›› 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, it’s 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 back-washing 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 chalked, 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 Pepsi 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 are not difficult. There are 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.
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A Healthy Dose of Good Advice
