Heartburn: Guide to Understanding the Burn
All heartburn symptoms begin with a bite. Whether you took a piece of that gooey, warm pizza or a freshly baked moist chocolate cake, you know that sooner or later your digestive system will kick into action.
Normally, you will thank your stomach acids for doing a job well done; but for those with leaky, faulty valves, acids churning will often mean a tailing burning sensation.
Basics. Heartburn is an extremely common condition: A symptom shared by at least 60 million Americans. To fully understand heartburn and acid reflux, imagine we are tracing the warm, gooey pizza you had for lunch. Say, you had a bite. Once you swallow a piece, it travels through the esophagus down to the stomach. Between your stomach and esophagus is a valve-like mass of muscles called the lower esophageal sphincter. It acts like a gate: Letting foods in and supposedly keeping everything inside inside.
But what really happens when a person has heartburn symptoms? Those who experience acid reflux and, therefore, heartburn symptoms essentially have a valve that doesn’t work well as it should. This essentially allows the stomach acids and even food portions to seep back into the esophagus, which causes irritation and pain.
Symptoms. One of the most common heartburn symptoms is heartburn — an often painful and burning sensation felt right in the middle of chest. Said to resemble — but should be differentiated from — angina, heartburn usually strikes immediately after a meal and can last minutes to several hours. Other symptoms include a lingering sour taste at the back of the throat, difficulty swallowing, and a sensation that a food is stuck in your throat.
Risk. But who is at risk of acid reflux and heartburn? Anyone. But there are certain lifestyle factors that may affect the level of acid produced by the stomach and the efficacy of sphincter in its job. People who eat larger food portions, are overweight, smoke, and wear tight fitting clothes are more vulnerable to experience heartburn symptoms than those who don’t.
Management. Acid reflux and heartburn can be managed. One of the very first things that you should manage is not your symptoms but what causes your symptoms. And, in general, it all boils down to what and how you eat.
- Start by eating smaller meals. Food portions are something that you should get to know better. A good rule of thumb is to measure what you eat using your closed fist. Anything that doesn’t fit in shouldn’t go inside your plate.
- Finish your dinner four hours before bedtime. This will give your digestive system enough elbow room to finish its job before you shut the lights off.
- Know what is right — or wrong — for you. Heartburn symptoms are essentially caused by foods that bring unnecessary acid into the stomach or those that relax the esophageal sphincter. To manage your condition is to stay away from both. As a preliminary, you may want to stay away from citrus juices, tomato, onions, chocolate, and, of course, fatty, greasy foods.
- Don’t swig a mouthful. You need to watch not only what you eat but how you eat. Anything that is chocolate-based is too strong a temptation that no man — not even those who are willing and determined — can resist. The key to enjoying anything and keeping heartburn at bay is moderation.
Acid reflux and heartburn shouldn’t end with a tab of antacids. It can but it will not go away unless you learn how to manage it. Know what is best for you and you can live a heartburn-free life.
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