the chest couple with breathing difficulties. Acid reflux may cause some patients to feel a burning sensation in the stomach and the esophagus. Vomiting and a general feeling of being so full are also experienced by these patients. Physicians and other medical practitioners explain that acid reflux is the result of the failure of the Lower Esophageal Sphincter or LES to remain closed. By nature, the Sphincter closes and keeps acid and food in the digestive system. However, when the sphincter fails to close due to an abnormality, food seep back into the esophagus and causes that burning sensation which we commonly call as heartburns. Heartburns are usually associated with poor digestion.

In tropical countries, people rely on coconuts to relieve gas pains and heartburns. How do we use coconut to relieve acid reflux? . There are two ways of administering coconut to relief acid reflux. Firstly, coconut oil can be applied on the stomach as a form of liniment. Secondly, virgin coconut oil can be taken internally by the acid reflux patient. Before administering coconut oil as a form of liniment, you need to prepare the solution by extracting the oil from the coconut fruit. This can be done by grating the pulp of a mature coconut fruit and then squeezing the milk out from the grated pulp. The milk extracted from the coconut pulp will be strained to remove all solids. The coconut milk is then cooked slowly over a low fire until the milk evaporates, leaving the oil behind. The coconut oil extracted will be used as liniment for relieving acid reflux by inducing the sufferer to belch.

The second way of using coconut to relieve acid reflux is to ingest virgin coconut oil. Virgin coconut oil can be extracted from the coconut fruit by placing the coconut milk in an even container for 48 hours until the cream, the water and the oil separates naturally. The oil extracted through this process is a potent anti-oxidant. Research shows that coconut oil, especially in its purest form, is very rich in short and medium chain fatty acids. This shorter chain length allows for faster metabolism and without use of the carnitine transport system which is associated with the oxidation process. This means that with a high quantity of coconut oil in the body would result in a high anti-oxidation capacity.

For more information on curing heartburn and acid reflux visit: http://www.dealstek.info/heartburncure.html

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