Discover About Heartburn
Some people are confused about acid reflux and heartburn. Do you know that both of them means the same thing? The problem of your heart has no relationship with it. This discomfort occurs when the stomach acid makes it way upwards instead of downwards.
First, you need to understand why the digestive acid appears in your throat when it is supposed to stay in your stomach. There is a valve which is referred to as the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) that manages the flow of fluids between the stomach and the esophagus. Usually, it allows the food to get into the stomach by opening it after which closes it again. However, when there is a failure of the LES, the stomach acid will splash back into the esophagus. And it will result in damage.
Heartburn occurs after a huge meal. It can occur when you lie down. The pain may diminish in a short moment. However occasionally it can prolong to many hours. That is when you reach out for antacids, H2 blockers or prescription such as proton pump inhibitors. Although the reflux goes away, but it can show up once again when you are under tension or you eat certain food.
If you don't have persistent reflux, then it is fine. However, chronic heartburn can reduce the productivity at your workplace and obstruct your everyday pursuits. It can slowly become Barrett's esophagus and in later stages, you may find yourself with esophageal cancer. The modern medicine these days provides a variety of choices to cure heartburn.
Antacids tend to be widely used as a remedy to get rid of heartburn. They are cheap and easily obtainable as over the counter. They contain magnesium, sodium bicarbonate, aluminum salts or calcium carbonate that keep the acidity in the stomach low.
The best approach to use antacids is simply take them about one hour after meals. If you have heartburn, just take them immediately. Follow up with a second dose a couple of hours later. It will elevate the results as the effect of the initial dose will taper off.
It is important you don't use of a lot of antacids as they can cause constipation and diarrhea. In addition, the majority of antacids including Mylanta, Tums and Maalox tend to trigger recurrence of acid reflux and they encourage the output of stomach acid.
While some drugs can help fix acid reflux, but you can develop dependence and could encounter negative effects at some point. For occasional heartburn, they are not needed. Another choice is to make use of natural cures. It takes awhile since the whole process of trial and error is to determine the best remedy. I think it's well worth it eventually.
