Heartburn Treatment - a short discussion

Have you ever felt a burning sensation in your chest or in the upper abdomen? If you have, chances are highly likely that you have heartburn. Heartburn is a common condition that starts in the upper abdomen and moves up the food pathway to the back of the throat. So what causes heartburn? The most common cause of heartburn is stomach acid that finds its way into the esophagus. Heartburn treatment is quite simple. However, before one takes this treatment, it is essential that one understand the core causes of heartburn.

One may suffer heartburn after having a heavy meal that is full of fats or other acidic foods. In some cases, stress has proven to be a factor that induces heartburn. This stress may be in the form of emotional turmoil or pregnancy induced stress. In other cases, heartburn has been linked to physiological factors such as obesity. When most of these factors are involved, there is no cause for worry even if one tends to have frequent heartburn.

Common heartburn treatment methods consists of over-the-counter drugs such as Tums. These drugs are also termed as antacids tablets implying that heartburn is a simple acid indigestion problem but the actual problem may be more complicated than that. Studies indicate that most heartburn cases are symptoms of Gastroesophageal Reflux, whereby the stomach acid washes up against the sphincter that separates the esophagus and stomach thus causing the pain or burning sensation that is termed as heartburn.

When it comes to heartburn treatment, defense starts for most people by taking over-the-counter drugs that can be found in most pharmacies and supermarkets. These drugs come in various forms such as tablets or liquid state. Most of the active ingredients that can be found in these drugs are alkaline compounds such as sodium bicarbonate and magnesium. Others such as calcium carbonate have been used as antacid ingredients for several centuries.

Antacids work through buffering the accumulated acid in the stomach. This brings relief to the patient almost instantaneously after taking the drugs. While they may reduce the burning sensation, these antacids do not ease the feeling of fullness in the stomach nor do they prevent any further build up of stomach acid.

There are certain restrictions placed on those who can take antacids to ease heartburn. People with high blood pressure are advised not to take sodium based antacid drugs. Moreover, kidney stone sufferers are advised to avoid taking calcium based antacids as these may only serve to aggravate their condition. Because the taking of antacids can sometimes cause even worse problems, many people are turning to herbal remedies for heartburn. Though this article will not be covering these our website has a huge number of articles that do.

There have been several myths concerning the use of milk as heartburn treatment. While milk does initially quell the burning sensation giving the patient relief, it has been shown to cause even more severe heartburn after a while. This is because milk has calcium as well as proteins which aid in increasing stomach acid build up. In some cases, there is a resurgence of heartburn in as little as half an hour.

Those who are on various medications for different ailments should first consult their local physician or pharmacist before choosing treatment for heartburn unless they are going to use some of the natural herbal remedies.