According to the Mayo Clinic, heartburn is a burning sensation in the chest just behind your breastbone, which becomes worse when lying down or bending over. There is absolutely no cause for alarm if a person suffers from the occasional heartburn, which may also be called acid reflux. However, if it becomes more frequent and interferes with daily routines, it could be a symptom of a more serious medical condition, gastroesophageal reflux disease, which would require the help of a medical professional. Here are the top tips on how to treat heartburn, what it could be a symptom of, and everything else needed to know about it.
Heartburn as a Symptom
As mentioned earlier, having the occasional heartburn is perfectly normal unless it turns into something frequent. The usual instances of when heartburn occurs are during lying down or when a person bends over after eating. What somebody experiencing heartburn will feel is a burning sensation starting from the upper abdomen, reaching to the heart, and can sometimes extend all the way to the neck.
While, heartburn could be a process in and of itself, it could also be a symptom of the following conditions:
- Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
- Inflamed stomach lining or gastritis
- Peptic ulcer
- Hiatal hernia
Out of these four, GERD is the condition that is most frequently associated with heartburn. What happens is that there is a chronic regurgitation of acid from the stomach into the lower esophagus, which causes a great deal of irritation to the lining of esophagus. People will often confuse GERD with acid reflux. While the two conditions are closely related, acid reflux does not pose as severe of consequences as GERD.
A person with long-term GERD could be at risk of having Barrett’s esophagus where the color and composition of the lining in the stomach cells changes as a result of exposure to stomach acids. It can also lead to cancer of the esophagus.
What to Know Before Treating Heartburn
An important aspect of treating heartburn is learning how to differentiate it from atypical chest pains that could be signaling a heart attack or other serious problem. This is good information to know because often times heartburn is mistaken for chest pains and vice versa. The symptoms for chest pain, and not typically for heartburn, include:
- Sudden pressure or crushing pain in the center of the chest, which lasts for a number of minutes
- Pain that spreads to the back up to the left arm
- Shortness of breath
- Nausea
- Dizziness
- Pressure in the chest when going through an emotional time
- Pressure in the chest when doing a physically exhausting activity
These are symptoms that require immediate medical attention. While nausea and chest pain do occur with heartburn, these combined with related signs and symptoms may be signaling something more serious.
The normal signs and symptoms for a case of heartburn include:
- Sour taste in the mouth and back of the throat
- Burning sensation in the chest
- Difficulty swallowing solids and sometimes liquids
- Food getting stuck in the throat
- Chest pain when bending down or lying down soon after eating
In learning how to treat heartburn, it is important to know exactly what triggers it in the first place. For some individuals, consuming any of the following triggers heartburn:
- Alcohol
- Chocolate
- Coffee
- Black pepper
- Fatty and fried foods
- Ketchup
- Mustard
- Orange juice
- Soft drinks
- Peppermint
- Tomato sauce
- Vinegar
Ways to Treat Heartburn
There are natural remedies believed to treat heartburn when it occurs. Some such remedies include chewing on a clove of garlic, eating papaya before meals, or eating a banana or dried banana chips. Read more about these natural remedies at the GrannyMed website.
Over-the-counter medications may be enough to resolve heartburn, including antacid preparations and acid blocking agents. There are even medicines available that combine both antacids and acid blocking agents to help relieve symptoms. If heartburn becomes a chronic problem, a doctor might prescribe something stronger.
Reduce the Risk of Getting Heartburn
In order to reduce the risk of getting heartburn, one can watch her diet, avoid eating at least two hours before bed, reduce stress, and quit smoking, if applicable. Try to steer clear of the foods and drinks that trigger heartburn (see the list outlined above). Of course, this means a lifestyle change for most people, but can be very beneficial in controlling the return of heartburn.
Heartburn is a perfectly normal medical phenomenon. There is really no point in suffering through it and possibly incurring a more serious medical condition when there are legitimate ways on how it can be prevented and treated. Talk with a medical professional to get the best prevention and treatment options available.
Note: This article is not intended to be medical advice. It is merely an informational piece. Talk with a medical professional about heartburn before trying any treatments suggested in this article.
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