You know how it feels. It’s like somebody is squeezing your heart, and you can’t breathe. It’s a tightness in the chest and then it goes away. For a fleeting second, you had this horrible thought that it might be a heart attack. You were in fact, dealing with heartburn. And contrary to popular belief, it doesn’t always happen after a case of acid reflux. And yes, there’s a difference between the two.
Heartburn is one of the most common medical conditions that many people deal with almost all the time. Its name has actually nothing to do with the heart. The only reason why it is called heartburn is mainly because you have this rather sharp and painful sensation in the chest area. near your heart.
This kind of reflex is actually experienced when your digestive system, particularly in your stomach, goes through some kind of an acid reflux. This basically means that some of the acid in your stomach starts to flow upwards towards your esophagus leaving you breathless and irritated. It is advisable that severe acid reflux should be treated immediately because failure to address the problem will lead to more serious health conditions like developing pre-cancerous conditions like Barrett’s esophagus, or esophageal cancer.
Dealing with heartburn through pills:
Mostly prescribed medications are antacids and acid reducers known as H2 blockers, and Proton pump inhibitors. This is truly an instant relief that can help you get back to sleep comfortably and with no disturbances. Just make sure that you consult your doctor first before buying medications for your own safety. However, it is imperative to ask doctor’s advice before having self-help medication to prevent complications because any medications and outside elements of the body might have detrimental effects to natural biotic germs.
Dealing with heartburn at night by sleeping right:
If you are still having trouble with your heartburn at night, you effectively cure this by sleeping with fluffed up pillows so that your head is a bit elevated. This way, any acid reflux that might threaten you will immediately be prevented due to your sleeping posture. Acidic drinks should not be taken to avoid heartburn at night. These drinks include grapefruit, orange and tomato. Some causes of reflux are spicy foods, caffeine from coffee and carbonated drinks. Avoiding this all together will help prevent heartburn at night.
Dealing with heartburn via healthy foods:
Lastly, it is very important that you are mindful of the things that you eat. A diet that is high in acid will really not help you get rid of your heartburn. Heartburn remedies during pregnancy stress on eating right. Fruits and vegetables are a must, while processed and greasy foods have to go.
Another reason why dealing with heartburn head on is important is because your doctor can tell you whether it’s acid reflux that’s causing all the pain or it’s something else. Because if your acid reflux and the heartburn that usually follows it, happens very often (chronic) and doesn’t seem to go away, then you might have what doctors call GERD or gastroesopahageal reflux disease. Some doctors also refer to it as acid reflux disease.
GERD is very common among Americans of all ages. In fact, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), estimate that 10 to 20 percent of Americans experience GERD symptoms everyday.
The good news is, GERD help is available. In fact, dealing with GERD may simply mean taking OTC medication like: Alka Seltzer, Maalox, Mylanta, Rolaids, Pepto-Bismol and Riopan.
If it’s prescription medicine that your doctor recommends, chances are, it’s one of these: cimetidine (Tagamet HB), famotidine (Pepcid AC) and rantidine (Zantac 75).
Get GERD help immediately and deal with it aggressively. Because if left undiagnosed and untreated, GERD can lead to a bleeding ulcer. Dealing with heartburn means being proactive in knowing what the symptoms are and then going to the doctor for help. When treated early, dealing with heartburn may only entail a lifestyle change.
Let us always remember that focusing on diet, exercise and stress relief methods is so much easier than a lifetime of taking pills! And nobody should ever live with heartburn pain!
