Best Home Remedies for Heartburn

If you ate the whole enchilada -- or screaming hot curry dish, or bowl of gazpacho -- and don't have any antacids on hand, here's how to extinguish the heartburn flames without blowing gas money driving to the nearest drugstore:

Chew some gum -- but not mint. Chewing gum (make it sugar-free) for an hour stimulates swallowing, which reduces acid reflux. Just choose any flavor but mint, which is actually a heartburn trigger. It can relax the valve that's supposed to keep stomach acid from creeping upward into your esophagus.

Drink milk. For persistent heartburn, sip a little skim milk every 1 to 2 hours. Casein, the protein in milk, binds capsaicin -- the hot stuff in many dishes -- and the milk helps wash acid back down into the stomach.

Take a walk. It's a great way to burn off some of the calories you just consumed, and it cuts the amount of time that stomach acid touches the esophagus. Incentive to keep going: The benefits last as long as the walking does. So if you can walk and chew gum . . . !

Of course, even better than stamping out roaring heartburn is preventing it in the first place. Refraining from downing a bucket of wings during the 9th inning is a good start (it'll improve your love life that night, too). Normally, your esophagus enters your stomach at a sharp angle that keeps food from coming back up. But large meals (and extra weight) stretch this angle, allowing acid to flow up. There are sneakier causes, too. Certain meds can weaken the valve at the bottom of the esophagus, including ibuprofen, aspirin, antihistamines, and birth control pills. If you suspect a connection, talk to your doc.