Treating Heartburn Requires Lifestyle Changes

2007-03-08 10:33:40

( Pharmeceutical-Medical )



There may be times when you feel a sharp burning pain in your upper abdomen, near your heart. The pain may move up to your throat. Your mouth feels sour. The pain stays with you for an hour or two and then goes away. You have just gone through a spell of acid heartburn.

Treating heartburn is fairly easy. Clinicians say roughly half of all people feeling heartburn gas or suffering acid heartburn symptoms appear to recover by modifying lifestyles and taking nonprescription antacids when needed. But if you regularly feel heartburn gas accumulating, you should realize that antacids provide only temporary relief.

Treating heartburn with antacids for periods longer than two to three weeks can cause problems. You may suffer diarrhea and risk having too much calcium or magnesium in your system. Remember, if you cannot get rid of heartburn, you may have a more serious underlying problem. Instead of treating heartburn, your doctor may check if there are indications of ulcer.

In treating heartburn, you may want to consider natural cures for heartburn. Lifestyle changes are helpful. You should avoid alcohol and smoking: chemicals in cigarette smoke weaken the LES (lower esophageal sphincter) muscle; alcohol increases the production of stomach acid.

Change in diet can reduce acid heartburn episodes. You should avoid chocolate and peppermint, as well as spicy and fatty foods, which are classic triggers. Stay away from foods that irritate your damaged esophageal lining, which means citrus, tomato products, along with coffee. Dairy foods (milk, cheese, ice cream) can trigger acid heartburn as the calcium in dairy products stimulates acid production.

You can try to decrease the size of meal portions and spread out your meals. So eat five or six smaller meals or snacks instead of eating three big meals each day. By eating less, the LES can hold food in your stomach easily.


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