Treating Your HeartburnUnlike what it’s rather misleading name makes it sound like, heartburn is not in anyway related to the heart. It can briefly be described as an ailment producing a burning sensation or general increase in pressure in the area around your breastbone. Both conditions are a result of an increase in gastric acid reflux from the stomach. Heartburn has a number of symptoms apart from those we just discussed. These include (but are not confined to) acute pain, digestive trouble, acidic taste in the mouth etc. To relieve yourself from these exasperating symptoms you will have to employ a good heartburn treatment. The primary cause of heartburn of course has to do with what you eat and drink. If what you are eating or drinking causes profuse secretion of gastric acid then these stomach acids will spill into your food pipe and bother it’s lining thereby causing heartburn. A number of food materials, such as citrus fruits, mint products, chocolates, spicy food items, beverages such as coffee, tea etc. are known to contribute to your gastric acids to a large extent. Thus if you are a regular sufferer begin your heartburn treatment by altering your cooking methods; instead of deep frying switch to sautéing, broiling, poaching, grilling or steaming. Break down those large meals into small portions and eat about 8-10 small meals a day instead of the usual 3 or 4. Eat slowly and chew your food well, drink plenty of water but DO NOT wash down your food with it. Eat at least 2 hours before retiring for the night and during those 2 hours try and stay in a posture where your torso is very straight. When sleeping lie on your left side and keep your head on an elevation of 4-6 inches. Do exercise in optimum amounts everyday. Also ward of stress and anxiety, relax by means of meditation or Yoga. Try and reduce your weight, if it is a rankling problem. Quitting habits such as regular drinking or smoking should also help in your heartburn treatment. Try the abundantly available antacids for curing sudden heartburn pangs. These work by neutralizing the excess acid in your stomach and usually work promptly but most of them last for no more than 1 to 2 hours. Many medicines such as Cimetidine, Ranitidine, Nizatidine and Famstidine (called H2 blockers) however last up to 12 hours (though they begin functioning only after an hour). Proton Pump Inhibitors (or PPI’s) are effective at the very last stage of acid production. These start working within an hour after administration and remain effective for 24 hours. If your personal heartburn treatment however doesn’t seem to be doing any good do get in touch with your doctor immediately. Medical consultation is extremely important since heartburn often tends to be a mere symptom for a far more serious disease such as esophagus cancer, GERD etc. |