Heartburn

Heartburn is that burning sensation in your chest that usually occurs shortly after eating a meal. It is especially common after eating a meal high in grease and acids, or when you just simply ate too much. Because the burning usually is felt in the same are of the chest that the heart rests in, its called heartburn, but of course the condition has nothing to do with your heart. It can, however, actually mimic the symptoms of heart disease, such as shortness of breath and tightness in the chest.

The actual pain caused in heartburn is due to acids backwashing out of the stomach and up into the esophagus. The muscle that is supposed to contain these acids in the stomach, called the esophageal sphincter, is not always perfect at what it does. When you over eat, you put an abnormally large amount of pressure on this sphincter muscle, and it is more likely to fail in its job and let some of the acids into your esophagus, causing heartburn. Laying down just after eating will also put more pressure on your sphincter. Also, greases are better able to slip by this muscle, which is why greasy foods are especially prone to causing heartburn.

Most cases of heartburn are occasional, and result just from a particularly greasy or large meal. If you suffer from heartburn less than once a week, you probably will be okay treating it with just an antacid. Antacids neutralize the acid in the stomach, and provide a very fast acting albeit temporary relief from heartburn. Though antacids containing calcium carbonate, which is essentially chalk, have been popular for years, lately there are some newer ones that use aluminum hydroxide. Personally, I think aluminum hydroxide is a much more effective heartburn treatment, and doesn’t leave you feeling like you just licked a black board.

A longer lasting heartburn treatment can be found by using an acid reducer, such as Zantac or Pepcid AC. If you know you are prone to occasional heartburn and you know you are going to be eating a lot of greasy foods, popping one of these pills before hand will keep you heartburn free for several hours.

If you have heartburn more often, as in once a week or more, you should probably see a doctor about it. The acids from your stomach can eventually do some serious damage to your esophagus, which will increase your chances of getting esophageal cancer. Fortunately, treating even the most severe and chronic cases of heartburn is not difficult. There are a number prescriptions available today that are very effective in treating chronic heartburn. In the most extreme cases, a low-risk medical procedure may need to be performed to help close your esophageal sphincter.