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Home -> Shop By Store -> Heart Burn
Heart Burn
Introduction
That was a horrible creepy monster, slowly rising towards my neck. It was too hot that it seemed to have been created out of lava. What should I do! I could not even scream other wise it would pierce its teeth in my throat and would suck all my blood like a vampire. O God! Help me. And suddenly I woke up. Thanks God it was a dream, but I still felt that creepy monster rising from my chest and moving towards the neck accompanied by a burning pain. Now I realized that it was ……. but a heart burn. Most of us have sometime or the other suffered from a burning chest pain behind the breast bone moving upward like a slowly rising creeper to the neck and throat. This creeper is knows as heart burn. It could take as long as 2-3 hours to make this condition go away or as short as some minutes.
Whatever the period be, heart burn often occurs or becomes worse after eating. Alcohol, smoking and caffeine are also effective catalysts in aggravating or at least worsening the condition (so if you are victim of heart burn do paste this statement on your walls to keep yourself reminding).
Heartburn is often mistaken for heart attacks or other cardiac diseases mostly because of its origin. Therefore a heart burn must be checked with the doctor in order to avoid any serious condition.
Alternative Names
Heart burns are also called acid indigestion; pyrosis; stomach acid or acid stomach.
Causes
Normally heartburn is caused by two major conditions:
- Gastro Esophageal Reflux Disease: The major cause of heart burn is the backing up f acid from stomach into the esophagus. The lower Esophageal Sphincter (LES), a ,muscle present at the bottom of the esophagus, is like a door to stomach that opens to let the food in and closes to keep the food in the stomach. A too often or a delayed relaxation in this muscle, allows the acid to reflux back into the stomach causing heart burn.
- Esophageal Spasm: The irregular contraction of the muscles in the esophagus leads the spasm to force food into the stomach ineffectively, thus resulting in heart burn.
The absence of these two disorders doesn’t make you feel secure since there are certain other factors as well. These are:
- Obesity.
- Pregnancy.
- Smoking.
- Normal aging.
- Physical activities that require a lot of bending.
- Taking large meals, especially when you are about to sleep.
- Wearing clothes that are tight around the waist.
Risk Factors
- People with irregular eating habits.
- People who are overweight.
- People with a high consumption of alcohol, caffeine and nicotine.
Symptoms & Signs
- Black vomit like bloody material.
- Black stools, like tar.
- The problem is either prolonged or too frequent.
Diagnosis
Your doctor might use some of the following hard consonant words in order to diagnose you of heart burn. But the wisdom lies in having a little knowledge about them before hand and I really appreciate you for coming here to get yourself acquainted with these.
- Endoscopy: This process is a kind of spying of the lining of esophagus, stomach, and duodenum. This spying is done by a tube containing an optical system for visualization. Your doctor will ask you to swallow this tube and will look for the inflammation on the esophagus. If the esophagus is inflamed he will diagnose you of heart burn. It is equally possible that you do not have any inflamed esophagus, but that does not mean that you are not a patient of heart burn. Since for most of the patients the esophagus appears normal, thus this way of diagnosis is unreliable.
- pH monitoring of esophagus: This is done through a test called 24-hour esophageal ph test. This test once again requires a small tube which the doctor would pass through your nose and will be positioned in your esophagus. This end carries an acid sensor. The other end of the tube will be wrapped over your ear and attached to a recorder around your waist. Now every time the acid is refluxed back into the stomach, the recorder records it. In the mean time patient is asked to record each time he/she has symptoms. After about 20-24 hours, this instrument shall be removed and the record analyzed. Now if the reflux occurred at the time of the symptom, the doctor will diagnose you of heart burn with reflux as the cause.
- Esophageal manometry: this requires a measurement of the pressures in the esophageal. It is performed when the diagnosis is unclear.
Prevention
Prevention is indeed better than cure, isn’t it! In order to avoid heart burn you should:
- Quit smoking.
- Anyone who is overweight and suffers from heart burn should reconsider losing weight.
- A sensible diet is a key to success, and it is for the pregnant ladies as well.
- Avoid bending the waist especially after or during the meals.
- Do not sleep right after the evening meal.
- Sleep with the head rising above. This could be done by raising the head of the bed at least 6 inches above by putting it on blocks.
- Citrus intake should be reduced.
Treatment
Heart burn could very easily be treated by simple life style modifications:
- Avoid alcohol and caffeinated beverages, and chocolates.
- Weight loss is beneficial for all of you who are overweight.
- Avoid lying down after the meals.
- Sleep on a slanted bed in order to avoid the acid from flowing up.
- Certain food that you feel causes heart burn should be avoided.
In addition to these home care methods, doctors usually do prescribe certain medication as well that might help in reducing heart burn. These include:
- Antacids.
- Proton pump inhibitors.
- Medication that causes the food to move forward down gastrointestinal tract.
If every thing fails, doctors seek the help of surgery. This surgery is called Nissen fundoplication
Primary Natural Supplements
HERBS
- Licorice (DGL)
- Papaya Leaves
VITAMINS
Secondary Natural Supplements
HERBS
Dietary Guidelines
- Prefer water over milk since it neutralizes acid more than milk.
- Do not eat fried, fatty, spicy or citrus-based foods.
- Eat fresh fruits (excluding the citrus fruits) especially the ones with high enzyme content such as papaya and pineapple.
- Avoid alcohol, coffee, chocolate and onion.
- Rich dairy products and carbonated beverages are also the cause of heartburns.
Home Care Suggestions
- Baking soda is not a remedy of heart burn, it may upset the acid/alkaline balance of the body, so please do not use it.
- Certain antacids containing undesirable ingredients are not suitable for people with heart diseases or high blood pressure. It is also believed that their continued use could actually cause increased stomach acid secretion.
- Calcium carbonate could be easily bought as a powder and is a good antacid.
- Quit smoking.
- Eat slowly and chew your meal fully while relaxing during the mealtime.
Mind/Body Considerations
For a person suffering from heart burn mind and body considerations are very important. One must pay special attention to the food and the right time of the meal. You must stay away from caffeine or at least cut the intake down. Don’t forget to elevate your bed a little higher and you are all safe. Good luck.
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