The fact is nearly everybody has heartburn occasionally. It's so usual that more than ten percent of the population is having its symptoms at least once a week. In spite of of the name, heartburn has nothing to do with the heart. Therefore, if it's so usual what caused it? Usually What we experience as heartburn is the most common symptom of a condition called esophageal reflux or acid reflux. The terrible or burning sense we experience from heartburn is made by regurgitation of stomach acid. While you eat a special muscle, known as the lower esophageal sphincter (LES), is responsible for permitting food to go through into the stomach. Once LES has permitted food to pass, it shuts down quickly to prevent the return (reflux) of food and stomach juices back. The problem is LES muscle doesn't always work well.
Esophageal reflux happens when the LES muscle is either loosed inappropriately, or is weak. If this takes place, stomach juice is allowed to back off, or reflux, into the gullet which makes heartburn. When this is happening on a regular basis, the result is a prolonged condition called gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD.
If you're not sure enough what exactly heartburn feels like, the symptoms are a burning painful sensation behind the lower sternum that may radiate upward towards the neck, in addition to sensation of food or liquid coming up into the throat, or mouth (regurgitation) is possible when bending over or lying down. Usually bitter or acid taste may come with the symptoms above.
In case you're wondering how dangerous heartburn can be, the reply is in most cases it is not severe. Naturally there are cases where it could be life threatening, but it is really very uncommon. Most of the time severe heartburn can be a negative element on daily actions and productivity, also could lead to more complications. The good news is that with understanding of the causes of heartburn, many people can find out relief.
Here are a few advices to bear in mind so you are able to control heartburn. Because heartburn is often induced by the food you digest, try to avoid eating heavier meals. Make a habit of eating smaller meals, but more frequently. There're a few type of foods you are able to try to avoid. Those are coffee and alcohol, fried and fatty foods, citrus fruits and juices, tomato sauce and ketchup. If you're a smoker, give up the cigarettes, or at the least smoke less, that will be good not only for the heartburn, but for the whole body.
Of course there is a large variety of medicines, available free OTC or with a prescription. A group of them is known as Proton Pump Inhibitors or PPI. PPIs are really efficient and safe drugs used to cure heartburn, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and ulcers. One of those drugs is Nexium. Nexium works on the cells in the stomach that create acid, called parietal cells, cutting down the amount of acid produced. The lining of your stomach contains millions of these special cells that make acid via acid pumps, also known as proton pumps. Reduced amount of acid in the stomach can prevent heartburn.
With all this information you're ready to relief yourself from heartburn, probably not conclusively, but at least when you need it.
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