If you insist on unhealthy and irregular eating habits, you are a candidate for heartburn. This is the burning sensation that you will feel in the chest which is caused by the reflux of stomach acids back into your esophagus. Pregnancy can also cause heartburn as well as the adverse side effects of certain medications. In the United States, about one-half of all adults experience heartburn once a month. One in five adults also experience heartburn once a week.

What are the Consequences of Heartburn?

For moderate heartburn, you may feel certain discomfort and pain. However, if it occurs frequently, the inner lining of your esophagus will begin to wear out. When the refluxed liquid goes up to your esophageal sphincter, it may enter your throat which may result in sore throat and hoarseness. If the liquid reaches your teeth, it can dissolve the enamel, which will result in tooth decay. But if your heartburn is already in an advanced level, this may lead to some complications which may require you to be hospitalized.

This condition, if left untreated, can destroy the lining of your esophagus. Ulcers may also result which can lead to the abnormal narrowing of the esophagus because of the scars after the bleeding has stopped. Acid reflux can also cause breathing problems such as asthma, pneumonia and coughing because the liquid can also enter your larynx and your lungs.

Heartburn Treatment is Vital

Considering the consequences of heartburn, it is not wise to ignore it. You have to treat it early so that it will not persist and become an uncontrollable problem later on. Thankfully, there are many treatments that are available today. There are home remedies that can prevent the problem from worsening as well as medications if the problem has already reached a dangerous level.

Common Sense Remedies of Treating Heartburn

It all boils down to your eating habits. If you have good eating habits, it will reduce your risks of experiencing heartburn. Here are some of the things you can do to prevent acid reflux.

• Make sure that you are relaxed each time you eat.
• Eat smaller meals. In this way, your stomach will only release a small amount of acids to digest them. If you want, you can eat smaller meals frequently to compensate for your normal food intake.
• Chew your food thoroughly before swallowing.
• Don’t eat foods which have MSG. Sure, the food will taste better, but at the expense of your health.
• Avoid lying down or taking a nap immediately after a meal. Therefore, don’t eat too late at night. Give at least 2 to 3 hours for your digestive system to work on the food that you ate.
• If possible, don’t eat dissimilar foods at the same time. Their chemical substances don’t agree with each other. For instance, the substances contained in fishes do not agree well with the substances contained in fruits.
• Be careful with what you eat. Test them first if they agree with your system before eating them. For instance, if a certain food immediately triggers acid reflux, never eat it again.
• Avoid foods that slow down your digestive process. These foods are basically fatty foods and fried foods. The chances of having acid reflux are greater if foods stay longer in your digestive tracts.
• Avoid foods that are laced with fake sugar.
• Stay away from processed foods because they cause food allergies which in turn cause acids to be produced in your stomach.

Medical Treatments for Heartburn

For those who have chronic heartburn which has already gone to serious level, there are medications that can be taken to treat the condition.

• Surgical insertion of a magnetic ring around a defective pyloric sphincter. This device is called Linx, and it consists of a set of magnets arranged on a flexible ring, just like a bracelet. As food passes in the pyloric sphincter, the magnets are forced apart. The ring therefore expands and the food is allowed to enter the stomach. Then the ring is pulled in by the magnets, thereby closing the stomach’s entrance, thus preventing acid reflux. The ring mimics the normal functioning of the pyloric sphincter.

• By using Proton Pump Inhibitors or PPIs. These are powerful drugs which are used for severe cases of heartburn. For instance, if you are experiencing heartburn more than twice a week, your doctor may recommend Nexium as a form of treatment. Although these drugs are effective in treating heartburn, medical experts recommend that they be used only for shorter periods of time because of their side effects. Other types of medications are H2 Blockers such as Zantac and Pepcid AC, and antacids like Tums and Rolaids.

Lifestyle changes are the best approach to treating heartburn. But when your condition is already severe you have to use medications, albeit in small dosages only. Even so, the results will be more significant if you combine them with changes in your eating habits.