Archive for March, 2011

Acid Reflux Disease

Over the past several decades, acid reflux disease, also known as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) has become an increasingly common disorder.

In this article, I will go over what this disease is, why these rates are increasing, what typical treatments are, and cover a few home remedies that can often bring instant relief.

What Is Acid Reflux Disease

Acid reflux disease simply refers to frequent or chronic reflux. Reflux refers the phenomenon where fluid from the stomach leaves the stomach and enters the esophagus. Reflux can be stomach acid or even contain digestive enzymes and food.

The term acid reflux disease has fallen out of favor (at least in North America) and is being replaced by the term GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease), in part because some people with reflux may not actually experience “heartburn”.

What are the symptoms of Acid Reflux Disease?

The symptoms of acid reflux disease include:

• Burning pain in the chest, directly behind the breastbone (i.e. heartburn)

• Burping up previously eaten food or vomitus coincident with an acidic taste (sour or bitter)

• Increases after a large meal, especially when lying down or bending over

• Difficulty swallowing or the feeling that something is caught in the throat (these symptoms are the long-term results of acid reflux disease)

Over time, acid reflux disease can damage the esophagus. Long-term exposure to this can cause difficulty swallowing as mentioned above. Acid reflux disease can even cause esophageal cancer overtime if left unchecked.

Why Rates are Increasing

Acid reflux disease is rapidly increasing in the modern world. This is because two of the major risk factors for developing GERD are being overweight and eating large meals, both of which are becoming increasingly common in industrialized nations. As a result, acid reflux disease is becoming more common.

Fortunately, acid reflux disease can be eliminated or reduced simply by making a few lifestyle changes:

• Weight loss (if overweight)

• Reducing meal size (spread out food)

• Do not drink alcohol or use tobacco products or caffeine.

• Do not eat right before bed

While these strategies are simple, it can be quite difficult to make the lifestyle change necessary. The benefits of good health in the long-term will far outweigh the short term pleasures of our personal vices, but it can be difficult to realize this.

Acid Reflux Disease Remedies

The two heartburn remedies offered on our homepage (chewing gum and drinking a spoonful of vinegar) can be quite effective for reducing acid reflux as it strikes. These two remedies promote the release of saliva which can naturally improve digestion and protect the esophagus from stomach acid.

Acid Reflux Disease Treatment

If a person fails to make lifestyle changes and continues to experience regular acid reflux, typically an H-2 blocker or a proton-pump inhibitor will be prescribed by a doctor.

While these drugs are excellent for the treatment of ulcers, they do have their downsides. Many report that H-2 Blockers are not effective for long-term usage and proton-pump inhibitors have a smorgasbord of side effects (see our heartburn treatment article for a list of side effects and supporting scientific research).

In the long run, the best way to treat heartburn is to make lifestyle changes and only use medication on an as needed basis.

Acid Indigestion Symptoms

In this article, I will be covering what acid indigestion is, going over acid indigestion symptoms, as well as giving a few powerful acid indigestion remedies.

What is Acid Indigestion?

First, understand that acid indigestion is an old-fashioned colloquial term. Several decades ago the term acid indigestion was a commonly used layman’s term to describe both acid reflux and indigestion. Now, we know that acid reflux and indigestion are two different things.

As a result, it is important to distinguish between reflux and indigestion as the two can have different treatment paths.

Symptoms of Acid Indigestion

Most people think of acid indigestion as heartburn. The symptoms of heartburn include:

• A burning pain behind the sternum (breastbone)

• Burping up food with a sour or bitter taste

Compared to the symptoms of indigestion which include:

• Feeling very full after eating, even if it is just a small amount of food.

• Stomach pain (below the breastbone rather than behind it like heartburn)

• Loss of appetite

Indigestion is just a term for general symptoms. Acid reflux can cause indigestion, but indigestion can occur in the absence of acid reflux. Ulcers for example can cause indigestion in the absence of heartburn.

Acid Indigestion Remedies

Whether you have acid reflux or indigestion, our top two heartburn remedies, chewing gum (non-mint) and drinking a teaspoon of vinegar, can both help reduce the symptoms of both. As a result, these two things can be considered acid indigestion remedies.

Both these home remedies promote digestion by causing a lot of salivary release. The act of chewing also helps promote gastric motility which can decrease the symptoms both of acid reflux and indigestion.

Preventing Acid Indigestion

Both heartburn and indigestion and the combination of the two frequently be avoided in the first place. It is a lot easier to prevent acid indigestion from occurring than it is to stop it once it is already active.

The simplest thing you can do prevent acid indigestion is to lose weight. If you are overweight, you are much more likely to experience both heartburn and indigestion. Additionally, try to eat small meals throughout the day rather than one large meal. Large meals tend to provoke both heartburn and indigestion. Finally, avoid alcohol, smoking, and caffeine, as all three of these drugs are known to cause indigestion and heartburn.

When to See a Doctor

You should see a doctor for your acid indigestion if you experience symptoms of heartburn or indigestion on a regular basis (2x per week or more) as this may be the sign of a more serious condition such as an ulcer or hiatal hernia.

Both of these conditions can be tested for with a simple barium x-ray swallow. This involves drinking a solution containing barium and then having an x-ray of the abdominal cavity taken. The barium solution will line the gastrointestinal tract and can easily be picked up by x-rays.

A radiologist can easily identify a peptic ulcer or a hiatal hernia off of the same set of film.

Signs of Persistent Heartburn

In this article, I will be going over the signs of heartburn as well as those of persistent heartburn. Heartburn in and of itself is a common experience amongst all humans and when experienced irregularly is not a problem. It is only when it becomes persistent heartburn could it signify a more serious health issue.

Signs of Heartburn

The most common sign of heartburn is a burning sensation behind the breastbone, hence the name. This is the sensation of stomach acid exiting the stomach, moving up the esophagus, and irritating the sensitive lining. A few more symptoms of heartburn include:

• Burping up the taste of food especially when accompanied by a bitter or sour taste.

• Symptoms are minimal while standing and peak while lying down or bending over.

• Feeling of an upset stomach.

These are all signs of heartburn which can often be relieved with these heartburn remedies. Heartburn generally peaks when laying down or bending over as these body positions prevent gravity from pulling down on stomach acid. It is much easier for the stomach’s contents to escape when someone is bending forward or lying down.

Heartburn may not always culminate in the sensation of heartburn but instead could just be experienced as burping up a sour taste of food and a general stomach ache. For this reason, doctors refer to heartburn as “acid reflux” to indicate that the problem is reflux of the stomach, not necessarily the burning sensation that may or accompany heartburn.

Signs of Persistent Heartburn

Persistent heartburn, if it occurs several times per week or more, is now commonly called gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD for short. This distinction was created given the fairly recent realization that persistent heartburn can lead to a higher risk for esophageal cancer and other disease states in the esophagus.

Signs of persistent heartburn include all the signs of heartburn but can culminate in difficulty swallowing, narrowing of the esophagus, and esophageal strictures. In layman’s terms, one sign of persistent heartburn is the feeling that something is always “stuck” in the throat and it cannot be dislodged.

Dealing with Persistent Heartburn

The signs of heartburn can significantly be reduced and typically eliminated without the use of medication. You can stop persistent heartburn simply by making a few lifestyle changes:

• Losing weight (if you are overweight)

• Avoid drinking alcohol, smoking, and caffeine

• Avoid large meals

• Avoid eating a few hours before bed

Those three things alone will drastically improve the signs of heartburn. Even implementing just one of those bullet points can significantly reduce heartburn. For example:

If you are overweight, drink a lot of coffee, and have a few drinks several times per week, then you not only are likely to get heartburn but probably experience it several times per week. If you lose weight, keep the coffee, and limit alcohol to one time per week, odds are you will significantly reduce your run-ins with heartburn, all without medication.

In short, persistent heartburn is not a prison sentence barring you from all of your vices, but it is an indicator that you are not living a completely healthy lifestyle. Small changes can make a big difference in the long run.

However, if you experience persistent heartburn, characterized by experiencing the signs of heartburn two or more times per week, then you should mention this to your doctor as you may be diagnosed with GERD.

Apple Cider Vinegar Heartburn Remedy

One of my favorite heartburn remedies is taking a teaspoonful of vinegar. Does it work? Definitely – try it out and you will not be disappointed.

The real question is.. why does it work and what kind of vinegar works best? Read on to find out the answer to that question!

Vinegar Heartburn Relief – Path of Action

While the apple cider vinegar heartburn remedy has traditionally been an ‘old-fashioned’ but unproven method for reducing heartburn, it turns out that there is actually some recent research to support this remedy.

It turns out that the sensation of acetic acid (the active ingredient in vinegar) at the top of the throat (stimulated by drinking) causes a flurry of activity in the salivary glands (1). Saliva aids digestion and helps reduce heartburn and many home heartburn remedies are based off of how effectively they generate saliva.

It is possible that perhaps vinegar has another path of action which can help reduce heartburn as well. This is the only research I have been able to find confirming suggesting a logical path of action for why vinegar could reduce heartburn. I have not found any research suggesting that vinegar is ineffective for reducing heartburn.

Apple Cider Vinegar or Regular Vinegar?

While there have been a lot of interesting benefits related to apple cider vinegar, there is no difference between apple cider vinegar and regular vinegar for heartburn relief. This is because acetic acid is the active ingredient in vinegar which can help reduce heartburn.

Any sort of antioxidant power of apple cider vinegar is not relevant to the immediate heartburn relief reported by those taking vinegar. Perhaps it is possible that if apple cider vinegar does have anti-inflammatory properties that it could attenuate some of the damage damage caused by acid reflux, but I have not come across any research to support this view.

As a result, there is no need to overspend on apple cider vinegar when cheap vinegar will do the trick. However, if you take apple cider vinegar before eating for the other health benefits, you may reudce

Some Health Considerations of The Vinegar Heartburn Remedy

There are two things to consider when using vinegar as a home heartburn remedy. First off, if you are experiencing heartburn regularly two times a week or more, you will want to see a doctor as you may need a better management plan to reduce heartburn rather than relying on heartburn remedies.

Additionally, regularly drinking vinegar can erode the teeth (2). If you have heartburn at night, you do not want to take a teaspoon of vinegar and then fall back asleep before rinsing out your mouth. You will want to brush your teeth after drinking even just a teaspoon of vinegar due to the potential for tooth erosion.

References

1. Dutta SK, Agrawal K, Mahmoud MA. Modulation of salivation and heartburn in response to the site of acid infusion in the human oesophagus. Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2010 Sep;32(6):795-800.

2. Hefferren, J.J. Why is there and should there be more attention paid to dental erosion? Compend Contin Educ Dent. 2004 Sep;25(9 Suppl 1):4-8.

Hiatal Hernia Acid Reflux Relationship

A hiatal hernia is a fairly common medical condition which can result in regular acid reflux (i.e. GERD, regular heartburn). In this article, I will be revealing what exactly a hiatal hernia is and why it causes acid reflux so frequently.

Anatomy of a Hiatal Hernia

Under normal circumstances, the diaphragm is a muscular sheath which separates the chest cavity from the abdominal cavity. It sits upon the stomach and liver and divides the torso into its upper and lower half.

The diaphragm has a few “holes” in it which allow necessary structures like the esophagus (the tube connecting the mouth and stomach). Arteries and veins pass through the diaphragm as well.

However, under normal circumstances, the stomach does not pierce the diaphragm and is completely contained below this. A hiatal hernia occurs when a piece of the stomach manages to squeeze itself “above” the diaphragm, particularly navigating through the ‘hole’ where the esophagus pierces.

The end result is that the top portion of the stomach (at the gastro-esophageal junction) rests above the diaphragm and becomes “pinched” by the diaphragm. While rarely a life-threatening condition, this can (and frequently does) interfere with the function of the lower esophageal sphincter (LES), significantly increasing the risk for acid reflux.

Hiatal Hernia Acid Reflux Conundrum

The end result is that once you have a hiatal hernia, you are very likely to get heartburn. Since the LES cannot function optimally, having a hiatal hernia increases your susceptibility to the effects of pressure and body position on the stomach.

In order to reduce your run-ins with hiatal hernia acid reflux, it is recommended that you:

• Eat small meals instead of large meals to avoid significantly stretching the stomach

• Wear relaxed-fit pants so not pressure the abdomen

• Do not eat several hours before bed

• Raise the head of your bed by a few inches

• In the long term, look to lose weight (if you are overweight) and stop drinking alcohol and smoking. These can all increase your run-ins with hiatal hernia acid reflux.

By applying these simple tips, you can significantly reduce your run-ins with hiatal hernia acid reflux. If you still get reflux even after reducing meal size, we recommend trying these heartburn remedies.

Medical Treatment Options

If these lifestyle changes are not enough to stop heartburn, sometimes medication may be prescribed by your doctor. The most commonly used medication to help reduce hiatal hernia acid reflux is omeprazole, which is a proton pump inhibitor and available over the counter.

It is important to remember that hiatal hernias do not go away on their own nor are they “cured” by medication. Medication can help manage the symptoms if lifestyle changes are inadequate. Most people should experience significant relief simply by reducing meal size and losing weight.

The only way to repair a hiatal hernia is via surgery, however this is typically reserved for the most serious cases. Even the most advanced laparacopic surgery can result several days in the hospital and two weeks to a month out of work (depending on age).

How to Get Rid of Heartburn

In this article, you will discover how to get rid of heartburn quickly and permanently with natural remedies. In order to figure out how to get rid of heartburn, we first need to understand the primary mechanisms of heartburn.

Simplifying Heartburn

Heartburn occurs when stomach acid (and other stomach contents) “leaks” out of the stomach and comes back into the esophagus. This creates a burning sensation as stomach acid irritates the lining of the esophagus.

As a result, we can attack heartburn on two primary fronts: by preventing stomach acid from leaving the stomach in the first place and by neutralizing what does manage to escape the stomach.

Putting Stomach Acid In Its Place

Learning how to get rid of heartburn is easy if you understand that the easiest way to prevent heartburn is from preventing the stomach’s contents from leaving in the first place, which is what heartburn essentially is.

The stomach is supposed to a sealed by the Lower Esophageal Sphincter (LES), a muscle group which contracts around the entrance to the stomach in order to keep it squeezed shut. Normally the LES allows food to enter the stomach and prevents it from leaving. However, sometimes it can malfunction and allow stomach acid to come out of the stomach.

One reason this happens is via excessive pressure. Pressure can be caused by overeating (the stomach being stretched), drinking too many fluids, and carbonated beverages (both of which also stretch the stomach). Additionally, tight clothing can compress the stomach and contribute to heartburn.

However, these alone are often not enough to overpower the tough LES. Sometimes certain foods (also known as trigger foods) can irritate the stomach lining and can temporarily prevent the LES from doing its job. For some of us, certain foods always cause heartburn and these are different from person to person. Alcohol can also irritate the stomach lining and cause heartburn.

Finally, laying down can also increase heartburn as gravity normally aides the LES in keeping the stomach’s contents in the stomach. When laying down, it is much easier for fluid to escape the stomach and cause heartburn.

To sum up everything on how to get rid of heartburn, you should:

• Refrain from overeating, over-drinking, carbonated beverages, and caffeine

• Do not wear tight-fitting pants

• Place wedges (wooden wedges work best, but books or anything else that is sturdy can work too) to raise up the end of the bed where your head lays. This will create an incline and allow gravity to keep what belongs in the stomach in the stomach.

This is just one aspect of how to get rid of heartburn. These methods all help keep stomach acid inside the stomach and prevent heartburn in the first place.

How to Get Rid Of Heartburn

If you already have heartburn, it is a little late for these preventive strategies. Once you already have heartburn and you want to get rid of it, then you need to to apply strategies that will help neutralize stomach acid.

Below, you will find a few heartburn remedies which will get rid of heartburn even after it has started:

• Chew gum (non-mint; mint can increase the production of stomach acid). Gum creates a lot of saliva production, raises the pH of the esophagus (which creates a buffer against heartburn), and the chewing pattern helps speed up digestion. Do not just take our word for it – try it out and you will be amazed at what a few minutes of chewing gum can do for your heartburn.

• Take an antacid. Alone, antacids may not be effective, but when combined with the previous strategies of loose-fitting clothes and a raised bed, antacids can be extremely effective.

• Drink a teaspoon of vinegar. Vinegar produces a massive saliva burst which will help get rid of heartburn. If you use this regularly, be sure to rinse your mouth out a few minutes later to get the acetic acid (the active ingredient in vinegar) off of your teeth.

You now know how to get rid of heartburn. By applying these strategies you will have no problem dealing with heartburn once and for all!

How to Stop Heartburn Fast

In this article you will learn two things: how to stop heartburn fast and the steps you can take to help naturally stop heartburn from occurring in the future.

How to Stop Heartburn Fast

Tired of losing sleep over heartburn? Then try out some of our heartburn remedies for stopping heartburn fast:

• Take a spoonful of vinegar and chew a piece of mild, non-mint or cinnamon gum (see our Heartburn Remedies page for scientific studies and mechanisms for why vinegar and come work so well for stopping heartburn fast),

• Eat a handful of raw, unsalted almonds. Many people have reported anecdotally that this food alleviates heartburn. Avoid eating too many as eating too much fat can actually cause heartburn.

• Loosen your belt or change into something more comfortable. Tight pants are a significant contributor to heartburn as they literally pressure the stomach, which helps cause heartburn.

• Take a walk. Walking not only gets you standing up (heartburn symptoms are usually at their lowest when standing) but the motion created by body movement helps the stomach digest food.

• Try an antacid. Over the counter antacids containing calcium carbonate can be surprisingly effective. I personally find that stopping heartburn naturally with the methods above is preferable though, as calcium carbonate sometimes leads to stomach discomfort (commonly called “sour stomach”).

Stopping Heartburn Naturally in the Future

While stopping heartburn fast with the strategies above works great, the easiest way to stop heartburn is to not let it happen in the first place. Below, you will find a few strategies for how to stop heartburn from happening in the first place:

• Avoid problem foods. Everyone has certain foods that cause heartburn. Take note of what foods bother you as an individual and be sure to avoid those in the future.

• Lose weight (if you are overweight). If you are overweight, the excess fat that is stored around your organs can actually compress your stomach and cause heartburn. The particular type of fat that causes heartburn is known as visceral fat and is linked to a host of other heart problems like heart disease and high triglycerides.

• Eat low-fat meals at night and consume your fats earlier in the day. Heartburn always peaks at night because people tend to eat more at night and laying down tends to provoke heartburn.
  
  Since eating a no-fat diet is unhealthy (some fats are needed to maintain body function), try to eat most of your necessary daily fat early in the day when you are moving around and save a low-fat meal for dinner. This technique will help you stop heartburn naturally without forcing much of a dietary change

• Eat small, frequent meals. Eating large meals can cause heartburn the same way wearing tight clothing and being overweight can: by placing pressure on the stomach. You can stop many cases of heartburn from happening in the first place simply by not overeating.

How to Stop Heartburn Fast Conclusion

Try out our heartburn remedies to stop heartburn fast and then follow those up with our natural methods for reducing heartburn and you will find your run-ins with heartburn will significantly decrease.

Heartburn Cures

If you need the best heartburn cures, you have come to the right place. In this article, I will go over some powerful ways to cure heartburn and also give some tips on the easiest ways to prevent it.

Nighttime Heartburn Cures

One of the most common yet inconvenient times to get heartburn is at night. There are two reasons for this: large meals and body position.

Large meals can cause heartburn and for most people dinner and the accompanying evening snacks are the largest meal of the day, so it is not surprising that most heartburn occurs at night. Heartburn also is worse when lying down as when lying down, you do not have gravity to keep reflux in the stomach. These two factors make nighttime the worst time for reflux.

Fortunately, there are three simple heartburn cures you can use to help stop heartburn at night:

Take a teaspoon of vinegar. This powerful cure for heartburn burns going down, but many report instant heartburn relief from this. Note: Liquid vinegar is the only thing that works; capsules containing vinegar do not.

After taking the spoonful of vinegar, chew a piece of gum with a mild, non-mint flavor for 5 minutes. This will not only help clear the bad taste of vinegar out of your mouth, but it will help aid digestion by producing saliva and additionally coat the esophagus in a pH buffer. Check the Heartburn Remedies homepage for scientific studies supporting these two claims and the physiology for why they work.

While these two cures for heartburn help with the food part of heartburn, sometimes they are not enough. In this situation, you need heartburn cure that addresses the other nighttime heartburn cause: body position.

A simple cure for this cause of heartburn is to raise the head of your bed by placing boards under the two pegs at the head of your bed. This will place you on a slight incline, is perfectly comfortable, and allows gravity to aid you in keeping your stomach’s contents in your stomach.

Propping your head on pillows is not enough; the chest must be elevated as well.

Daytime Heartburn Cures

In those with serious heartburn, sometimes heartburn strikes hard during the day. A simple but powerful way to cure heartburn in this instance is to go for a walk.

If you eat and you get heartburn, start chewing on a piece of gum and go for a 10-15 minute walk. Not only is the exercise extremely beneficial for your whole-body health, walking also helps significantly reduce heartburn and chewing gum aids digestion. It is quite surprising just how much going for a walk can do for heartburn.

One more thing you can to do help cure heartburn during the day is to make sure your pants and belt are not on too tight. Tightly fitting pants or a tight belt can compress the stomach and lead to heartburn. Tight-fitting pants are common amongst office attire, but if heartburn is a problem, make sure you get an appropriately-sized pair of slacks.

Heartburn Cures

These simple yet surprisingly effective heartburn cures can make a major difference in your life and cost next to nothing. By applying these methods, you can cure heartburn and improve your health at the same time!

Foods That Cause Heartburn

There are a lot of foods that cause heartburn and amongst different people these heartburn foods to avoid can vary greatly. These foods are called “trigger foods” for their uncanny ability to cause heartburn.

Below I will be revealing 12 common foods that cause heartburn as well as going over how certain foods can become trigger foods. After reading this list, check out our recommended simple home heartburn remedies if you have not done so already.

12 Common Foods That Cause Heartburn

Peppermint – This can include anything from peppermint extract to peppermint paddies. Mint can increase the body’s production of stomach acid.

• Lemons – Lemons can turn even the most resilient stomach sour.

• Orange Juice – Orange juice, more so than actual oranges, tends to be a serious creator of heartburn. Many people who can tolerate oranges cannot tolerate orange juice.

• Tomatoes – Although tomatoes may not taste acidic, many people simply cannot tolerate tomato-based products and this is one of the number one foods that cause heartburn. Note that some people can tolerate raw tomatoes but not tomato sauces, whereas others cannot tolerate raw tomatoes but are fine with tomato sauces.

• Coffee – Coffee, especially on an empty stomach, can cause heartburn. The caffeine in coffee stimulates the body’s production of stomach acid.

• Tobacco products – while chew is more likely to cause heartburn, smoking can also influence it. As a stimulant, nicotine increases the body’s production of stomach acid.

• Chocolate – Unfortunately for many sweet-teeth, chocolate is well known as one of the heartburn foods to avoid.

• Alcohol – Alcohol is not a stimulant unlike the other drugs mentioned here, but it does directly irritate the stomach lining, causing heartburn in many. Regular alcohol consumption is one of the top causes of GERD.

• Carbonated Beverages – pH issues aside, these drinks fill up the stomach, and this excessive pressure can help create heartburn.

• Spicy food – While spicy food does not cause ulcers, it certainly can irritate the stomach and is a leading heartburn trigger food.

• Fatty foods – Eating too much fat can lead to serious indigestion. Fat takes a long time to be digested and sits in the stomach for awhile; eating too many fatty foods can cause heartburn that lasts for several hours.

• Dairy – Dairy is a problem mostly because it is an easy way to over-consume fat. Pizza causes heartburn frequently as it combines fatty cheese with tomato sauce, both of which are foods that cause heartburn.

Other Foods That Cause Heartburn

While these are common foods that cause heartburn, some people have to worry about other heartburn foods to avoid. One of the most common ways this occurs is via a learned “food aversion”.

If you ate a food which caused food poisoning or simply happened to coincide with a serious illness, a food aversion may develop. This can result in heartburn every time you eat this food, regardless of how benign it is for everyone else.

As a result, you need to make a list of your own foods that cause heartburn so you can avoid those in the future. Simply by avoiding foods that cause heartburn, you can significantly reduce instances of heartburn and reduce your reliance on heartburn medications.

Severe Heartburn

Heartburn, a common occurrence, transcends being a nuisance and becomes a real problem in the case of severe heartburn. In this article, you will learn a few simple yet effective heartburn remedies, a serious condition that mimics extreme heartburn, and treatment options should remedies and lifestyle changes not work..

Severe Heartburn Causes

Severe heartburn can be caused by a variety of things of factors, however, the following are the most likely culprits:

• Alcohol Consumption. Even a few drinks can cause heartburn. Binge drinking is a common cause of extreme heartburn and it is not unusual to experience bad heartburn all day after a night of drinking at the bar.

• Overeating and Trigger Foods. Overeating can be enough to cause heartburn, especially if the foods are fatty and spicy. Additionally, most people have a few certain “trigger foods” which are guaranteed to cause heartburn (different people have different trigger foods). Combining overeating and a trigger food is a recipe for bad heartburn.

• Gastritis – Any sort of inflammation in the stomach which could be caused from anything from the “stomach flu”, to H pylori to a more serious condition can help facilitate heartburn, especially when combined with one of the factors above.

More rarely, certain genetic predispositions or conditions can exist which cause the stomach to produce excess stomach acid and can lead to regular occurrences of severe heartburn.

Consequences of Extreme Heartburn

If you experience heartburn more than once a week on a regular basis, schedule an appointment with your doctor as this may be a sign of GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease).

If left untreated, GERD can lead to Barrett’s Esophagus, which increases the likelihood of contracting esophageal cancer. This can be the case even if the heartburn is mild.

Extreme Heartburn Remedies

Our top two heartburn remedies, chewing gum (non-peppermint) and drinking a teaspoon of vinegar can often remedy even the most severe heartburn case. You will be amazed by how much your heartburn symptoms will subside after taking a spoonful of vinegar and chewing gum for just 5-10 minutes.

Additionally, try putting on some loose-fitting clothes, and avoid laying down. If it is at night, be sure to elevate the head of your bed by 6 inches. If it is during the day, try going for a walk, which is also another simple yet effective heartburn remedy.

Severe Heartburn or a Heart Attack?

Frequently, bad heartburn and angina (chest pain that is a warning sign of a heart attack) are confused. Both are pains around the heart but there are some significant differences:

• Angina is typically described as a “squeezing”, gnawing pain, whereas heartburn is a burning sensation.

• Angina frequently spreads to the shoulders, arms, and neck (particularly on the left side), whereas even extreme heartburn stays centralized on the midline of the body.

• Sufferers of angina sometimes report an “uneasy” feeling and can break out in a cold sweat. This does not happen with heartburn.

• Severe heartburn gets worse when laying down or bending forward; angina typically does not significantly change based on body position.

• Bad heartburn is typically accompanied by burping and an accompanying bitter or acidic taste, whereas angina is not.

If there is ever any doubt or you are experiencing symptoms of angina or heart attack, call emergency medical services without delay. Angina is a symptoms of ischemia which can progress into a full heart-attack if left untreated.