Recent statistics from the US Department of Health and Human Services suggest that over seven million people suffer from severe acid reflux in the U.S. alone. It is estimated that over fifteen million Americans suffer from chronic heartburn, as well.

The incidence of acid reflux is greater in people over the age of forty, but it can affect anyone, even infants. Acid reflux affects people of every age, socioeconomic class and race.

Simply put, acid reflux occurs when stomach acid splashes up through the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) into the esophagus and throat. This reflux of acid can be the result of many things including diet, alcohol consumption, smoking, hiatal hernia, stress and even pregnancy. When this refluxed acid hits the tender lining of the esophagus, it causes a painful burning sensation in the chest and, or throat. Other symptoms include difficulty in swallowing (dysphagia), hoarseness, asthma and dental erosion.

If left untreated, this condition can evolve into more severe and life threatening diseases like Barrett’s Esophagus, which is a precursor cancer. In an attempt to avoid the more serious consequences of acid reflux, people are resorting more and more to pharmaceutical drugs.

There are three classifications of drugs which treat and acid reflux. The first of these are antacids, which neutralize the acid in your stomach and are at best only a temporary fix. They are loaded with harmful ingredients such as sodium and aluminum. The next group of drugs is called H2 Blockers. They reduce the amount of acid that the stomach produces and provide longer lasting relief than antacids. Finally there are the PPI drugs (proton pump inhibitors), which shut off the proton pumps in the stomach that manufacture hydrochloric acid.

PPI drugs should only be used for eight weeks, at most. It says so right on the package. Doctors certainly know this but allow if not encourage most patients to continue taking these drugs on a permanent basis.

PPI drugs actually shut down the pumps that produce the stomach acid necessary to digest and assimilate food. This is an essential function of our physical anatomy. Another point of concern is that stomach acid keeps very dangerous bacteria, which live in the stomach and intestines, in check.

There are, unfortunately, no studies that can determine the long term effects of these drugs. We do, however, know what the potential harmful side effects are and there are hundreds of them. They include: allergic reaction, back and chest pain, fatigue, fever, flu-like disorder, hypertension, constipation, GI hemorrhage, vomiting, tinnitus, anemia, vitamin B12 deficiency, weight gain, arthritis, fibromyalgia syndrome, anorexia, depression, dizziness, impotence, insomnia, migraine, visual field defect, menstrual disorder, asthma aggravated, pharyngitis, acne, taste loss, fungal infection and Barrett’s esophagus just to mention a few!

The medical community would have us believe that drugs are the only answer to the problem of acid reflux. Doctors are not taught nutrition or natural healing techniques in med school. As a result they depend on prescription drugs to treat the symptoms of acid reflux disease. They unfortunately know nothing about how to cure the condition itself.

PPI drugs are very big business. Annual global sales for PPI drugs alone reached well over six billion dollars in 2002. One can only guess what those statistics are today. One can only imagine the extent of the damage these drugs are causing people all over the world.

I am happy to say that we are not limited to pharmaceuticals in order to rid ourselves of the acid reflux condition. There are many alternative techniques and procedures which can be employed to accomplish that end. As a veteran of the acid reflux drug battle, I am living proof that one can heal themselves of acid reflux by using what I call natural medicine.

When I found out that my doctor had exhausted all possibilities of helping me, outside of the PPI drug regime, I knew that I was on my on. I had to heal myself. To my surprise, through research and study, I found that curing acid reflux disease is really quite simple.

With a few modest changes in lifestyle and with the help of several natural remedies, one can absolutely win the battle against acid reflux without the use of drugs.

There are many natural ingredients found in any health store, which can help during the acid reflux recovery period. Herbs, such as marshmallow, slippery elm and bladderwrack have wonderful healing properties. Aloe vera, licorice and natural honey can sooth the esophagus and assist in the healing process. Chewing gum between meals actually neutralizes stomach acid.

There are many simple things which contribute to the acid reflux condition which most people overlook; insufficient water consumption is one of them. Eating too rapidly and chewing food improperly is another.

Eating smaller, more frequent meals is helpful. Substituting Kukicha Twig tea for coffee makes the body more alkaline. Have fruit, like bananas and melons instead of cereal for breakfast. Snacks of walnuts, almonds and more fruit will keep you going throughout the day. At dinner eat lightly and at least two hours before retiring. You certainly don’t have to starve yourself, but try to stay away from those acid reflux “trigger” foods.

It does take a new approach to life, in general, to heal a stubborn acid reflux condition. Think of it as an exciting challenge. You will feel so much better and your health will improve. It will have been worth the effort.

In a society where convenience sometimes takes precedence over common sense, pills have taken the place of ancient healing techniques and natural therapies. Drugs taken on a regular basis can be more dangerous than the illness itself.

Take command of your health and use natural resources to free yourself of those acid reflux drugs.

© 2006 Wind Publishing

For free recipes, articles and information, visit: http://www.refluxgoneforever.com

Heart burn is caused by stomach acid leaking into the lower throat or esophagus. How to get rid of heart burn symptoms or the burning sensation that you feel in your throat or chest varies depending on the severity and the cause. Many different things can lead to heartburn. Here we look at the things that may lead to heart burn and ways to get rid of it.

An antacid or over the counter product usually works quickly to relieve the burning sensation. Herbal remedies such as fennel oil and other drops may also work quickly. Home remedies such as chewing on a chilled chunk of rhubarb or eating a bite of ice cream works for some people. If you have prolonged heartburn that does not respond to over the counter remedies, you may need a prescription medication to prevent heartburn.

Heartburn is often caused by eating acidic foods. Tomatoes or tomato products, as well as citrus fruits may lead to heartburn. One quick way that may get rid of heartburn after eating lasagna, spaghetti, pizza or other similar foods, is to try a peppermint. Peppermint oil is one ingredient that is found in several over the counter antacids and anti-gas products.

The most sensible thing to do is to control and change the diet – including your mode of eating and so on. Getting rid of heartburn and doing so fast requires you know it’s root cause otherwise you may end up either fighting off the wrong thing or altogether applying ineffective means. Heartburn is primarily caused by a reflux – an acid reflux – a situation where the stomach acid backs up and comes in contact with the lining of the esophagus.

Many people out there try treating their heartburn with over the counter medicines, such as antacids. While these do work for a certain period of time, they do nothing more than mask the symptoms temporarily. Eventually, the heartburn returns over and over throughout your daily life. It almost seems like there never is a certain way that you can get rid of heartburn, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth.

Heartburn can have several causes. The first of which is irritable bowl syndrome, which is where the body rejects or has a reaction to certain types of food. The most common foods that are known as problem foods are the greasy foods, the high salt foods, and the spicy foods. These often cause gastrointestinal problems and can result in heartburn. Heartburn can also be caused by obesity.

Another type of medication worth trying is a histamine blocker. Histamine is a chemical which promotes the production of acids. Therefore, histamine blockers act by stopping the actions of histamine. It will take thirty to ninety minutes to feel their effects. The effects will only last for six to twenty-four hours. If you are suffering from serious cases of acid reflux, you are recommended to take two doses

There are several methods for treating heartburn including natural cures, over-the-counter medicines, and prescribed medication. The challenge is in finding what works best for you.

The reason some of us get heartburn is that excess stomach acid gets back out of the stomach into our esophagus. The esophagus gets irritated by the acid, hence the pain which can manifest itself as chest pain. (Heartburn side-effects are often mistaken for heart attacks, but thankfully they are not!)

Before you begin taking heartburn medication, it’s best to address the cause of your heartburn, namely your diet. Monitor what you eat and identify the foods that may be causing heartburn. Food types that typically cause heartburn are fried, spicy, and citrus in nature. Perhaps a heartburn cure is as simple as changing diet.

Heartburn Medications: where to start

If you do decide to pursue medication, let’s state the obvious. Assess the frequency of your heartburn and if its occurring regularly, go and see your doctor. At the very least it will put your mind at ease.

If you decide to self-medicate make sure to read and learn about the medications first of all. Also, be aware that what works for your friend may not work for you. So be cautious.

Heartburn Medications: the choices

There are several types of heartburn medication. Understand each type, including any side effects, before taking them..

1. Antacids:

As the name suggests, they are “anti-acids” and their job is to neutralize the stomach acid that causes the problem. Brands such as Tums are antacids. If you find you are taking a lot of them, then that’s probably a sign of a bigger problem. So take them sparingly and keep a note of how frequent your use is of them.

2. Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs)

Proton-pump inhibitors lower the production of acid in your stomach. This is accomplished by “inhibiting” the enzyme in the stomach that produces acid from doing its job. As a result, there’s less acid and so less heartburn, Examples of PPI include PrevAcid. PPIs are generally well received although there maybe side-effects such as diarrhea, constipation or headaches.

3. H2 Blockers

What an H2 blocker does is to block the production of the acid, thereby reducing how much is released in the stomach. There are several over-the-counter H2 blockers from companies such as Zantac. These are lower in dosage than the prescribed versions which are use to help with Gerd (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease)..

4. HCL related medications

Heartburn is often associated with too much acid, but in fact the opposite can occur causing heartburn. When we eat food, the stomach produces hydrochloric acid(HCL). One of its goals is to help with digestion. But if there is not enough HCL produced, then food ferments, putrefying in the stomach and the resulting “mixture” can result in heartburn. HCL for heartburn supplements can help resolve this issue.

What should be clear from the above is that understanding your heartburn can be fairly complex and what was said earlier is worth repeating. That is, talk with your doctor before embarking on any heartburn cure. That way all the options will be laid out before you and you can confidently choose a method that will cure your heartburn.

There seems to be a general consensus among medical experts that too much caffeine intake during pregnancy could be harmful to a fetus.  What remains undecided is just how much caffeine is too much.  While most experts would be pleased if pregnant women cut caffeine out of their diets altogether, they would also agree that it may not be necessary to stop it completely.  So, is caffeine safe during pregnancy? Or is it best to just stop consuming it completely?

Recent studies have shown that mothers whose caffeine intake exceeds 200 mg daily nearly double their risk of miscarriage compared to those who didn’t consume any.  However, not all studies are conclusive on this matter, so the exact amount of caffeine that is safe remains up for debate.  However, most experts would agree that 200 mg or less is probably a safe amount.

The risk of miscarriage is not the only danger tied to caffeine intake during pregnancy.  Some studies have shown that women who consume large amounts of caffeine also doubled their risk of stillbirth.  Though there have been studies showing a link between lower birth weight and caffeine consumption, the research in that area is still inconclusive.  In addition, it seems that mothers who consume more than 500 mg of caffeine daily while pregnant have faster heart and breathing rates, and have more trouble sleeping after delivery.

The possible dangers to your baby aside, you may wish to consider cutting back or eliminating caffeine simply because you may feel a lot better if you do.  Caffeine is a stimulant, so it makes your heart beat faster, may raise your blood pressure, could make you jittery and cause insomnia.  Caffeine intake can also contribute to heartburn, which is a problem for many pregnant women to begin with.

While you may realize that there are many advantages to cutting your caffeine intake during your pregnancy, you will also need to become aware of all the places where caffeine can be found.  Coffee is the obvious source of caffeine, but black tea, energy drinks, soft drinks, chocolate and coffee ice cream all contains enough caffeine to be significant.  In addition, many herbal and over-the-counter remedies contain caffeine as well.  Now, more than ever, it’s important to read labels carefully.

Once you have identified the sources of your caffeine intake it’s time to figure out how to cut back.  Some pregnant women find that their morning sickness makes them averse to a lot of caffeinated beverages, making quitting very easy.  Others find it simple to switch to decaffeinated versions of their favorite drinks.  Decaffeinated drinks sometimes still contain caffeine, just much less.

To answer the question, is caffeine safe during pregnancy, there is no black and white answer.  No one will dispute that no caffeine is a good thing, but the consensus seems to be that a small amount, up to and less than 200 mg daily is quite safe.  Fortunately, quitting caffeine, while somewhat uncomfortable, is still much easier than other, more dangerous habits like smoking and drinking.

Copyright (c) 2008 Ruth Tan

Did you just search for “pregnancy and honey” in hope that there would be some easy ways to get out of pains such as heartburns, colds and morning sickness during pregnancy? You might want to read on…

Heartburn During Pregnancy:

Heartburn during pregnancy is one of the most common side effects of pregnancy. Hormones released during pregnancy allow the softening of the sphincter between the esophagus and stomach. When this happens, stomach acids back up into the esophagus, causing a burning sensation. This may also occur in the latter months of pregnancy as your baby pushes all of your organs upward. You may experience heartburn as a burning sensation in your throat or chest. Other women experience heartburn as a large lump like feeling in their throat or upper chest. Fortunately there are ways to minimize your heartburn woes during pregnancy and honey with milk recipe is one of them. Mixing some honey with your milk is very good for helping neutralize the excess of stomach acid. Drink a glass of milk every night before going to bed.

Colds During Pregnancy:

Colds are quite common during pregnancy. Pregnant women tend to be more susceptible as their immune systems are lowered and their mucous membranes tend to swell during pregnancy. This can make it more difficult to overcome coughs and colds, and cause difficulty in breathing. If you do catch a cold you can increase your consumption of vitamin C rich foods including fruits and fruit juices. Many women find sipping teas including lemon and honey tea can help alleviate a sore and uncomfortable throat.

Morning Sickness:

Morning sickness is a common experience with about 70 percent of all women experiencing nausea and /or vomiting during or especially their first trimester of pregnancy. In more serious cases, morning sickness can present more severe health complications such as weight loss, and malnutrition for the mother and developing baby. Traditional remedies for expectant mothers trying to treat the nausea and vomiting of early pregnancy include soda and crackers which are only marginally helpful. Ginger works against ailments of the reproductive and digestive systems because it promotes circulation and encourages a good blood supply to these organs. Modest amounts of ginger tea with honey are a great remedy for nausea and vomiting. In the early weeks of pregnancy, the further stimulation of blood flow into the abdomen is not recommended, so go easy on ginger at this time.

Caution:

While there are many natural remedies during pregnancy and honey remedies are known to be quite safe in helping to relieve some of the common side effects or complaints of pregnancy (honey is not allowed for new-born and young children under 1-yr old ,though), bear in mind that something is natural does not always mean it is safe, for instance there are many herbs that are best avoided during pregnancy. As with anything, during pregnancy always check in with your medical doctor when you are in doubt.

Pregnancy symptoms are the first indicators that the stork is on its way bringing you a bundle of joy to care for and cherish. When you are planning on getting pregnant you will be eagerly watching out for the early signs of pregnancy.

Early Pregnancy Symptoms

The first sign of pregnancy is a missed period. With the hectic lifestyles that we all lead today most women may miss the other early indicators of an impending pregnancy and may become alert only after missing their monthly period.

The other fairly common pregnancy symptoms includes sore, swollen, tender breasts. The nipples may also feel sore, they may darken in color and in some cases colostrum may also get secreted. Implantation spotting is also one of the first signs of pregnancy.

Early pregnancy symptoms include excessive fatigue and sleepiness. This is said to be due to the excessive hormones produced making it hard for the expectant mother to get out of bed in the morning as well as to stay awake late at nights. Daily activities such as shopping or doing household chores may leave them feeling completely exhausted.

Morning sickness is one of the dreaded early signs of pregnancy. Some expectant women are lucky and escape this torture but some unlucky women may end up feeling nauseous all day long. If a woman vomits excessively she may need to take extra precautions to prevent complications due to malnutrition and dehydration. This symptom is closely associated with an increased awareness and aversion to odors. Pregnant women may also exhibit unusual food craving and even develop an aversion to certain foods that they normally enjoyed earlier. For some of the women the aversion to certain foods may continue even after the pregnancy!

Pregnancy symptoms such as fainting, dizziness, heartburn and constipation are also common. It is necessary that the expectant women eat frequent small meals and take supplements of vitamins, folic acid and calcium. Diet must include generous helpings of fresh fruits, green leafy vegetables, sprouts etc. A well planned diet can greatly help women suffering from heartburn and constipation.

Pregnancy symptoms also include higher body temperature, lower back pain, mood swings, depression, frequent urination and weight gain. Vaginal discharge that does not itch, burn or smell is another symptom of pregnancy. When you suffer from any or all of these symptoms it may be time you took a home pregnancy test. Stop worrying about weight gain and make sure that your diet is nutritious. Adopt a healthy lifestyle, do not smoke, drink and at all costs avoid drugs. It will be better to take up over the counter medication after consulting your healthcare practitioner. Do mild recommended exercise, practice relaxation techniques such as meditation and yoga and pave the way to a health and happy pregnancy. Watch out for the pregnancy symptoms and maintain a positive frame of mind.

Acid reflux doesn’t just affect teenagers and adults it can affect young children too. And it can cause them the exact same problems for the exact same reasons. An adult can recognize this happening and do something about it whereas a parent has to try to decipher what’s wrong with their baby. The odd thing is that heartburn in babies is actually quite common and isn’t anything to freak out over.

As children are growing and developing their muscles and internal organs are growing with them and the stomach is part of this process. As the stomach develops it can only handle a certain amount of food at any one time so it can be quite easy to overfeed a baby by accident. Breastfeeding and giving your baby formula doesn’t cause reflux so anxious moms shouldn’t feel guilty here.

Grow Out Of It

Watching your baby suffer from heartburn is distressing for parents to say the least. The good news is that most babies will outgrow this problem by the time they’re 18 months old. Why? At 18 months your childs stomach and digestive system should be fully developed and capable of dealing with the reflux properly. If, after 18 months, your baby is still suffering from reflux it’s a good idea to make an appointment to see a doctor to make sure everthing is ok with your little one.

The big problem with acid reflux in infants and babies is that it’s hard to diagnose whether or not your child has this problem in the first place. This is true of everything that makes your baby ill – they can’t tell you what’s wrong so you have to guess a lot of the time.

You have to listen to the type of crying they’re doing to have any hope of figuring out whether or not they’re hungry, uncomfortable or both. Whenever a baby cries, it might want a feed, some affection or a change of diaper, and so whilst one of the signs of infant acid reflux is irritability and reluctance (or even outright refusal) when you try to feed the baby, this is not a good indication by itself.

How Can You Tell If It’s Acid Reflux?

One thing to watch out for here parents is if your child is constantly vomitting or spitting. The nasty taste caused by reflux will probably make your little one spit more often than you’re used to so that’s one giveaway for the presence of acid reflux.

Sometimes holding your baby in a tilted position while feeding them and putting them for a nap in a slightly elevated position afterwards can help too. You’re just allowing gravity to help with their digestion.

Eating healthy throughout your pregnancy is the greatest gift you could give your unborn baby, but there are also a lot of rewards in it for you to. It’s common for many moms to be to forget that they also benefit in eating healthy through out their pregnancy. What you eat has a direct effect as to how well your body copes and recovers from all the physical changes it goes through. It also helps with the physical and emotional challenge of carrying and delivering a baby.

The truth is, most pregnant women rarely walk around all nine months with that rosy glow everyone talks about. The first three months some of us walk around a nasty shade of green and in a hazy fog thanks to the tiredness we feel those first three months. The second three months are a little better, and we are no longer green but we deal with other issues such as varicose veins and leg cramps.

The third trimester, we are back to the hazy fog again and have other issues such as swelling and heartburn just to name a few. Some of these can be avoided with a good diet. Eating foods that have some complex carbs can help reduce your tiredness and staying away from fatty foods will help with the heartburn.

Research has shown that pregnant women who eat healthy throughout their pregnancy usually have a safe and uncomplicated pregnancy. Studies have shown that some pregnancy complications such as preeclampsia or high blood pressure can be directly related to deficiencies in a pregnant woman’s diet. High amounts of sugar and polyunsaturated fats increase this risk as well as having a low intake of vitamin c, e and magnesium.

Perhaps for some women one of the biggest benefits of eating healthy during their pregnancy is that it could help you during labor and delivery. A well balanced pregnancy diet has been said to help prevent preterm labor, which is labor before 37 weeks. A good diet can also help you cope with labor and delivery better. Any woman who has given birth knows how much energy it takes to endure hours of contractions and sometimes hours of pushing. Eating healthy will ensure that you have the energy and the stamina to get through your little one’s delivery.

Once you have delivered your little one, it is still important to continue your good habit of healthy eating especially in the postpartum period. Your body needs a lot of resources to recover from all the stretching, blood loss and not mention sleep deprivation and still take care of a newborn. It is just as important in the months following your delivery to continue to eat well. As my doctor put it, it is essential to eat as though you were pregnant for at least three months after delivery.

A final added bonus to eating healthy throughout your pregnancy is that you may never stop eating healthy. This is setting up the groundwork for a lifetime of eating healthy for not only you but for your children. If you continue to eat healthy you are setting a prime example for your children.

Do you sleep with 3 pillows under your head? After you eat or drink do you moan in agony grasping your chest at the same time? Do you feel like you have swallowed a thousand nails? Then welcome to the world of indigestion and heartburn.

First, let me clarify myself here. Indigestion and heartburn can be caused by many different reasons. Today I am writing about heartburn and indigestion caused by life, and NOT by any underlying illness.

Heartburn or pyrosis is a painful or burning sensation in the esophagus, just below the breastbone caused by regurgitation of gastric acid. The pain often rises in the chest and may radiate to the neck or throat. Heartburn is also identified as one of the causes of asthma and chronic cough.

The sensation of heartburn is caused by exposure of the lower esophagus to the acidic contents of the stomach.

Quite a number of years ago, my heartburn was so bad that even a sip of water caused my chest to go on fire. Thank goodness it is now under control. It will creep up now and then, but the constant agony of heartburn has been conquered.

Heartburn can be caused by a number of factors. These include certain foods, and others are factors such as being overweight or lifestyle habits, such as smoking, drinking and stress. Stress may not necessarily cause heartburn, but it can aggravate it severely. Eating too much at one sitting will guarantee a heartburn attack.

There are many sites on the internet that will give you lists of foods to eat and to avoid.

Foods that may cause Heartburn:

Alcohol

Coffee, tea, cola, and other caffeinated and carbonated beverages

Chocolate

Citrus fruits and juices

Tomatoes and tomato sauces (such as pizza and pasta sauce)

Spicy foods and fatty foods (including full-fat dairy products)

Peppermint and spearmint

Dry fruits such as peanuts

Lifestyle changes will also help. Choosing a healthier diet, exercising and generally looking after ourselves is a first good step towards relief of heartburn.

Also, checking into the many different natural aids is worth the time and effort. Choose products from companies that have been around for a long time. Research the products recommended to you. Do not just take something, or spend your life’s savings on product because a close friend or family recommended it. Check it out first. Research it first. Find testimonials, real live testimonials.

Tips for instant relief. Raise your bed. Eat slowly. Do not eat 2 hours before bed. When heartburn strikes, do not lie down…try sucking on a candy.

Old fashioned remedies: Ginger, Clover and Chamomile.

You can find natural remedies for your health, formulated in therapeutic dosages to help with digestive disorders. There is much help available, if you take the time to thoroughly research your options.

Try not to go for the short term relief, such as Tums, Rolaids or the very many pills available in the pharmacies. Instead, try to find a permanent relief.

Another possible reason for heartburn and indigestion could be inflammation. With me, I did have that very condition. Once it was gone, so was my heartburn. Kind of like the snowball effect. The heartburn was causing inflammation, which was causing more heartburn. Another very interesting factor, for me, was that when my inflammation was present, my sugar readings were high. Once my inflammation was under control, so were my sugar readings.

To educate yourself with some general wellness knowledge check out this site. I am making no claims here, but this is some terrific research information for you. Dr. Barry Sears most recent research has uncovered a new way to define wellness … the absence of silent inflammation. In this extraordinary new book, Dr. Sears answers critical questions: What is Silent Inflammation? What causes it? How do you know if you have it? Why is it harmful to your health? How you can reduce it?

Title: The Anti-Inflammation Zone

Subtitle: Reversing the Silent Epidemic That’s Destroying Our Health

Author: Dr. Barry Sears

Binding: Hardcover

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers

Publication Year: 2005

Pages: 403

ISBN: 0060595469

It is a book worth reading.

Take your heartburn seriously. Discuss it with your doctor. Look for natural remedies. Research these remedies and the companies that offer them. Change your lifestyle. Normal day to day heartburn can lead to serious illness if not treated and looked after.

You can conquer it. I did.

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Heartburn symptoms are alarmingly common all over the world. Millions of men and women in America suffer from acid reflux induced heartburn during their lifetime. Sometimes, it may become difficult for us to distinguish its symptoms from those caused by other conditions, such as angina pectoris or heart attack. What most of us lack is a clear understanding of all the symptoms of heartburn and this could prove to be potentially dangerous. It is critical to distinguish between heartburn symptoms and actual cardiac arrest signs in order to start the correct treatment and take the necessary action.

Acid reflux induced heartburn is caused when acidic stomach contents flow back into the esophagus, causing irritation and a burning sensation beneath the breastbone and the throat in the patient. Depending on the severity of the attack, a hot, sour acidic fluid may regurgitate back in the throat, causing us to retch. Children are seldom able to control the retching and most often, start vomiting under such circumstances. Gastroesophageal Reflux Disorder (GERD) or acid reflux heartburn may also bring about varying degrees of pain and difficulty in swallowing. Some might even feel a sensation of foodstuff remaining ’stuck’ in the middle of the chest or the throat. Some persistent and acute cases may even lead to chronic cough, hoarseness and soreness of the throat for many days.

A cardiac arrest or heart attack, however, is accomapnied by none of these symptoms. Although angina pectoris may trigger some amount of heartburn in patients, it is rarely severe and is usually short-lived and well within tolerable limits.

Below are a few of the significant symptoms associated with angina pectoris as opposed to GERD:

• Pain related to heart attacks, unlike GERD-related pain, often radiates to the shoulders, neck, jaw and arms.

• Sudden intense chest pain or pressure on the chest is one of the most common symptoms of cardiac arrest but is absent in GERD.

• Cardiac attack triggers a feeling of tightness in the center of the chest, which is not restricted to the back of the breastbone only, as in the case of acid reflux.

• Heart attack may cause a shortness of breath which is rare with GERD heartburn.

• Heart attack pain responds to nitroglycerin; GERD heartburn responds to antacids.

• Cold sweat accompanies a heart attack; this is absent in GERD heartburn patients.

Contrary to the symptoms of heart attack, acid reflux heartburn symptoms are more generic in nature and are readily felt by the patient.

A few of the common heartburn symptoms are as given below.

Heart attack and GERD, both may cause very severe pain; however, unlie the former, GERD induced pain does not spread to the shoulder, jaw, neck and arms of the sufferer.

• The burning sensation caused by GERD is limited to the underneath of the breastbone or the ribs.

• GERD induced pain occurs most frequently after meals, after lying down on the back and most often, during nighttime.

• Heartburn does not cause the patient to break into a cold sweat.

Medical studies conducted with patients with frequent complaints of GERD have shown that most GERD related symptoms become more pronounced at night. This often leads to difficulty in falling asleep and many GERD patients tend to stay awake at night. GERD patients may also experience the pain and discomfort getting more intense during nighttime than during the day.

Understanding the various symptoms of GERD induced heartburn can help one in initiating a symptomatic treatment of the condition. However, that’s hardly sufficient to control acid reflux effective. For a complete curative treatment, one needs to address the disease itself, not just its symptoms. Unless the roots of the disease are eradicated, there is always a possibility of the condition relapsing even if the symptoms disappear temprarily due to medication. The real answer lies in adopting holistic remedies that treat the body as a whole and go to the root causes of GERD to fix the problem from deep within.