Heart Burn #3 – Treating and Preventing Heart Burn
Up to 44% Americans experienced frequent bouts of heart burns. If you are among them look no further for relief.
Mark Haltrecht, D.O.
Family Practice Doctor
NSLIJ Plainview Hospital
Heart burn is a painful condition caused by stomach acids seeping upward into the esophagus. Anyone who has experienced this burning sensation knows that it is not a pleasant feeling. If you are suffering from heart burn now, you may find instant relief with an over-the-counter antacid like Tums or Rolaids.
Antacids work by neutralizing acid in the stomach, so that when the acid enters the esophagus, it will be weaker and therefore, less painful. Antacids work rapidly but they do not last for long. If you need to take an acids more than several times a month or do not experience relief using them, your doctor may recommend, you try a different medication, such as Histamine-2 or H2 blockers.
Histamine is a chemical in the body that stimulates acid secretion. H2 blockers stop the histamine from binding to acid secreting cells, thereby hindering acid production. Most H2 blockers are available over-the-counter in low doses, although some require a prescription for higher concentrations. H2 blockers like Zantac and Axid last longer than antacids but they also take longer to absorb into the body. Sometimes an hour is needed to feel the effects. For this reason, you may want to try an OTC medication that combines antacids and an H2 blocker. So you get the quick onset of action combined with sustained relief.
If neither antacids nor H2 blockers ease your heart burn symptoms, your doctor may recommend prescription drugs calls proton pump inhibitors or PPIs like Nexium and Prevacid. Acid is release from cells in the stomach by a mechanism known as a proton pump. PPIs block the pump from releasing acid effectively stopping heart burn before it starts. Both H2 blockers and PPIs are preventative medications, meaning that they work best if taken about an hour before big or potentially problematic meal.
Sometimes, combining medications with lifestyle modifications can be so effective that heart burn does not return. Avoiding foods that are known to cause heartburn like chocolate, peppermint, spice, citrus products, tomato products, alcohol, and caffeine, is the easiest way to prevent heart burn from occurring.
In addition to avoiding problem foods, eating smaller meals may help to prevent the condition or try using gravity to your advantage; avoid lying down for three hours after meals, as this prevents stomach contents from traveling backwards to your esophagus. If night time heart burn has you tossing and turning, you may benefit from propping your head up with a pillow. You can also try sleeping on your left side. Your esophagus starts on the right side of your body, so this prevents food in your stomach from pressing on the opening and leading to a reflux.
While heart burn is never welcome, a variety of lifestyle modifications can help you put out the fire and please remember to see your doctor if you have chronic heart burn or pain that resist treatment.
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