One of the immediate reaction to chest pain is panic. Home remedies for chest pain are devised to give instant relief from chest pain. If in case you are wondering what is the way out, here are some of our suggested safe treatments at home.
Chest pain is different from heart attacks. However, it can take a little time to understand if something is serious or less dangerous. Chest pain is usually caused when the heart muscle does not get enough oxygen-enriched blood. This typically feels like someone is squeezing your chest. Heart attack, on the other hand, a heart attack occurs when the supply of blood to the heart gets blocked. This can be life threatening.
When you experience serious pain in your chest, it is at best you consult your doctor. When you notice that the symptoms are different and painful, medical attention and care is a must. Here are the symptoms you will experience;
- A sharp tinge or crunching pain in your chest that almost feels like a squeeze or the chest feels heavy.
- Shortness of breath along with a chest pain indicates that the condition is serious and may be a signal of heart attack.
- Most often, the patient tends to feel that they are experiencing a heart attack. That is also an indication of a heart attack.
Causes of Chest Pain
There are various causes of chest pain. Watch out for these signs of chest pain at the earliest.
1. Heart-related Chest Pain
Most often, chest pain has a close relation to heart disease. Despite this, victims have reported chest pain to be more of a discomfort than as pain. Chest pain accompanies these in general:
- Burning or tightness in your chest
- Pain seems to last for some minutes and tends to get worse after doing various activities. This pain’s intensity tends to differ.
- A crushing pain travels to your jaw, back and shoulders. Sometimes, this pain radiates to either or both the arms.
- Shortness of breath and cold sweats occur along with your chest pain.
- Nausea and vomiting accompany serious chest pain.
- The person tends to feel weak, and dizziness accompanies.
2. Respiratory Related Chest Pain
Respiratory causes of chest pain occur from injuries to the lungs or sometimes problems in the airways, passage that is responsible for inlet and outlet if air from the lungs.
- Typically, when chest pain is accompanied by a breathing disorder or any other respiratory conditions, it may often seem like a heart attack.
- This pain is likely to increase with exertion and you will notice that the pain decreases when at rest.
3. GERD Related Problems
GERD abbreviates to Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease. A chest pain that is associated with a burning sensation is GERD. This is also known as chest pain due to acidity.
- Acid reflux happens when the stomach acid moves back to the oesophagus. This can irritate the lining of it, thus causing discomfort. When this condition persists for a longer time, it is understood as GERD.
- A high discomfort is experienced by the victim, especially when having to swallow food.
GERD gives the impression that there is something in your throat, making it hard for you even to swallow. While they may not be very serious, it is good to tell your doctor about this acid that creates irritation.
GERD is the most common cause of chest pain that is non-cardiac in nature.
4. Muscle and Nerve-related Problem
The other way a chest pain can be triggered is through muscle pain. This is also known as oesophageal motility disorder. The following are the symptoms.
- What happens to people who experience this is that they have an abnormal muscle activity, that prevents the food moving through the oesophagus.
- Oesophageal spasm is experienced by a person, along with nutcracker oesophagus, which feels like high pressure on the oesophagus.
- Achalasia is another problem that is a contraction caused by nerve loss.
5. Other Problems
Another sign of chest pain includes anxiety attack. This will show symptoms like sweating, nausea, trouble breathing and heart palpitations.
- Causes of chest pain other than cardiac include muscle strain also. There is usually a tenderness in the chest that worsens with the movement of the muscle. This is known as a chest muscle strain and normally gets better with rest. However, if it does not, medical care is a must.
- Fibromyalgia: This is a dull ache that will come with muscular and joint pain. This is a mild ache and comes with symptoms like fatigue, mood change, headache and musculoskeletal pain.
- A panic attack is another reason for you to experience chest pain. This is accompanied by breathlessness and a racing heart.
Home Remedies for Chest Pain Due to Gastric
Sometimes, some home remedies will help a lot to get rid of chest pain caused due to gastric problems. Here are some things that will work in your favour.
1. Hot Drinks:
One of the main reason why hot drinks are preferred because it helps eliminate gas from the body. It can also push the bloating away, and the hot liquid can boost digestion as well.
How to Make?
A hot glass of hibiscus tea is a good one to try. Begin by boiling the hibiscus tea leaves in a pot of boiling water. Allow it boil well and strain it into a cup. Let it sit for 3 minutes. Drink warm. Alternatively, you can try tea bags for a quicker solution.
Benefits:
Hibiscus helps to lower blood pressure and reduce cholesterol levels of the body and give you relief from the muscle strain that causes chest pain.
Precaution:
Watch out on the quantity you drink. Over consumption can lead to stomach upset, constipation and painful urination.
2. Cold Pack:
As opposed to a hot drink, you can try cold packs for sudden pain in the middle of the chest. This is particularly helpful to relieve one from the strain on the muscle caused by exercise or other over exertion processes.
How to Make?
Ice the area with a cold pack. Pack some ice cubes in a cotton towel and ice the area, where there is chest pain. This can significantly reduce inflammation.
Benefits:
Ice pack loosens the muscles and can provide relief from the painful swell or inflammation.
Precaution:
Over icing of the area can lead to numbness and may not be good for the chest. Skin can also experience serious skin irritation.
3. Ginger
Ginger has been the solution since ages for a lot of body problems. For chest pain due to gas symptoms, ginger is a one-stop solution, it is easily available remedy at home.
How to Make?
Here is how you can make use of ginger for treating your chest pain.
A glass of ginger tea can magically reduce the chest pain caused by inflammation or gas. Boil water with tea leaves and add crushed ginger to the mix. Let it boil and then add milk to it. Enjoy your glass of ginger tea with honey or sugar.
Benefits:
Ginger can reduce the cholesterol level of the body and soothes your stomach from the uncomfortable gas problem.
Precaution:
Ginger is a blood thinner and therefore avoid the consumption of the same if you are in the intake of prescribed blood thinners already.
See Also: How Foods Helps For Improving Blood Circulation
4. Almonds
Almonds are excellent medicine for chest pain triggered by acid reflux. The idea of eating almonds is passed on as a narrative than as backed by scientific evidence.
How to Use?
Almonds best bring out the benefit by simply eating them as raw. For those who like to try something new, try almond milk.
Benefits:
Eating almonds daily can prevent heart disease. Although they do less to stop the immediate pain, they are nevertheless capable of boosting the overall health of the person.
Precaution:
Almonds are high in fat and you may want to watch your quantity of intake. This high fat in them can itself cause acid reflux.
5. Garlic
Another ready herb, which has been used since ages is garlic. They have been the go-to medicine for heart problems for a long time now.
How to Use?
Include a lot of garlic pod in the food you make. Indian curries are never complete without garlic. Alternatively, there is garlic oil available too. You can use that for your food.
Benefits:
Garlic can prevent the build up of plaque in the arteries, thus reversing heart disease. It lowers the cholesterol levels of the body, thus keeping you safe from heart problems.
Precaution
You may want to watch out for the bad breath. Too much garlic can also lower your blood pressure which is not good. It can also cause heartburn and nausea.
6. Apple Cider Vinegar
Another quick home remedy for acid reflux chest pain is apple cider vinegar. This has been popular for many of the problems that include skin and metabolism of the body.
How to Use?
Dilute a cap of apple cider vinegar in a glass of warm water. Drink it before and after your meals. This can be very helpful to curb your acidity problem.
Benefits:
Apple cider vinegar has the potential to curb the acid reflux and can keep your appetite balanced.
Precaution:
If you are someone taking blood thinners, you may want to avoid apple cider vinegar as it can considerably thin your blood.
7. Aspirin
For all those chest pain due to anxiety, aspirin will work. Aspirin is also a cure for normal chest pain and is an excellent pain reliever. It works best for a less severe case of chest pain.
How to Use?
Take one aspirin when you experience chest pain. Most often, your chest if it is mild, aspirin will provide relief. It gives relief from pain.
Benefits:
Being a natural pain reliever, aspirin can give you relief in a quick time. Typically, during a pain, blood clotting happens, thereby preventing the blood from going to the heart. Aspirin thus saves from the clumping action of platelets.
Precaution:
In extreme cases, aspirin can produce bloody stool and severe nausea. Rapid breathing and seizure are other side effects of aspirin when taken in excess.
8. Omega-3 Fatty Acid
Omega 3 fatty acids is an unsaturated fatty acid that helps reduce any inflammation in the body. Most often, this inflammation in the body has the potential to damage the blood vessels, thus leading to stroke and other heart diseases.
Where to Find?
The omega-3 fatty acid is found in salmon, mackerel and tuna. These are fatty fish and thus contributes to your dose of omega-3 fatty acid. If fish doesn’t seem to be available or is something you do not eat, try fish oil or other supplements.
Benefits:
The major benefit of omega-3 fatty acid is that it can lower your blood pressure. You are at a lesser risk of the deadly heart arrhythmias.
Precaution:
Diarrhoea, insomnia, stroke and acid reflux are the potential side effects of consuming high doses of omega-3 fatty acid.
9. Turmeric Milk
One of the oldest known remedies for chest pain at home has been turmeric. The tuber has a medicinal property and has been deemed fit to cure a lot of diseases. Turmeric is now useful to give you a relief from chest pain as well.
How to Use:
Simply add a teaspoon of organic turmeric in your warm glass of milk when you experience chest due to emotional stress or a milder one.
Benefits:
The anti-inflammatory property of turmeric can help you get rid of pain symptoms that you will experience in your chest.
Precaution:
While in general turmeric does not cause any side effect, people have often complained about stomach upset, dizziness, nausea and diarrhoea. More than 1500mg of turmeric, twice a day can lead to abnormal heart rhythm.
10. Basil
Basil also has medicinal properties that are used by a lot of Indians and eaten raw. It is an Ayurvedic herb and can prevent stress-related illness.
How to Use:
Crush few leaves of basil and add them to your daily water intake. Alternatively, you can also eat them raw every morning and evening. About 4-5 basil leaves are good for a day.
Benefits:
Chest pain due to cholesterol is best administered by basil. It can battle stress and therefore keep you at the base.
Precautions:
Acne is a popular side effect of basil. Stomach spasms and diarrhoea are also associated side effects of over consumption of basil.
When Should You Consult A Doctor?
Like we said, consulting a doctor should always be your priority if none of the home remedies works. At the first signs of a heart attack, rush to a doctor. When the pain you experience seems to be new and unusual, seek immediate medical attention and care.
Foremost, talk to your doctor to understand what a normal chest pain is and what is not. Your doctor should help you understand how severe chest pain can get. Signs of chest pain will vary from person to person. For some, chest pain due to cough is normal and for others, it need not be. Therefore, we urge you to talk to your doctor to understand the seriousness.
Frequently Asked Questions:
1. Is Chest Pain Due to Lung Cancer Serious?
Constant chest pain need not always be an accompaniment of lung cancer. The lungs have very few nerve endings and hence is always possible for a tumour to grow without causing any pain or discomfort. In some cases, chest pain has been identified with lung cancer.
2. What are Angina Pectoris Causes? Is This Related to Chest Pain?
A severe form of chest pain is known as angina pectoris. Typically, this pain will radiate to the shoulders and arms too, thus putting you at a greater discomfort and pain. When the heart muscle does not get enough blood, angina pectoris occurs. When the arteries are narrowed or blocked, the associated condition is called ischemia.
3. Can Ulcer Cause Chest Pain?
Ulcers are sometimes mild and sometimes very painful too. Ulcers can trigger a burning sensation in the chest as well, which is a symptom of the ulcer, along with other symptoms like a sour taste in the mouth, severe backache etc.
Disclaimer: Medical help or professional support is the first thing you need to obtain when you see yourself suffering or when none of the home remedies works. Most of the home remedies mentioned above are effective. Nonetheless, our body’s reaction to these will vary depending on the age, gender and underlying health problems.
