Frequent Heartburn

There are times when you may feel a burning and painful discomfort just behind the breastbone. This burning sensation you are experiencing is commonly called heartburn, and most people have the tendency to suffer from frequent heartburn.

Hearburn has nothing to do with your heart

However, you have to be aware that heartburn doesn’t have anything to do with your heart actually just because it contains the word “heart”. Rather heartburn is what occurs when digested food juices go back from the stomach into the esophagus. The esophagus is the tube like structure that connects the throat to your stomach.

When the digested food juices go back into the esophagus it is called reflux. If you eat food that the stomach has to break down somehow, this process is done with the help of a high amount of acid. There is a valve that normally separates the esophagus from the stomach which is called LES or esophageal sphincter. Heartburn occurs when this LES muscle fails to work the way it should or when it relaxes frequently and at the wrong moments.
There are certain triggers in our lifestyle and eating habits that cause the LES muscle to relax and thereby cause heartburn. These triggers differ from person to person as the determinants of those triggers are lifestyle and dietary habits. However, there are some common factors which include the following:

  • Drinking beverages such as coffee, tea, and sodas that have caffeine substances in them.
  • Also drinking carbonated fizzy drinks and alcoholic beverages can relax the LES.
  • Eating foods such as citrus fruits and drinks, chocolate, peppermint, tomatoes or tomato-based products and fatty or spicy foods.

Different types of heartburn

People can experience different degrees of heartburn. There is episodic heartburn which the one experienced by most people.There is also the more serious GERD disease. Then there is frequent heartburn which is the type of heartburn that occurs on two or more days a week. The frequent heartburn really starts to affect people’s life in a negative way and it is definitely advisable that they take heartburn medication against their heartburn symptoms.
For sufferers of frequent heartburn there is at the moment only one type of relief. This are drugs which are called proton pump inhibitor or the PPI. PPIs are powerful inhibitors of stomach acid production. What they do is, they shut down the acid pumps in the cells of the stomach. Because this is where the stomach acid is produced, the PPIs eliminate the excess amounts of acid leaving only enough acid for the normal digestion of food.
There is another over-the-counter heartburn medication that you can take to get relief from frequent heartburn. It is called Prilosec. This heartburn drug is specifically indicated for frequent heartburn usage, and can provide 24-hour relief from the symptoms of frequent heartburn. You will only need to take one pill daily as medical directions state for 14 days.

For frequent heartburn sufferers the first step is to undertake a complete change in their lifestyles and eating habits. But this might only be just the beginning. Should there be an increase in the pain then having a medical diagnosis may be helpful in correcting your frequent heartburn pain. Stop procrastinating, and delaying, go to your doctor today and get yourself relief from your heartburn!