Where Does Heartburn Come From

How Is Heartburn Diagnosed

In most cases, your doctor will be able to diagnose heartburn by asking questions about your symptoms and what triggers those symptoms.

If you have heartburn more than 2 times a week, it could be a symptom of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease or other gastrointestinal diseases. These are usually diagnosed by endoscopy, which uses a tube with a camera passed through the mouth into the stomach.

How Do Antacids Work To Treat Heartburn

Antacids reduce the amount of stomach acid, relieving your heartburn. These medications can also be used to soothe stomach upset, indigestion and other pains in your stomach. Some antacids contain simethicone, which reduces gas. Antacids that you can get without a prescription include:

• Tums®.
• Maalox®.
• Gaviscon®.

Make sure you always follow the instructions on the package or talk to your doctor about the right way to use an antacid. If you use tablets, chew them well before swallowing for faster relief.

Foods That May Trigger Heartburn

Although the actual cause of heartburn is physical, people generally view their heartburn triggers as the root cause. Though scientifically thats not the case, its still worth noting which behaviors can trigger the experience of heartburn. Food, for instance, is a common heartburn trigger.2

Check out this list of common offenders to see if any could be triggering your heartburn:

• Tomatoes, tomato sauce, and ketchup
• Oranges, grapefruit, and other citrus fruits and juices
• Garlic
• Coffee, tea, or other caffeinated products
• Alcohol

• Exercising soon after eating5

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Emergency Signs And Symptoms Of Appendicitis

What is appendicitis?

A blockage, or obstruction, in the appendix can lead to appendicitis, which is an inflammation and infection of your appendix. The blockage may result from a buildup of mucus, parasites, or most commonly, fecal matter.

When theres an obstruction in the appendix, bacteria can multiply quickly inside the organ. This causes the appendix to become irritated and swollen, ultimately leading to appendicitis.

The appendix is in the lower right side of your abdomen. Its a narrow, tube-shaped pouch protruding from your large intestine.

Although the appendix is a part of your gastrointestinal tract, its a vestigial organ. This means that it provides no vital function and that you may live a normal, healthy life without it.

The purpose of the appendix is unknown. Some believe it contains tissue that helps your immune system process infections in your body.

If you dont get treatment for an inflamed appendix quickly, it can rupture and release dangerous bacteria into your abdomen. The resulting infection is called peritonitis. This is a serious condition that requires immediate medical attention.

Having a ruptured appendix is a life-threatening situation. Rupture rarely happens within the first 24 hours of symptoms, but the risk of rupture rises dramatically after 48 hours of the onset of symptoms.

Its very important to recognize the early symptoms of appendicitis so that you can seek medical treatment immediately.

What Causes Gerd

GERD happens when acidic stomach contents move backward into the esophagus. The esophagus is a tube that carries food and liquids from the mouth to the stomach. It is separated from the stomach by a small muscle . This muscle opens and lets food and liquid enter the stomach and closes to prevent the food and liquid from leaking back into the esophagus.

GER and GERD happen when the muscle relaxes at the wrong time or doesn’t close as it should.

This can happen for different reasons:

• In some people, the muscle doesn’t tighten properly.
• In others, it doesn’t close quickly enough or at the right time, letting stomach contents wash back up.
• If a person eats way too much, the stomach may be so stretched the muscle can’t work as it should.

No one knows for sure why people get GERD. Doctors do know that some things can make GERD worse, including obesity, drinking alcohol, and pregnancy.

Some foods and medicines can make GERD symptoms worse. In many people, these foods bring on symptoms:

• citrus fruits
• tomato-based foods, like spaghetti sauce, chili, and pizza

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When Will It End

Heartburn symptoms are usually mild and manageable. Tell your healthcare provider if your heartburn is severe, if you spit up blood, or have dark-colored bowel movements. This is a sign of blood in your digestive tract. Fortunately, heartburn usually ends with the birth of your baby and your body goes back to its nonpregnant state.

Can Acid Reflux Cause Fever And Chills

Sustained esophagus damage from bile regurgitation can lead to esophagitis, which is the inflammation of the esophagus. Esophagitis can also be caused by infections, abuse of oral medication, and allergies.

Reflux esophagitis is a complication of acid reflux, leading to tissue damage and inflammation. Patients with infectious esophagitis may experience fever, chills, muscle aches, and headaches. Dealing with acid reflux trigger often alleviates esophagitis symptoms.

On the other hand, acid reflux alone doesnt cause fever and chills.

If you are not diagnosed with GERD or esophagitis but are experiencing fever and chills with reflux symptoms, get in touch with your doctor immediately to get more information. You could be experiencing a severe bacterial infection and need antibiotics to get well.

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What Foods And Drinks Cause Heartburn

• Alcohol: Alcohol can relax the lower esophageal sphincter.
• Coffee and orange or other acidic juices are some of the beverages that can worse or trigger heartburn.
• Fatty foods, fried foods, and some acidic foods as well as spicy foods can cause heartburn.
• Additional foods that make heartburn worse.

Every person reacts somewhat differently to specific food groups. To track what foods worsen your symptoms, keep a food journal. In this journal, you should keep track of what you eat, the time you ate, any activity that worsened or made the heartburn better, and indicate which days you have heartburn symptoms. Over time, you will be able to correlate the offending foods with heartburn events. Print this and take this with you to your next doctor’s appointment to discuss possible causes of heartburn you may be experiencing.

Pregnancy tends to aggravate heartburn because the lower esophageal sphincter is weakened during pregnancy. This weakened resolves after delivery of the baby. Pregnancy also distorts the organs in the abdomen and the increased abdominal pressure from the growing fetus causes heartburn. These changes promote the reflux of acid and heartburn.

Approximately 17% to 45% of women who become pregnant will suffer from heartburn.

Management of heartburn during pregnancy consists of many of the same home remedies and lifestyle changes for a person with heartburn who is not pregnant .

What’s Normal With Heartburn

“Heartburn should never be considered normal,” says Galier. Food is often the culprit. People with heartburn typically may be sensitive to foods such as chocolate, carbonated beverages, peppermint, coffee, citrus foods, fried and fatty foods, and spicy foods.

Having heartburn more than occasionally can reduce your quality of life. It can affect not just what you eat, but how you sleep and what activities you do.

And if heartburn from acid reflux persists and you don’t get treatment, complications can occur. They include damaging inflammation of the esophagus that affects the lining and causes bleeding. Another potential complication is Barrett’s esophagus. With Barrett’s esophagus the cells that line the esophagus become abnormal. That, in turn, boosts the risk of esophageal cancer.

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Characteristics Of Functional Heartburn

Functional heartburn is characterized by episodes of burning discomfort in the chest, behind the breastbone. There is no evidence of inflammation in the lining of the esophagus or other disease. The discomfort generally comes in waves, occurs after meals and can be accompanied by belching, regurgitation, or dyspeptic symptoms, such as upper abdominal discomfort, bloating, or early feeling of being full. It occurs primarily during the day.

Functional heartburn is thought to be very common, occurring in about 20% of individuals according to several studies, and tends to affect more women than men.

Foods That May Cause Heartburn

Foods commonly known to be heartburn triggers cause the esophageal sphincter to relax and delay the digestive process, letting food sit in the stomach longer, says Gupta. The worst culprits? Foods that are high in fat, salt or spice such as:

• Fried food

• Peppermint
• Carbonated beverages

“Moderation is key since many people may not be able to or want to completely eliminate these foods,” says Gupta. “But try to avoid eating problem foods late in the evening closer to bedtime, so they’re not sitting in your stomach and then coming up your esophagus when you lay down at night. It’s also a good idea to eat small frequent meals instead of bigger, heavier meals and avoid late-night dinners and bedtime snacks.”

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A Pharmacist Can Help With Heartburn And Acid Reflux

Speak to a pharmacist for advice if you keep getting heartburn.

They can recommend medicines called antacids that can help ease your symptoms.

It’s best to take these with food or soon after eating, as this is when you’re most likely to get heartburn. They may also work for longer if taken with food.

You Have A Chronic Cough

Coughing can be caused by anything from a cold to asthma, so it can be difficult to determine whether or not its related to your heartburn. But, if you have a persistent cough that wont go away in addition to heartburn, the two may be making each other worse. Because untreated heartburn can damage the lining of your esophagus, it can often lead to heartburn. Likewise, untreated coughing can damage your esophagus leading to heartburn!

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What Happens When Your Vitamin B12 Is Low

Not having enough B12 can lead to anemia, which means your body does not have enough red blood cells to do the job. This can make you feel weak and tired. Vitamin B12 deficiency can cause damage to your nerves and can affect memory and thinking.

What Exactly Is Heartburn Anyway

Heartburnor gastroesophageal reflux or acid refluxis a painful burning feeling in your chest or your throat, according to the US National Library of Medicine .

Basically, heartburn happens when your esophagus relaxes too much and stomach acid comes back up into your esophagus, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases . It can be managed by making changes to your diet, like cutting back on coffee and alcohol, or through medications.

Having heartburn every once in a while, like after a spicy meal or taking a nap too soon after eating, is normal but if it occurs more than twice a week for more than a few weeks, it’s time to see a doctorin that case, you could have gastroesophageal reflux disease , a chronic, sometimes damaging form of heartburn.

But GERD isn’t the only issue that is related to heartburn. Many other conditionssome even life-threateningcan mimic the feeling of heartburn. Here, nine other conditions that heartburn could be masquerading asand when to see your doctor about it.

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When To See A Doctor

If OTC medications arent treating your heartburn, talk to your doctor.

In rare instances when you cant manage heartburn with medications, a doctor may recommend surgery to reduce the risk that acid will reflux up from the stomach.

If you cant tolerate OTC medications for heartburn, your doctor can recommend other options.

What Is Gastroesophageal Reflux

Gastroesophageal reflux , also called reflux, is when food and acid from the stomach go back up into the esophagus. This causes an uncomfortable feeling in the chest, often called heartburn.

With GER, reflux happens after nearly every meal and causes noticeable discomfort. After eating, people with GER feel a burning sensation in the chest, neck, and throat.

While it’s more common in adults, kids, teens, and even babies can have gastroesophageal reflux.

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A Pharmacist Can Help With Indigestion

A pharmacist can recommend medicines to ease the burning feeling or pain that can come with indigestion.

Medicines that help reduce acid in your stomach include:

• antacids
• proton pump inhibitors

Some indigestion medicines are best to take after eating as their effects last longer. Check the information leaflet that comes with the medicines for more information.

Can Acid Reflux Symptoms Come And Go Throughout The Day

Asked by mary mackenzie

Can Acid Reflux Symptoms Come And Go Throughout The Day?

My acid reflux comes and goes, I donât eat anything acidic, donât smoke, drink, or take advil on a regular basis. I experience acid with chest pain all heart tests done heart is okay. Upper GI done all okay, gallstones none. Still getting chest pain that radiates to the back. I occasionally get a prickly feeling on the upper part of my stomach. I am currently taking prevacid for about three weeks chest pain not as often but still occurring. I have been taking lorazapam which was listed as one of the meds that causes reflux. After reading your info I will be slowly discontinueing them.

THis is an excellent site most helpful one yet. Any info you can send me would be great.

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What Makes It Better

For most women, things that help reduce acid production or prevent reux are helpful in avoiding the discomfort of heartburn. Here are tips that may help:

• Avoid classic spicy foods, as well as those with lots of fat or grease. Many people recommend avoiding citrus and chocolate, as well.

• Eat multiple, small meals spread throughout the day, much like grazing, instead of three big meals.

• Try elevating the head of your bed by several inches, and wait a while after eating before going to bed or lying down.

Some women find that its better to drink fluids between meals, rather than with a meal. This can increase the amount of contents in the stomach.

If your symptoms do not improve after the above recommended diet and lifestyle changes are in place, talk with your healthcare provider about over-the-counter medicines. Antacids are available as chewable tablets and liquids. They work by coating the lining of the esophagus and stomach and neutralizing stomach acid. Heartburn medicines called H2-blockers work by reducing the amount of acid made by your stomach. Although most of these are considered safe in pregnancy, as with all medicines, these should be avoided in the first trimester.

Do Heartburn Acid Reflux Medications Help Treat Covid

Although some studies show that heartburn medications, such as proton pump inhibitors , may increase your chances of getting COVID-19, other studies have found that taking some heartburn medications may actually have benefits when treating coronavirus . Such heartburn medications include histamine-2 receptor antagonists such as famotidine .

A retrospective study done from The Gastroenterology Journal found that the use of famotidine was correlated with a reduced risk of patients being intubated or dying from COVID-19 compared to those who did not receive famotidine. Although this study showed some promising data, only randomized clinical trials can determine if famotidine is fully effective against COVID-19. Therefore, it is not recommended to take famotidine for prevention of COVID-19.

For more information about coronavirus, please visit the CDC website. As always, if you are not feeling well, please reach out to your medical provider or call 911 in an emergency.

To learn more about tips for treating heartburn, checkout Curist’s other heartburn articles:

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What Can Make Acid Reflux Come And Go If The Patient Avoids Food Triggers

Acid reflux is when the normal stomach acid regurgitates up into the esophagus, says Jay Desai, MD, who specializes in colon cancer screening, upper endoscopy and consultative gastroenterology at the New York Gastroenterology Associates.

Dr. Desai continues: In most people it improves and worsens periodically. For example, in periods of severe stress, symptoms of reflux can worsen substantially.

Acid reflux can also vary in relation to changes in sleep habits, so it is important to try to identify what exacerbates symptoms in each individual patient, and to try to avoid this.

In some patients, when this is not possible, treating with medical therapy is required.

If your acid reflux comes and goes with seemingly no rhyme or reason, then its time to keep a documentation of it.

• For example, does it seem to come more often when youre sleeping over your significant others house?
• Does it seem to arise only when your in-laws visit?
• How about on the same days you have business meetings?

Over time, you may begin to see a pattern develop to your acid reflux.

Board certified in internal medicine and gastroenterology, Dr. Desai is available for same-day appointments and provides a wide range of GI services including for bacterial overgrowth, constipation, acid reflux and GERD, IBS, incontinence, small bowel disease. Twitter handle: @NYGADocs

How A Doctor Can Help

If you have heartburn two or more times a week and changes to your diet or eating pattern haven’t helped, consult a doctor. A gastroenterologist can perform tests to measure the acidity in your stomach and see if frequent acid reflux has damaged your esophagus.

GERD is often treatable through a combination of lifestyle changes and medication. But persistent symptoms of reflux need thorough evaluation by a gastroenterologist who can find the underlying cause and discuss available treatment options.

The Johns Hopkins Heartburn Center

GERD is an ongoing condition that often requires more attention than over-the-counter treatments can offer. The Heartburn Center at Johns Hopkins Medicine provides personalized care to help patients find relief.

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What Else Should I Know

Early diagnosis and treatment can help reduce or even stop uncomfortable GERD symptoms. Untreated GERD can cause permanent damage to the esophagus.

You’ll probably find that one of the simplest ways to make living with GERD easier is to avoid the things that trigger your symptoms. Some people will have to limit certain foods others may have to give them up entirely. It all depends on your symptoms.

It can be hard to give up sodas or favorite foods at first. But after a while, lots of people discover that they feel so much better that they don’t miss the problem foods as much as they thought they would.