Heartburn is a mild to severe burning sensation of the chest area or beneath the breastbone. This usually occurs after meals especially if the person decides to sleep shortly after. The heartburn condition, despite the name, does not technically refer to a condition of the heart but rather is a digestive disorder. This happens whenever the gastric juices of the stomach rises up to the esophagus. The stomach was built to contain the acidity of the gastric juices. The esophagus, on the other hand, cannot withstand the stomach acids. Therefore, LES or the Lower Esophageal Sphincter is needed to prevent the gastric juices from reaching the esophagus. As the gastric juices reach this area, it causes a non-tolerable burning discomfort for the body particularly the chest area.
Once the LES is weakened or damaged and more and more gastric juice is regurgitated to the esophagus, a person then becomes more susceptible to heartburn. Permanent or extreme damage to the LES may result to the severity of heartburn being just a symptom of a bigger disease called Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease or GERD.
How to Treat Heartburn
There are several ways in treating heartburn. One can choose from several home remedies to systemic ones that may require the use of intravenous processes. For quick and easy home remedy, a person suffering from heartburn can use the aid of sodium bicarbonate, or to simply put, the baking soda. Just mix it with water and drink an ample amount enough to ease the discomfort of heartburn. This concoction can relieve the stomach and can effectively alleviate the pain caused by heartburn.
Avoid sleeping right after meals and incorporate a habit of elevating the head of your bed to help lessen the refluxing of the gastric juices to the esophagus temporarily. A healthy heartburn diet is also a must to prevent heartburn from coming back. Other remedies for the relief of heartburn are the use of antacids, H2 blockers, PPIs and many more. For more information on which medication to take best, ask your doctor. In severe cases, surgery of the esophagus can also be done to cure heartburn.
