Natural Health: What can I do about my pregnancy heartburn?

Plus: how to deal with painful and infected "backne"

One of the simplest solutions for treating heartburn in the third trimester is herbal tea. Spearmint, lemon, ginger, and fennel are all excellent botanicals to settle your digestion.

I’m seven months’ pregnant and suffering from heartburn. I’ve tried eating smaller amounts of food, but it makes little difference. It seems to be worse at night when I lie down. Is there a remedy?

Heartburn during pregnancy occurs primarily because the baby is pushing your organs out of their normal position. Women with shorter torsos (or larger babies) often experience heartburn during the third trimester, due to the upward pressure on the stomach.

Besides eating little and often, the types of foods you consume can also contribute to this discomfort. Fatty foods, processed foods, and rich meals are all well-known as triggers for indigestion.

Chiropractic adjustments can help with pregnancy discomfort, including heartburn. Make sure you choose a chiropractor who has experience treating pregnant women. You could ask about the activator method, which can bring quick, but gentle, relief.

One of the simplest solutions for treating heartburn in the third trimester is herbal tea. Spearmint, lemon, ginger, and fennel are all excellent botanicals to settle your digestion. You can also add herbs, such as raspberry leaf and nettle leaf, to prepare for the birth.

Digestive enzymes may help relieve heartburn, and those sourced from Aspergillus are considered the safest for use during pregnancy. I recommend Udo’s Choice Ultimate Digestive Enzyme Blend, a comprehensive and carefully balanced combination made from 100% vegetarian-sourced Aspergillus. The blend contains enzymes to help digest proteins, fats, carbohydrates, soluble fibre, starch, milk sugar, and complex sugars.

Digestive enzymes are secreted along the digestive tract to efficiently break down foods, allowing nutrients to be absorbed into the bloodstream and waste to be discarded.

Digestive enzymes should be taken with meals as a digestive aid or between meals to strengthen your digestive system.

Note: Avoid pancreatic enzymes (such as pancreatin) during pregnancy.

My teenage son has developed acne on his back; some of the spots are infected and painful. He is using OTC topical treatments, which are working well. What would you suggest for the scarring?

I’m glad the topical treatments are working well — it’s a great start.

Acne, particularly on the back and shoulders, can be linked with dairy consumption. Fermented dairy, such as traditional yoghurt and kefir, tends to be better tolerated.

Zinc is a key nutrient for skin health. It helps with scar repair and skin integrity and regulates oil production in the skin.

Low zinc levels often manifest as slow wound healing, spots and acne, recurrent infections, and a tendency for the skin to develop stretch marks and scarring.

Good dietary sources of zinc include pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, lentils, wholegrains, almonds, peanuts, walnuts, shellfish, wheatgerm, wheat bran, brewer’s yeast, pulses, tofu, bean sprouts, oatmeal, brown rice, wholegrain bread and pasta, miso, and durum wheat.

Healthy oils and fats can be helpful topically and nutritionally for wound healing, particularly in treating and preventing scar formation.

Topically, you can apply rosehip, sea buckthorn, or cacay oil to the area to help with tissue repair and reduce the level of scarring.

Getting plenty of essential fatty acids (EFAs) through the diet helps too, so have your son supplement with high-quality fish oil or chia seeds if he prefers to avoid animal-sourced EFAs.