What is Heartburn?
Heartburn is a burning complaint felt in the stomach and esophagus. Burning gets worse
after eating, when it is evening, lying down, or bending over. In addition, a bitter or acidic taste may be felt in the mouth.
Causes heartburn?
•Gastroesophageal reflux: Reflux is a disease caused by gastric acid escaping into the esophagus. This discomfort can cause not only heartburn, but also heartburn, burning in the chest area, difficulty swallowing, and dry cough. Chocolate, caffeine, lemon, spicy, fatty and fried foods, garlic, onion, and tomato can cause symptoms to increase.
•Gastritis: Gastritis is an inflammation (inflammation) of tissue on the inner surface of the stomach. In gastritis, the patient may also feel nausea and post-meal bloating. Gastritis can turn into an ulcer when it's not treated. Ulcers increase the risk of stomach cancer and cause stomach bleeding.
H. pylori infection: Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a bacteria that can live in the acidic environment of the stomach. Placement of this bacteria in the stomach shows symptoms such as heartburn, nausea, appetite and weight loss. It is very high in societies and can progress for a long time without symptoms.
•Drug use: In particular, painkillers that fall into the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug group can cause heartburn. At the beginning of these drugs; aspirin, ibuprofen and naproxen.
•Sensitivity to certain foods: Those with celiac disease may react to foods containing gluten, while those with lactose intolerance may react to dairy products. This reaction can cause other complaints besides heartburn.
Apart from the situations described above, indigestion, ulcer, hernia, stomach cancer, alcohol, smoking and tobacco use may cause heartburn.
How is heartburn diagnosed?
Treatment of heartburn varies according to the underlying medical cause. For example; If H. Pylori bacteria is causing your complaints, your doctor will first apply an antibiotic treatment to eliminate this infection. Apart from this, if you do not have such an infection and have mild symptoms of gastritis, a dietary supplement can be treated to repair the stomach itself.
In the medical treatment of heartburn, antacids that help neutralize stomach acid, H2 receptor antagonists (H2RA) that can reduce stomach acid, or proton pump inhibitors such as lansoprazole or omeprazole are prescribed.
How to prevent heartburn?
There are many life-standard changes you can make to protect your stomach. These can be listed as follows:
•Controlling cigarette and alcohol consumption: The harm of cigarettes and alcohol on the stomach has been proven. You can try to stay away from these products as much as possible to improve your overall health, not just your stomach.
•Eating small but frequent meals: Eating large amounts of food causes stretching of the stomach wall and contributes to your stomach discomfort. You can make it a habit to eat little but often.
•Avoiding foods that harm the stomach: Foods such as chocolate, onions, garlic, especially caffeine can increase stomach sensitivity. It is also important to be careful not to use excess fat when preparing food.
•Avoiding drugs that harm the stomach; Except for the above painkillers, many other drugs can damage the gastric mucosa. You can report this to your pharmacist before taking medication from the pharmacy. Also, if there are any medications you use chronically, tell your doctor about your heartburn complaint. If you have alternatives to these drugs, you can prescribe them or recommend a stomach medicine.
•Reviewing your clothes: Belts, trousers or other clothes, especially around the stomach, can make it easier for the acid in the stomach to escape into the esophagus. Therefore, choosing more comfortable clothes as much as possible becomes important especially for those with reflux.
•Raising your pillow while lying down: In diseases such as reflux, lying down can make heartburn worse. When it's time to go to bed, you can use several pillows to raise your upper body. Pillows sold as a reflux pillow can help you sleep more comfortable by raising your waist up.
•Not eating before bedtime: It is a good idea to allow time for your stomach to digest nutrients. Therefore, you should stop eating 3 hours before bedtime.
What is good for heartburn?
There are many natural treatments that can be applied at home for heartburn. These can be summarized as follows:
•Carbonated water mixture: Carbonate can neutralize some stomach acid attacks by neutralizing stomach acids. To do this, dissolve a teaspoon of baking soda in a glass of water and drink slowly.
•Ginger: Ginger has been used for heartburn by many peoples for centuries. Ginger relieves not only heartburn, but also nausea. You can add grated or diced ginger root to your favorite cake recipes, soups, and other dishes. If you cannot use ginger in your meals, you can make tea and drink it. Ginger tea can be made by soaking raw or dried ginger root in boiling water. You can also try ready-made ginger teas on the market. Since gingerbread is a carbonated drink, you should not prefer ginger ale. Also, this type of food contains flavors, not real ingredients.
•Licorice: Licorice is another folk remedy used to treat heartburn. It is believed that it can help increase the mucous lining on the inner surface of the esophagus, which can protect the esophagus from damage caused by stomach acid. When licorice is preferred as a food supplement, the DGL (deglycyrrhizinated) form should be preferred in order not to take the excess sugar and harmful substance called glycyrrhine in it. Nevertheless, as long-term or excessive use of this substance may increase blood pressure and lower potassium, a doctor should be consulted before taking it.
•Apple cider vinegar: Apple cider vinegar is still good for heartburn and heartburn in some people. However, apple cider vinegar should be diluted with water and drunk slowly.
•Chewing Gum: According to a 2014 study, chewing gum for half an hour after meals reduces heartburn. The possible reason for this is that gum contributes to the dilution of stomach acid by increasing saliva production.
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