Heartburn – Causes, Symptoms And Prevention

Heartburn is a common condition that affects more than 70 million Americans annually. It typically begins with a burning sensation that starts in the upper abdomen and moves up into the chest, often making its way to the back of the throat, and sometimes up into the jaw, arms and back. It usually feels worse when lying down or bending forward.

Symptoms & Signs

Heartburn is an uncomfortable feeling of burning and warmth behind the breastbone (sternum) but sometimes rising as high as the neck. It usually occurs after meals, when lying down, or at night while sleeping.

Heartburn usually is due to gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), the rise of stomach acid back up into the esophagus. Heartburn has nothing whatsoever to do with the heart though the discomfort of heartburn may be confused with heart pain and vice versa. Heartburn is a popular nonmedical term that often is referred to medically as pyrosis.

What Causes Heart Burn?

Heart burn is caused by a faulty muscle in the stomach. There is a "flap" at the top of the stomach that stops food from traveling back up into the esophagus. Sometimes the flap doesn't work properly and stomach acid escapes from the stomach. When the acid escapes, heart burn occurs.

Factors that contribute to heart burn: pregnancy, smoking, eating large meals, being overweight, and wearing tight clothing around the waist.

Heartburn usually ignites a burning pain that runs from your stomach to your breastbone, and it's often accompanied by a sour taste in your mouth. Heart attacks, on the other hand, may cause a prolonged heavy feeling or squeezing pain in your chest. (Angina, or heart pain, causes similar pain that lasts just a minute or two.) Although pressure chest pain is more commonly associated with heart disease spasm of the esophagus may cause the same symptoms. It's best to assume the pain is coming from the heart, get emergency help to rule the heart out as a cause, then focus on the esophagus.

Prokinetic medications are those that increase activity or peristalsis of the stomach to help push contents into the intestine more quickly. The medications metoclopramide and domperidone are both prokinetic medications. This medication may be beneficial in those people whose reflux symptoms are caused by delayed stomach emptying.

Try Tea

Green tea has been used for centuries in Japan as an after dinner drink. Green teas aid the body in the digestion process, and help soothe the stomach's sensitive tissue.

Prevention

Heartburn and its symptoms can often be prevented or at least minimized by following a few, standard guidelines.

1. Never smoke before or while eating. Smoking often causes one to swallow small amounts of air, which form air pockets in the digestive tract with the added pressure of food. Smoking also slows the body's ability to digest food.

2. Monitor which foods cause you to suffer heartburn. Often times, eliminating certain gas forming foods (such as beans, cabbage, cucumbers and onions) from the diet, brings an end to suffering.

3. Eat at a dinner table in an upright, sitting position. ]