You must have heard of doctors talking about GERD while advising you about heartburn. Many think that heartburn and gerd are two separate diseases. However, it is not so – it is the same thing. Heartburn is also known as GERD in medical terms, which is the short for gastroesophageal reflux disease.

Why Does Heartburn Occur?

Now that you know that heartburn and gerd are the same, let us check out what causes this disease and what its symptoms are. You may like to note here that heartburn and gerd being synonyms can be used alternatively. GERD occurs normally when the LES (lower esophageal sphincter) swings inwards to allow the acid and undigested foods from the stomach rush back into the mouth. The esophagus not being prepared for this assault burns and hurts terribly when this happens.

The weak sphincter has to be strengthened for the heartburn and gerd to be prevented. There is an extremely unpleasant taste and feeling post the regurgitation because the acid and bile mixed return to the mouth from the stomach. The best way to avoid this occurrence is to ensure that you avoid food that triggers it. In order to treat it after it happens, you should always have some prescribed medicines that you can have as soon as you feel the acidity.

How Can Heartburn and Gerd Be Avoided?

When you find that you have repeated heartburn attacks, you should try and identify the triggers. These would normally be certain foods, that if avoided can spare of a lot of pain and discomfort. Otherwise, you could have some over-the-counter antacids or physician prescribed medications. These could be very useful to counteract the symptoms and give you instant relief.

The best cure of any disease is its prevention. Hence, the best way to cure heartburn and gerd is to avoid it altogether. There are very simple rules to follow to achieve this– see how many you can adopt:

1. Keep your weight under control; overweight people have a higher probability of developing heartburn problems than people who have a healthy body mass index.
2. If you are smoking, stop doing so immediately.
3. Drastically reduce or eliminate alcohol consumption as well.
4. Let at least two hours elapse after you finish your dinner.
5. Always wear loose fitting clothes, since tight ones aggravate and promote acidity.

Heartburn occurs when the stomach acids used to digest foods are backed up into the esophagus, causing pain and inflammation. Normally these acids are held at bay by a muscle at the base of the esophagus called the lower esophageal sphincter or LES. Normally the LES only allows food from the esophagus to go into the stomach.

However, if the LES stops functioning properly, the acids can come back up. No one knows exactly why this muscle stops working effectively, but there are many contributing causes that are attributed to this problem. Many times heartburn cures are focused around prevention by eliminating as many contributing causes as possible.

Understanding Heartburn

There are many lifestyle habits and diet choices that are contributing factors for heartburn. To quit smoking is one of the first lifestyle choices you can make to alleviate heartburn symptoms. You can also avoid large meals that can add pressure to the sphincter muscle, and wearing tight clothing that can pose the same problem. You can also wait to perform certain activities like exercising until a couple of hours after eating. Don’t do away with exercise completely however! Exercise can be a healthy way to cure heartburn because it allows your digestive system to work more efficiently and it helps you to maintain a healthy weight.

Avoid eating meals too close to bedtime also, since lying flat allows those stomach acids to back up more easily. If you consistently experience painful heartburn symptoms overnight, you can try sleeping in a semi-reclining position so that your body is not completely flat. The disadvantage for many people is that this is not a comfortable way to sleep, so it does not turn out to be an attractive heartburn cure.

Diet can play an important role in causing heartburn, so dietary changes can be equally effective in curing heartburn. Avoid foods that you know will give you symptoms, and if you are unsure of what those foods might be, keep a food diary for a couple of weeks to see if you can discover any patterns for your symptoms. Some common dietary culprits to watch out for are citrus fruits, caffeine, alcohol, and fatty foods. Others may be unique to you and your symptoms.

If diet and lifestyle changes are not effective in curing your heartburn, you do have the option of medication, such as antacids from the drugstore or prescription medications in more severe cases. With all of the options available, you stand a very good chance of finding an effective cure for your heartburn if you take the time to determine what your triggers are.

Many times, following a party, a picnic or simply a large meal you are attacked by acid reflux or heartburn. This gives a highly unpleasant burning sensation in the chest region, following the regurgitation of certain amounts of acid from the stomach, back into the esophagus, sometimes right up to the throat. Heartburn is usually accompanied by a host of other symptoms such as stomach ache, nausea, feeling bloated, continuous belching and/or a vile soar-bitterish taste in the mouth.

How can you get Heartburn Help?

When reflux occurs, it is the indication that the LES (lower esophagus sphincter) is opening backwards and letting food and digestive fluids slip back into the alimentary canal, creating a lot of pain and inconvenience. Nobody likes this feeling and in order to avoid its occurrence, here are a few very useful tips to help heartburn:

1. Help prevent heartburn (as well as colon cancer) with a simple precaution. Take one or two digestive enzymes before any large meal (wedding, birthday party, etc) which will help in processing (digestion) of the food without any side-effects.
2. Never drink water with the meal or immediately after the meal. Wait for about one to two hours before having water. Water taken during meals usually dilutes the acid in the stomach and slows down the digestive process. This is particularly true with cold water.
3. Do not drink sweet aerated drinks with your meals. Sugar, besides causing high acidity, expels calcium into the urine. Avoid as much as possible any type of sugar with or after the meals.
4. Another simple tip to help prevent heartburn is contrary to popular belief. Most people believe that eating fruits after a meal is a good thing- not if you have heartburn. This is because fruits will aggravate the acidic content of the stomach which is already digesting the meal. The increase
5. in acidity will result in acute heartburn.
6. Do not go for large meals; rather get used to small meals at less intervals which are easier to digest.

The above are just a few of the natural remedies for heartburn. If you are looking for instant relief, you should keep some alkaline compounds (ask a doctor to prescribe it for you) and have it as soon as the first wave of acid reflux hits you. Be careful to improve your eating habits to prevent continuous recurrence of heartburn.

If this becomes a chronic affliction, it can be the cause of some extremely serious health problems. Eat healthy, exercise in moderation and drink plenty of fluids – and you will not need any more heartburn help.

Generally, it is not quite as common to see heartburn in children as it is in adults. However, heartburn in children can occur, and sometimes can be a symptom of gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERD. Acid reflux disease is a problem with the base of the esophagus. The muscle that is at the base of the esophagus can sometimes be rather weak and may allow stomach contents to go back up into the esophagus. This can cause damage to the esophagus and possibly to the stomach itself.

Preventing Heartburn in Children

Heartburn in children should probably be diagnosed by a physician, since it could be a sign of an underlying problem. However, there are a few steps you can take at home to prevent and alleviate heartburn in children that are fairly easy to do.

Controlling or changing a child’s diet may help immensely with their heartburn problem. Avoiding certain foods can lessen the stomach’s acid content. Foods that should be avoided can include milk, citrus fruits and drinks, tomatoes and tomato sauces and chocolate.

Keeping a food diary can be a big help in determining what the major cause of the heartburn in children is. It is possible to find orange juice with a lower acid content, so your child may not have to give up some foods. Fried and fatty foods can also lead to heartburn in children, so limiting a child’s intake of these foods can help immensely.

There are a few other steps you may want to take as well. Evening heartburn in children can be prevented simply by not allowing your child to eat right before bed. Smaller meals with a few snacks during the day can help the stomach gain control again. Elevating the head or head and torso while sleeping can also help the older child.

Medications can be prescribed or recommended by your doctor. There are quite a few good, over the counter medications that can help prevent or eliminate heartburn in children. However, it is always a good idea to read the directions and warnings carefully and follow your doctor’s advice when it comes to medications.

Heartburn in children can be prevented to a certain degree without the use of medications. However, there are effective medications available if needed, and if your doctor recommends them. By taking preventive measures and helping your child regulate their food intake, the heartburn situation can improve drastically.

Acid indigestion, or acid reflux, is a very uncomfortable feeling of burning in the chest. More commonly referred to as heartburn, it is suffered by over 60 million people, most on an infrequent basis. Fortunately, there are several forms of heartburn medication available.

Occasional heartburn is not unusual, especially after eating an overly large meal or one with a lot of spices and acids. The list of heartburn medication for the occasional bouts is a long one and includes such names as Tums, Pepto-Bismol, Maalox and Rolaids, among others, along with generic choices.

These are antacids that neutralize the acid in the stomach, but their effects are for the short term. If, after taking this heartburn medication for up to two weeks there are still symptoms of heartburn, a physician should be consulted.

Stronger Medication for Severe Cases

A different type heartburn medication, Receptor Antagonists, better known as H2 blockers, send signals to the stomach, telling it not to release as much stomach acid as it usually does. One of the disadvantages of H2 blockers is they can take over an hour before relief is felt. However, this is one heartburn medication which can be taken with antacids for immediate and longer relief. Never exceed two doses of an H2 blocker within a 24-hour period.

Brand names of such mecications include Pepcid-AC, Tagamet HB and Zantac 75. These can be bought over-the-counter with stronger versions available by prescription. Their use should not exceed two weeks unless under a doctor’s supervision.

Proton pump inhibitors are a form of heartburn medication which actually stops most of the production of stomach acid. It is sold under various brand names as well as generic equivalents and there are over-the-counter versions as well as stronger doses available by prescription.

Prilosec and Pravicid are two of the better-known brands of heartburn medication and generic versions are available as well. The use of proton pump inhibitors should be with caution as they may cause too little acid production, which could interfere with proper digestion. Additionally, proton pump inhibitors may cause reactions with other medications, both over-the-counter and prescription so advice from your physician or pharmacist is recommended.

Once having taken heartburn medication for the prescribed time and have made lifestyle changes, your doctor may suggest other tests to determine the cause of the heartburn to develop other means of having it stopped. Persistent and sever cases of heartburn could be signs of other, more serious medical problems.