Ah, another big, wonderful Sunday breakfast! A few cups of coffee with your ham-and-cheese omelet, and you'll lie down for a relaxing afternoon on the couch. Nothing could ruin that perfect scenario, right? Nothing but a painful burning sensation in your chest, known only too well as heartburn. (The name is a misnomer, since heartburn occurs in the esophagus, just behind the heart, and in no way involves the heart.)
What causes this irritation? Gastric acids from the stomach splash back up into the lower portion of the esophagus, causing pain. The digestive acids don't harm the stomach, thanks to its protective coating, but the esophagus has no such armor, so you feel discomfort.
The most common heartburn triggers are:
- Taking Aspirin, ibuprovin, naproxen sodium, arthritis medicine, or cortisone.
- Eating heavy meals
- Eating rapidly
- Eating foods like chocolate, garlic, onions, or peppermint
- Smoking after eating
- Drinking coffee (regular or decaffeinated)
- Drinking alcohol
- Being very overweight
- Wearing tight clothing
- Pregnancy
- Abulging of the upper part of the stomach through the diaphragm, a condition that permits stomach acid to squirt back into the esophagus. Thia ia xLLWS Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). It was commonly termed hiatal hernia.
Treatment consists of avoiding as many contributing factors as possible, plus the following:
- Sit straight, and stand up or walk around whenever you can. Bending over or lying down makes
- it too easy for gastric secretions to move up to the esophagus.
- If heartburn bothers you at night, raise the head of the bed slightly.
- Keep your weight down. In people who are overweight (or women who are pregnant), the upper
- portion of the stomach can bulge through the diaphragm.
- Eat small meals.
- Limit alcohol.
- Don't eat for 2 to 3 hours before bedtime.
- Take an antacid. They coat your stomach and neutralize acids. For example, take 1 to 2 tablespoons of a non-absorbable liquid antacid such as magnesium hydroxide every 2 to 4 hours or ones that come in tablet form such as Tums.
- If antacids don't bring relief take an over-the-counter acid controller, (examples - Pepcid AC and Tagament HB.) These not only relieve heartburn but can prevent it. [Note: Read label before taking antacids or acid controllers. If you have questions check with your doctor.]
- Don't take baking soda. It may neutralize stomach avid at first, but when its effects wear off, the acid comes back to a greater degree causing severe gastric acid rebound.
- Don't smoke. It promotes heartburn.
- If you do take aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen sodium, or arthritis medicines, take them with food.
[Note: Call your doctor if you find no relief from the procedures listed above.] |
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