Friday, December 24, 2010

What is heartburn and how to tackle it with generic medicine

At least once in a lifetime we would have suffered from the nightmare called heartburn. It is termed as nightmare because it takes away the sleep and makes it a bitter experience for us. We enjoy our food as it is the delicious way to get energy required for the well being of a individual and also important in terms of a good health. But sometimes because of indigestion of food we face a common health issue known as heartburn.


The heartburn is also known as the gastroesophageal reflux disorder or gerd. The symptoms of heartburn or gerd may differ from person to person because of variation in causes. In gerd or heartburn the acid that is secreted by the stomach for the digestion of food reach to the esophagus or food pipe causing a burning sensation in the chest so it is also called as acid reflux. Reflux means going in the opposite direction. The main cause of heartburn or gerd is the unhealthy,  unbalanced diet. We tend to have too much of chocolates and high caffeine drinks which give rise to gerd or heartburn. The high intake of fatty and acidic food also adds in the heartburn. The high consumption of citrus food, smoking and high intake of alcohol causes heartburn. Apart from this, obesity and immediately sleeping after having food causes gerd.

The heartburn is a disease that takes away the enjoyment from having food and makes it difficult to survive. The symptoms of heartburn or gerd may vary from individual to individual. The common symptoms of heartburn or acid reflux can be burning sensation in the chest after having the food, problem in swallowing the food and pain in the chest. Heartburn symptoms also include pain in the chest while bending and also there is a rise of the acid till the throat causing a sour taste in the mouth. In some cases the symptoms of heartburn of or gerd can be worse than the mild symptoms. These worse symptoms of heartburn or gerd include sour throat for a long time, long term coughing, asthma and chronic hoarseness in voice.

The treatment for heartburn or gerd involves home remedies and also allopathic medicines antacids. The home remedies for heartburn or acid reflux are as follows:
1.    Chew half teaspoon of fennel seeds after your meal.
2.    Drink aloe vera juice before every meal.
3.    Use ginger in your food. Make a paste of ginger and use it in food.
4.    Keep sucking a single clove after every meal.
5.    Chew few leaves of fresh basil leaves.
If the symptoms of heartburn do not go away with the home remedies or if the symptoms are getting worse then you can take allopathic medications like antacids or also known as “proton pump inhibitors”. These medication works by blocking the production of stomach acid.

It is always better to prevent heartburn because if it is ignored or left untreated can lead to serious health conditions like stomach ulcer and ulcer of esophagus. Heartburn or gerd can be prevented by drinking plenty of water. You should quit smoking if you are having heartburn from a very long time. You should avoid taking alcohol while meals. You can avoid gas forming food like beans. You can also cut off raw vegetables like cabbage, cucumber, onion, reddish, peppers etc. Keep a habit of chewing your food thoroughly. After taking meals take a walk around for about 20 minutes that will help to overcome indigestion and ultimately symptoms of heartburn or gerd.

1 comment:

  1. Drinking milk might provide a temporary relief, I've read that there is something in the milk that actually promotes more acid later. heartburn treatment

    ReplyDelete