When you are dealing with an extremely irritated esophagus, you might be dealing with a more severe case known as esophagitis.

These infections that cause the irritation can come from a variety of viruses, fungi and other harmful forms of bacteria that will cause the lining of your esophagus to become inflamed from where it connects to the throat and all the way down to the stomach.

Among the common causes for this irritation of the esophagus is dealing with a type of yeast infection known as candida, which is more commonly experienced by people who are dealing with immune systems that are not very strong – whether because of sexually transmitted diseases (i.e. AIDS), diabetes or going through chemo-radiation treatments or need to take steroids or other antibiotics.

There are also a number of ways you can suffer the effects of an irritated esophagus by dealing with acid reflux. There’s gastroesophageal reflux disease where you have an inability to keep stomach acid from leaking into the esophagus and can eventually become erosive.

Then you could get acid in that tube through vomiting, hiatal hernias or achalasia – a disorder when the lower part of the tube doesn’t open correctly and food can become stuck or comes back up with some partial digestive fluids.

Many of these causes can lead to bigger problems if left unchecked and unattended, like eventually developing a severe form of esophageal cancer.

There are medications that use some form of anti-inflammation substances that can actually make the irritation a lot worse, therefore one should consider looking for the best way to alleviate the symptoms and effects through one of several natural means of treatment.

The common forms of extremely irritated esophagus (a.k.a. esophagitis)

Reflux esophagitis – When the stomach acid comes up from the stomach in one of several different ways into the esophagus. This can happen from different disorders or just an illness that includes vomiting.

Infectious esophagitis – When the lining of the esophagus is infected with some form of bacteria, virus or fungi that can irritate the lining from the throat to the tube. There are also a number of STDs that can be blamed for this type.

Barrett’s esophagus – A form that is usually not treated properly and can cause a change in the cells that compose the esophageal lining, which also leads to a higher chance of having cancer in that area.

Eosinophilic esophagitis – When the irritated area is inflamed due to an increased amount of white blood cells that can affect how the muscles along the esophageal lining are unable to work effectively and efficiently – this includes difficulty in being able to swallow food and drink.

Becht’s disease – Ulcers can be formed within the mouth, esophagus and other parts into the stomach and digestive tract. Not a very common condition but there are issues that come up here in the United States.

Graft-versus-host disease – Most notable when having some form of transplant surgery and the newer cells that enter the body will attack what is already there. Esophagitis is just one of the many conditions that can be caused by this disease.

Cancer esophagitis – Also part of what could be a larger form of cancer that is spread to the esophagus and other neighboring parts of the body.

Why one should consider using natural remedies?

There are already a number of issues that your esophagus is dealing with because of the variety of infections. And when you consider that many medicines that use aspirin, painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs can cause even further damage to that region, where do you go from there?

It’s actually just another reason why it is better to include all natural supplements and foods to one’s daily diet and regiment.

In addition to having the benefits to alleviate the condition without any further damages from artificial substances and chemicals, many of the following natural treatment options will actually help you with increasing the amount of vitamins, minerals and other essential substances that your body could use for an overall better health.

Keep in mind that not everything will work for everyone, but there are a lot higher success rates and less chance of negative side effects when using remedies that are 100 percent natural. The key thing is to take the time with each of the following remedies to see what works and what doesn’t. You can chronicle your findings in a journal to compare the benefits and effects of each one over a period of several weeks.

What are the most common symptoms of esophagitis?

The most common symptoms one will be dealing with are the inability to easily swallow without pain. There’s also constant heartburn or acid reflux that oftentimes brings a very bitter and/or sour taste to your mouth. This can also lead to the development of sores all over the mouth, as well as soreness of the throat that is often accompanied by being hoarse or having a persistent and painful cough.

There is also a combination of feeling nauseous and that can lead to times where you have to vomit. You will also definitely feel pains in your stomach and throughout the abdominal region, as well as pains in the middle part of the chest that can wrap around to the back and usually happen shortly after swallowing or eating a meal. There’s also the occasional feeling that you have food that got stuck in that esophagus.

Option 1 – Herbal treatments that can work for you

There are plenty of options to choose from when looking for an herbal supplement or tea to take in an effort to naturally treat your esophagitis. While these are 100 percent natural, you want to make sure they won’t negatively counteract with specific prescription medications. Other than that, these are pretty easy to find in natural food grocery stores or supplement retailers both with physical and online ordering options.

Garlic – Experts have found that one should take up to two or three garlic-composed tablets to help alleviate the negative effects like inflammation and soreness. But clinical studies have found that you can receive these benefits a lot faster by consuming fresh garlic cloves that have to be chewed yourself or ground up and added to a beverage (i.e. water) as a better way to activate the allicin that heals the effects of esophagitis.

Ginger – Another healing herb that is known to reduce swelling and other irritations is able to be consumed through drinking tea with some ginger and a little bit of honey. The best time to drink this is after having a meal. You can also eat ginger raw and can act as a natural cough drop instead of menthol-based lozenge – you just have to have a peeled slice in your mouth twice a day for at least 30 minutes at a time.

Slippery elm – Known for a way to better protect by providing coating for the lining of the throat and esophagus using naturally produced mucus to help prevent and reduce the inflammation and irritation. It often comes in the form of a powder that can be missed with about half a cup of water that you should drink before any meal you have that day – so up to three times every day.

Marshmallow – No, not the white pillow of sugary goodness that is used for making s’mores. There is an herb with the same name that comes from the Althaea plant that provides the mucilage that provides that protective coating like the slippery elm.

This helps soothe the irritated areas and protecting the mucous membranes at the same time. It is recommended one should consume about three cups each day of this tea. There is a note of caution for those dealing with diabetes because this type of tea can actually cause your blood sugar to drop to a dangerously low level.

Aloe vera – There seems to be an increasing popularity when it comes to being able to purchase aloe vera juice at grocery stores because of the inclusion of the herb that is known for healing acid reflux and the painful effects that are commonly linked with having an extremely irritated esophagus. The recommended dosage is having about a quarter of a cup at least 20 minutes before eating a meal to have optimal results.

Wormwood – There have been a number of recent clinical trials that have supported this herb as a very beneficial way of healing issues within the esophageal tract. There is still plenty of research to be done regarding the best way to take this, but there have been a number of natural supplement created that provide various recommendations for dosage and frequency each day.

Manuka honey – While most types of honey have a number of soothing benefits when added to teas, this specific type of honey is known best for several different types of acid reflex and esophagitis treatments. Additionally, it can also help soothe a sore throat or other forms of throat and esophageal inflammation and irritation.

Echinacea – This plant has a number of ways that can be used as a medicine and in this case can often help reduce or eliminate the effects of various infections that involve the irritation of the throat and esophagus, as well as the cold, flu and other infectious diseases. This herb can be taken in a number of different ways – including a tablet with the herb extracted from both the plant and the root or a juice or tea that you can drink for additional benefits for the immune system.

Option 2 – The best foods to alleviate your symptoms

While you can benefit from the abovementioned herbal supplements that have a number of healing factors, you can’t very well heal any part of your body on an empty stomach. There are a number of options listed below:

• Dairy – It’s no secret that your upset stomach can be calmed down by simply adding some dairy products like cheese, milk and yogurt.
• Fruits, vegetables – Based on what you choose, there are a number of vitamins and minerals that will help you have the fuel you need to heal up naturally.
• Protein – By adding some different kinds of meat – beef, pork or chicken – will have a number of ways to energize your body that can be used to help recover from the damage caused by the acid reflux. The best way is to have shredded foods that can be swallowed easily.
• Soft foods – Your body still needs to be filled up in the stomach to keep the acid from wanting to reach out and escape through the esophagus. But certain foods can cause some pain when you swallow. The best thing you can do is find food that can easily go down – examples include puddings, soups and gelatin.

Option 3 – Find the best way to relax and reduce your reflux

Let’s face it, we have all been dealing with stress and there are a number of scientific studies that have found that our stress that we all deal with can be a leading cause for that acid to move up from the stomach and into the esophagus. For example, we can all relate to the stress that comes from working in certain types of environment or when you try to clean the house while children are playing and causing a mess behind you.

The thing is there are a number of different ways of getting some of that stress reduced so you can limit that acid reflux, which will provide your esophagus a chance to heal and recover from the irritation and inflammation.

The best part is that a lot of these methods don’t require having to pay for a membership to a club or fitness center – just some activity from your end. In no time, you will see feel the results and gain some extra benefits from weight loss to less stress.

Exercise – You don’t need to necessarily go and lift weights, but instead you can work that stress out by, at the very least, taking a walk around your neighborhood for about 30 minutes to an hour. You can also try doing some stretching exercises around the house and maybe look up some yoga poses that can help provide a beneficial stretch and meditative movements to benefit your mood and help you forget your stress.

Meditation – Another very simple way to help get rid of the stress is to just find a quiet room or area where you can go to get away from the hustle and bustle in your life. It should not have a lot of light and you should have a timer that will go off so that you aren’t breaking your meditation to see how much time you have left.

Simply allow yourself to only focus on your breathing that should be deep inhales and exhales of about five seconds each – this will help you be able to not think about the things that are bothering you and allowing the stress to go away in a simple, natural method.

Option 4 – Acupuncture as a way of releasing internal cure

This is a well-known method for relieving a lot of different types of pain and that includes reducing and eliminating the inflammation and irritation that is associated with esophagitis and acid reflux. While you should always check with your primary health care provider before scheduling your first appointment, the proven benefits of acupuncture date back to ancient Chinese cultures that swore by its health benefits.

Basically, acupuncture is treatment where an expert will insert thin needles into your body at specific pressure points throughout the body – each one connected to different parts of the body and can release a number of different chemicals inside yourself to help bring natural medicine to where you are feeling pain, discomfort or other types of illness.

For example, recent studies have found that there are some benefits to being able to help people who are dealing with chronic heartburn, acid reflux and an extremely irritated esophagus. But the results are very limited and more research needs to be done.

Regardless of which option you choose, you will find that there are rarely any negative side effects that counteract your ability to heal yourself and your irritated esophagus. Keep in mind that not everyone will receive the same healing benefits as others. At the same time, there really isn’t much risk when you compare natural treatment options to taking artificially manufactured medications that can cause a number of negative side effects.

Just give some of these options time and be willing to write down in a journal how it is either working or not working so you can track your progress over time. Once you find the right natural remedy that works for you, you will be grateful for putting in the time and effort.

Resources

http://www.digherbs.com/esophagitis.html

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/esophagitis/basics/lifestyle-home-remedies/con-20034313

http://www.webmd.com/pain-management/hypnosis-meditation-and-relaxation-for-pain-treatment?page=2

http://www.livestrong.com/article/475406-what-to-eat-for-an-irritated-esophagus/