Heartburn – Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis & Natural Treatment
After taking a heavy meal, you are relaxing and suddenly you feel that your upper abdomen, chest and behind the breastbone are on fire. This pain and burning feeling travels and you feel the sour taste in your throat and feel that your food is coming back to your mouth from your stomach. This condition is called heartburn which has no concern with the heart but it is purely a digestive problem in your stomach.
Causes
When stomach contents (acids) go back to lower part of esophagus, the person feels discomfort and pain because this part is not strong enough to handle acids (produced in stomach) and that’s why it feels irritation and inflammation. Why the stomach contents (acids) go back to the gullet? This has many causes such as:
• Lower esophageal sphincter (LES), it is the valve that allows food to enter the stomach. When it is relaxed or not doing its job properly then the person feels heartburn
• Eating large quantity of food or short time before bedtime
• Eating fried food, chocolates, sweats, alcohol can cause heartburn because these types of foods relax or weaken the lower esophageal sphincter (LES)
• Heartburn can also occur because of stress as stress increases the acid production and slow down the process of emptying stomach
Symptoms
Some common symptoms of heartburn are;
• Feeling chest pain after eating or laying down which lasts a few minutes to several hours
• Feeling food sticking in middle of chest or throat
• Feeling sour or salty taste in throat and
• Feeling burning and hot in throat
• Heartburn can cause painful cough
• Losing weight gradually
Diagnosis
If the person feels heartburn two to three times in a week then he should go to doctor who will diagnose the heartburn intensity or monitor your treatments by choosing suitable test from various tests including:
1 – Upper Endoscopy
This test allows the doctor to take a look inside your esophagus and stomach.
2 – Esophageal pH Test
Doctor suggests this test if treatment for severe heartburn or GERD isn't working.
3 – Esophageal Manometers
To check the working of your esophagus, doctor use this test
Surgery
When patient doesn’t get relief from heartburn with medicines then doctor suggests surgery which is a good alternate to life time medicine and pain
Problems caused by Heartburn
The affected person might face the following problems if he/she does not take it seriously and start proper treatment;
I – Ulcer
Heartburn is the cause of ulcer
II – Narrowing of the Esophagus
Swallowing becomes difficult due to some tissue damage.
III – Barrett’s Esophagus
Cells in the esophageal lining lose their normal shape and color.
IV – Esophageal Cancer
With the passage of time, heartburn contributes to esophageal cancer.
V – Contribute to other diseases
Asthma and chronic cough are also sometimes caused by heartburn.
Last Words
We should not take heartburn lightly; therefore, proper and timely treatment is needed to fight against it. Take light food, avoid smoking and fatty foods at least 3 hour before bedtime and lose weight if needed. Please, click here to find more natural treatment resources.
