WHAT IS HEARTBURN?
Heartburn
is the burning or painful sensation in the esophagus which can be caused by
reflux of the stomach contents. The hydrochloric acid in the stomach makes
these contents acidic and irritating to the esophagus, this causes a burning or
painful sensation in the esophagus, just below the breastbone or sternum
Heartburn
has nothing to do with your heart the reason why it is called heartburn is
because the pain is allocated to close to the chest behind the breastbone but
the acids causing the heartburn are secreted in the stomach, heartburn can also
be explained as the burning pain in the chest just behind the breastbone, the
pain can escalate when lying down or bending over
Usually everyone finds their own ways to deals with the heart burn, some people use drugs and some don’t, some people are more experienced with tradition measure rather modern one for example taking of ashes as it is said to contain more alkaline which can help to neutralize acidic taste in the mouth, chewing of some alkaline leaves can help to reduce the acidic irritation. you could be one among many in the world that are suffering from the heartburn, you must get to understand how does the heartburn occurs and what kind of measure can you take in order to overcome this kind of sickness,
The stomach contents flow back into the esophagus
because the cardiac sphincter is not closed, the incomplete closing of the
muscles may be caused by certain types of foods such as pepper, citrus fruits,
tomatoes, onions, chocolate also fatty foods like meat, butter, chocolate,
candy, cakes and carbonated drinks such as most of soft drinks. Some of these
foods are also contain too much sugar, the excess sugar in the body will
finally be converted into fat and stored in the body, the habit taking food
with too much sugar may lead to the accumulations fat in the body which finally
can cause obesity
Bad eating habits
Spicy
food, sometime a food which may contain too much spice can provoke the heartburn
to occurs, spicy food can cause the strong irritation and facilitate the
secretion of acid in the stomach for example onion and tomato products are the
best for trigger the secretion of the acid in the stomach, bad eating habit in
the night, taking large portions of food just before bed or eating very hot or
cold foods, can trigger heartburn
Large or fatty meals
Eating
foods with too much fats like meat, butter, sausages, citrus fruits, tomatoes,
onions, chocolate, coffee, cheese, and peppermint. Spicy foods or large meals
can also be the root of distress., can cause the food to stay long in the stomach,
causing the secretion of more acid in the stomach which reflux and causes
irritation in the esophagus.
Bad drinking habit
Alcohol,
carbonated beverages, coffee or other caffeinated beverages are the sources of heartburn,
cigarette smoking relaxes the muscle which can result in heartburn. usage of
cocaine and tobacco can also initiate heartburn
other
causes of heartburn include pressure on the stomach due to pregnant also can
increase your risk of experiencing heartburn, obesity, stress and vigorous
activity
how does heartburn occur?
when
food is taken and swallowed, the muscles around the bottom of the esophagus
relaxes to allow food and liquid to flow down slowly into the stomach, then the
muscle tightens again. If the lower esophageal sphincter does not work as it is
supposed to then the stomach acid will flow back up into the esophagus and
cause heartburn. The acid backup may cause more pain when you lie down or bent
over
SYMPTOMS
OF THE HEARTBURN
A
person may experience pain in the chest and usually after meal during the
night. Taking a heavy cold meal during the night is not health thing to do all
this can lead to severe heart burn.
A
person may experience a lot of pain when bending over or lying down,
Having
a bitter or acidic taste in the mouth, most people may eat ashes when this
happen as they say ashes is more basic so it can help neutralize this acidic
taste in the mouth.
More
symptoms include Difficult in swallowing or the person may feel like the food
is stuck in the throat, excessive belching, a burning or irritating sensation
in the chest or throat, hoarseness or loss of voice, a sour taste in the mouth
HOW
TO PREVENT/CONTROL HEARTBURN
Avoid
late or large intake of the food before going to sleep, it is advised to wait
for at least two to three hours before going to bed.
Don’t
engage yourself into the exercise or vigorous activities immediately after
eating Avoid wearing tight cloth that put pressure on the stomach
Get
into weight reduction programs being too obese is never good, obesity comes
with a lot of health problems like hypertension, heartburn, cancers and so on.
Avoid
use of alcohol, carbonated beverages, coffee or other caffeinated beverages,
tobacco, cigarette and other recreational drugs
Minimize
intake of foods that can cause heartburn such as too much fatty for example
meat, butter, sausages, citrus fruits, tomatoes, onions, chocolate, coffee,
cheese, and peppermint or too much sugar foods like sweets, candy, chocolate
and sweetened drinks
Drink
enough water to dilute acid in the stomach, water is the best when it comes to
neutralize acidic or basic content because water itself is neutral hence
drinking plenty of water is very useful way to reduce the acidic strength of
the food.
Take
measure to reduce stress, there are so many stress reduction techniques that
you can use out there like meditation, relaxation, listen music, watching
movies, visiting friends and so on
If
the symptoms persist while you have taken all the necessary, measure for one
week or two weeks then you should immediately see the doctor or healthcare
provider for more treatments. Heart burn can also be serious which may need
medical attention, your health care or doctor may order an X-ray, endoscopy, or
other examination to determine if your symptoms are related to gastro esophageal
reflux disease [GERD] which is more serious form of heart burn