Symptoms of Chronic Heartburn
Chronic Heartburn is a burning sensation in the throat or
chest caused by stomach
contents flowing back
into the esophagus. This condition
is also caused by the Lower Esophageal Sphinter
(LES) is damaged or malfunction. Knowing the symptoms of heartburn and cause early as possible is very important that
the proper medication can be given. Chronic heartburn triggers can
be different for each people,
but they have the
same symptoms. Common symptoms
of heartburn:
- Wheezing or asthma symptoms
- In the throat and chest, burning feeling.
- A bitter or sour taste in the mouth
Reporting all the symptoms above
are needed by doctor to make a diagnosis of
your heartburn, and take the appropriate
treatment.
Causes of Chronic Heartburn
- Acid Reflux
The main cause of chronic heartburn is GERD and acid
reflux. In acid reflux disease, the LES can not be closed properly so that the
stomach contents splash up into the esophagus. This is causing heartburn. If your acid reflux disease untreated, can lead to serious
health complications such as bleeding, esophageal spasm, ulcer and stricture
formation.
- Peptic Ulcer : Peptic ulcers are caused by an injury that occurs in the
small intestine or in the lining of the stomach. Normally, the usefulness of
the stomach lining is to protect the stomach and small intestine. when the
function of the stomach lining is disorder, this is called a peptic ulcer.
Common symptoms caused by peptic ulcer is heartburn.
- Being overweight
Being overweight especially around your waist can increase
the risk of experiencing heartburn. There are several reasons that support:
Your stomach will get excessive pressure, with increasing
pressure on the stomach, the stomach contents can press the LES / Lower
esophageal sphincter which acts as a valve between the stomach and esophagus. If you are overweight (obese), you should lose weight even
though heartburn is not going to disappear entirely.
- Gastroparesis : Gastroparesis is a medical condition in which the stomach
takes too long to be empty and no food into the intestine. . In normal digestive , stomach push food toward
the small intestine to digest. The vagus nerve is responsible for controlling
muscle contraction in moving food. If the vagus nerve is damaged, the food will
move slowly or even not moving. If this condition occurs can cause chronic
heartburn.
Hiatal Hernia
In addition to causing heartburn, hiatal hernia can also
cause chest pain, belching and nausea. Hernia pain with severe symptoms can be
cured with surgery or medication. Chronic
heartburn caused by hiatal hernia can be treated with antacids, or H-2
blockers. Antacids and H-2 blockers work by reducing the amount of acid
produced by the stomach and neutralize the acidity in the stomach, which can
reduce acid reflux.
Treatmen for Chronic Heartburn
How to treat heartburn is very important to know, if you
suffer from heartburn caused by
indigestion or GERD disease (Gastroesophagea Reflux Disease). If acid reflux is not treated, it can lead to esophageal
cancer and other complications. Below are listed treatments for chronic heartburn is often
used:
But consult with your doctor about proper treatment options.
Diet
Most people with chronic heartburn, can associate their
heartburn symptoms with certain foods.
Therefore, managing the diet is important for people with
heartburn, as a way to treat their heartburn.
There are types of foods that you should avoid because these
foods are the main trigger of heartburn, while there is enough food safe for
people with heartburn because it has
little risk of causing acid reflux.
Foods that are safe for chronic heartburn diet:
- Ginger
Ginger is one of the best foods for chronic heartburn sufferers
. Ginger can be peeled, diced, shredded or sliced. When cooking you can use it.
- Banana
Bananas have a PH 5.6, bananas are good for acid reflux
sufferers. However, only about one percent of people with acid reflux,
experienced a poor condition with a banana.
So that needs to be considered is, the banana might work for
most people, but it will not necessarily work for you.
- Oatmeal
One of the foods recommended by chronic heartburn diet is
oatmeal, oatmeal is the best breakfast daily menu .
Oatmeal does not cause reflux and is filling. Oatmeal can
absorb acidity of certain foods.
- Salad : Tomatoes, onions, sauce and cheese are high in fat should be
avoided. But salad is the main food for people with chronic heartburn.
- Aloe Vera
Aloe vera is widely known as a natural means of healing
various diseases, as well as to treat acid reflux especially for chronic
heartburn.
Aloe vera are often found as a living plant, but in health-
food stores sometimes available in liquid form, or leaves.
- Poultry such as Turkey and Chiken : Types of poultry such as chicken and turkey, is the staple
food of reflux diet. Remove the skin before cooking, because they contain high
fat. cooking with baked, boiled, or grilled, but not fried.
- Celery: Celery contains a high moisture content and almost no
calories. Therefore, a good choice if you suffer from chronic heartburn.
- Fennel
Fennel has a pH of 6.9, can improve gastric function. So,
fennel is a suitable food for heartburn.This vegetable has a unique flavor,
licorice flavor. To make a healthy salad can be mixed with other vegetables. If you like the flavor, also can be added to chicken dishes.
- Melon: Melon has a pH 6.1 is very good for people with chronic
heartburn and acid reflux diet. But other heartburn sufferers, precisely to
avoid it. But other heartburn sufferers, precisely to avoid it, because worsening their heartburn.
- Parsley: Parsley has been used since ancient times as a remedy to aid
digestion. And widely used, for heartburn medicinal herb.
Roots and Greens
Green beans, broccoli,
and asparagus, are foods that are good
for people with chronic heartburn.
For people who follow this diet, almost all green and root
vegetables is highly recommended to be used for heartburn treatment .
This article is excerpted from a variety of sources:
heartburn No more, wikihow.com,
webmd.com,livestrong.com, health.com.