How to understand that you have heartburn

A large number of people after eating have experienced discomfort at least once in their lives.

A burning sensation in the esophagus and in the oral cavity may not be life-threatening, but it still causes a lot of trouble.

How to define heartburn? Is it possible to do this at home or is it necessary to visit a doctor?

What is and how to understand if you have heartburn

Heartburn is an uncomfortable sensation in the chest that can vary in strength. In most cases, it is not an independent disease, but a symptom of another disease.

In some cases, heartburn may appear as a reaction to certain foods, medications, or a sedentary lifestyle. It can appear once a year, or it can bother you every day.

You can understand that a person has heartburn by certain symptoms.

How to recognize such a symptom

1. In the presence of this sign, a person experiences a burning sensation behind the breastbone. It occurs after belching and looks like you have eaten peppery or spicy food. This is due to the fact that the acid that is in the stomach enters the esophagus and mouth.
2. Pay attention to how it feels after eating. During the processing of food, carbon dioxide is produced, which must be expelled from the body. This happens in part through the oral cavity and is called nothing more than belching.
3. Observe how you feel when you lie on your back. When a person is lying, the esophagus should be above the stomach, and in this case, symptoms of heartburn occur, they can also be observed when a person bends forward. It is better to lie on the bed with the headboard raised than in a horizontal position.
4. Is there an unpleasant aftertaste in the mouth? Often, after heartburn, not only a burning sensation occurs behind the sternum, but also a small amount of acid reaches the oral cavity.
5. After the onset of this symptom, a burning sensation occurs in the throat. Acid entering the esophagus can be accompanied by a burning sensation in the throat in parallel. Sometimes a person additionally develops a cough and it becomes difficult to swallow food. Sore throat and prolonged coughing can be not only a harbinger of a cold, but also a signal of heartburn.
6. Painful sensations in the chest, jaw, neck and throat. These areas have the same nerve endings, so the pain can be transient.

What are the risk factors for heartburn?

There are some factors that can cause heartburn or make it worse.

During pregnancy, almost all women experience such a tricky condition as heartburn. This can occur both in the early stages of the onset of this disease, and at later stages.

The hormone progesterone is to blame for everything. It allows muscle tissue to relax. This is important for the development of the fetus, but in parallel, relaxation occurs with the internal organs, including the lower esophageal sphincter.

The muscles relax, hydrochloric acid is thrown into the esophagus, and heartburn appears. At a later date, another problem arises.

Bad habits negatively affect health. “I have heartburn. But I only eat the right food. In the morning I do exercises and try to alternate load with rest. I think my only weakness is smoking, ”some people say.

It is smoking that negatively affects the internal organs. Because of this, the amount of acid in the stomach increases several times.

Saliva should neutralize the action of gastric juices and alkalize foods. But because of smoking, the functions of saliva are impaired, and it is not able to neutralize acid.

In this case, increased acidity leads to heartburn. Alcoholic beverages also weaken the muscles in the esophagus. People who drink alcohol frequently experience symptoms of heartburn.

Excess weight negatively affects human health, including the work of the gastrointestinal tract. It increases the pressure on the stomach, which triggers the release of gastric juice.

There is also an increase in pressure in the abdominal artery, and this is another cause of heartburn.

It is necessary to consult a doctor and consult about the side effects of medications. In fact, medications can also cause heartburn.

Most often these are antibiotics, blood thinners, and non-steroidal drugs. They can increase acidity levels and cause heartburn.

There are also some chronic conditions that cause heartburn. For example, it can be a hernia of the esophagus, gastritis, gastroduodenitis and diabetes mellitus.

Does heartburn appear after eating

It must be remembered that it is important not only to eliminate the manifestation of heartburn, but to eliminate the root cause of this disease.

Doctors say that it is necessary to undergo an examination and first pass all the necessary tests. If no obvious manifestations have been identified, then the following measures must be taken to prevent it.

Recommendations:

1. You need to eat in small portions, but often enough. There should be at least 5 meals a day, every 3-4 hours.
2. You need to drink at least 2 liters of water per day. Drink more in the summer.
3. After eating, you can not engage in active sports, but it is not recommended to take a horizontal position.
4. Avoid foods that cause bloating, such as legumes or milk.
5. Food must be chewed very thoroughly. It must turn into gruel before going to the stomach.

You should watch yourself what foods cause heartburn for you personally.

If heartburn begins to bother you very often, then you need to take certain measures very quickly, until this problem causes significant harm to the body.

It is important at this time to normalize the level of gastric acidity.

Treatment and symptoms

It is important that the doctor is involved in the treatment as much as possible. Self-medication can negatively affect human health. In advanced cases, heartburn can bother several times a day.

The drugs for its treatment must be absolutely safe. Some medicines contain aluminum, which itself is toxic to the human body.

Especially popular in our time are drugs that are able to envelop the walls of the stomach and protect it from damage. In fact, this is not true.

They create a "plug" that prevents acid from the stomach from entering the esophagus. But, unfortunately, they are not able to lower the acidity level.

In addition, these drugs are able to help only if a person is in an upright position, in a horizontal position they have no effect.

It is important that the medicine works very quickly and that the results last as long as possible. Rennie is now considered the best drug.

It modifies the acid and its action lasts for a long time. Besides, its taste is quite pleasant. For example, it can be menthol, mint, or orange.

The drug acts quickly enough. It is so safe that it is prescribed even during pregnancy.

When treating heartburn, you need to remember that it is a manifestation of some kind of disease or disorder. Therefore, treatment should primarily be aimed at eliminating the cause of the disease.

The examination will help determine the disease of the gastrointestinal tract. For example, it can be gastritis, gastroduodenitis, stomach ulcer or duodenal ulcer.

It is much better to identify the disease at an early stage.

Treatment with drugs

It is possible to eliminate such a violation as heartburn with the help of traditional medicine or medicines.

In order to eliminate this symptom, you must take the following drugs:

1. Prokinetics: Itomed, Cerucal, Ietoclopramide. They are able to help the sphincter contract correctly.
2. Antacids. They are able to defeat the main cause of heartburn - it is to normalize the acidity level.
3. Proton pump inhibitors - Omeprazole, Lansoprazole, Pantoprazole - reduce the acidity of gastric juice.

Any medication that you buy at the pharmacy has side effects. It should only be taken under medical supervision. Perhaps the doctor will prescribe additional treatment using folk recipes.

Products that can eliminate a disease such as heartburn:

1. Potato juice. It should be taken in the morning on an empty stomach for 2 weeks. Then they take a break and undergo treatment again.
2. It is advisable to carry walnuts or almonds with you at all times.
3. Well helps to eliminate heartburn with milk. But it must be remembered that this product can cause a negative reaction in case of individual intolerance.
4. Activated carbon. Helps eliminate symptoms very quickly. You need to take 1 tablet per 10 kilograms of weight. If heartburn recurs within 3 hours, then it is necessary to re-take this remedy.

Treatment with herbal infusion helps well. To do this, you need chamomile, St. John's wort, or plantain.

Treatment with baking soda is considered popular. To do this, you need to dilute 1 teaspoon of baking soda in half a glass of water.

It helps to eliminate an attack of heartburn within a few seconds. But a significant "disadvantage" of this treatment is that the attack of heartburn is repeated after a short time with a new intensity.

An operation for treatment is prescribed only as a last resort. A pouch is artificially created that is able to hold gastric juice.

During pregnancy, it is necessary to exclude clothes that fit the figure. It is also advisable not to overeat before bed.

It is important to exclude fermented milk products, as well as vegetables and fruits from your diet.

Sleeping, especially at the last stage of pregnancy, on the back is not desirable and often even contraindicated, if you still lie on your back, then the head should be higher than the position of the body.

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