Understanding Heartburn
Although it is commonly called heartburn, this condition has no relationship to the heart, although sometimes the symptoms resemble that of heart disease or a heart attack. Simply put heartburn is an irritation of the esophagus as a result stomach acid finding its way up out of the stomach. In the following paragraphs I will discuss the cause, the prevention and some heartburn natural cures.
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What is Heartburn?
The stomach is equipped with a valve known as the Lower Esophageal Sphincter (LES for short) whose main function is to keep the stomach acid in the stomach. The LES is positioned left of center just below the rib cage at the spot where the esophagus meets the stomach. It’s a muscular valve the open to allow food into the stomach, closing again to keep it in. It will occasionally open again to let gas out commonly called a belch or burp. Sometimes however, the LES opens frequently and doesn’t close tightly enough allowing the acid in the stomach to seep back into the esophagus thereby causing a burning sensation. This is also known as Acid Reflux.
When this happens sporadically it is not anything to be concerned about, but a constant recurrence of heartburn in serious and can result in Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD). 10% of North Americans and about 50% of all pregnant women suffer regularly from heartburn. For 30% of the population it is an occasional nuisance.
The Cause.
As said previously the basic cause of heartburn is the Lower Esophageal Sphinter, or LES when it doesn’t close and tighten as it should. Contributing to this problem is the diet, overeating, and in the case of obese people or pregnant women too much pressure on the stomach. The LES can be made to relax through certain foods such as citrus fruits, onions, tomatoes, coffee, just to name a few. A diet consisting of foods both animal and vegetable high in fat are contributors to heartburn, as well as, some medications. Anything that increases acid production such as stress can also cause heartburn. Although not as many people partake any more, smoking can also contribute to heartburn by relaxing the LES and stimulating the stomach acid.
Prevention.
Here are some tips to follow that will help prevent the heartburn from happening.
- Keep your head elevated when lying down, this will help to reduce any acid coming into your esophagus.
- Stay away from eating just before bedtime, this will give your stomach a chance to digest all the food in it.
- Don’t smoke. Nicotine will cause your LES to relax allowing acid to backup into the esophagus.
- Stay away from alcohol, and citrus fruit drinks. They contain acids which will provoke the situation.
- Make sure you diet does not include any fatty or spicy foods.
- If you are overweight try losing some weight. The extra weight causes more pressure on the stomach resulting in acid backup.
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The Cure.
The most common approach to curing the heartburn is through Pharmaceutical drugs. These work fine in an emergency, but at best are only a short term solution. Taken over a long period of time, drugs can produce many side effects. Besides lowering your tolerance to the medication, drugs can result in more severe medical problems when taken over an extended period. Bottom line is that drugs do not cure heartburn they only give temporary relief from it.
What you really need to do is to cure your acid reflux condition and gain complete freedom from digestive disorders naturally, without drugs, antacids or “magic potions,” simply by using the clinically proven, scientifically-accurate step by step method found inside the amazing heartburn freedom guidebook called Heartburn No More.
The Heartburn No More program is not a quick fix ‘fairy tale’ cure but a complete holistic solution aimed at eliminating the root cause of heartburn and digestive disorders (regardless of their severity) and ensure that you will permanently be acid reflux-free, it does take work and persistence to complete.
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Some people who have never had really bad indigestion may wonder “what does heartburn feel like?” If you do not know, you must be one of the lucky ones in the world who has never experienced the chest burning, stomach gnawing pain that a lot of people go through almost daily. Of course, as with any condition, heartburn can feel different from one person to another.
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Here are some of the common symptoms that you may feel.
- Burning: This sensation usually comes from the fact that stomach acid and food contents have been regurgitated into the throat. This can cause throat burning and a sore throat as well. The scary fact is that when this process keeps happening for weeks, months and years, it can turn into a pre-cancerous condition called Barrett’s Esophagus. This condition must be checked by doing an upper endoscopy several times per year to make sure that the person has not developed cancer. Sometimes, this burning pain is perceived as being a heart attack which lands many scared patients in the emergency room. Any kind of chest pain should always be checked out by a qualified doctor, so do not write it off as indigestion until you have been examined.
- Bloating: Again, bloating can be caused from a number of different conditions including ovarian cancer, so you always want to get it checked out by your doctor. However, if you are experiencing the bloating associated with heartburn, it often can be alleviated by chewing gum. Be careful, though, because people who chew gum too often can actually introduce air into their stomach and cause more bloating. It is a vicious cycle!
- Belching: Many heartburn sufferers find that they seem to belch a lot more than other people. This is likely due to the extra bloating that they have in their stomachs.
- Chest pressure: Again, any discomfort in the chest should always be checked by a physician, however many people with heartburn report feeling like they have pressure in their chests. This is again due to the distention of the stomach pushing upward.
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If you think you are experiencing the symptoms of heartburn, you need to take a proactive approach to getting rid of the problem. One of the biggest reasons why people have heartburn is extra weight around the midsection. If you are carrying any extra pounds around your middle, you need to get those off because it is causing your stomach to press upwards. Also, if you are a smoke, you need to stop because nicotine causes the lower esophageal sphincter muscle to relax which allows acid to regurgitate up into the throat. You also need to remove offending foods like fried, fatty foods as well as chocolate, coffee and tomato sauce. You do not have to completely remove those foods, but you must be aware and prepared to treat heartburn if you consume them. Heartburn is no fun, but being armed with information helps to know how to properly combat its effects.
Filed under Heartburn Causes and Symptoms by admin