Angelo Johnson asked:


Heartburn is experienced as a painful or burning sensation in the throat or esophagus, it usually occurs below the breastbone and is caused by regurgitation of gastric acid. The pain begins in the chest and you may feel a rising sensation that can spread to the neck, throat, or jaw. If you experience a chronic cough, heartburn may be responsible; it may even be mistaken for asthma.

In spite of its name, heartburn is in no way related to the heart. It got its name from the burning sensation located where the breastbone is over the heart. In the case of some heart problems, you could experience a similar sensation to heartburn. To add to the confusion, hydrochloric acid produced by the stomach comes back up through the esophagus due to a problem with the valve know as the cardiac sphincter. Since the valve contains the word cardiac, it is no surprise that there is some confusion about what is actually being affected when this sensation is happening.

Most people all have different things that can trigger heartburn, but many people have similar heartburn symptoms.

A few of the common symptoms of heartburn are:

? A burning sensitizing in the chest that happens after eating and persists a few minutes to several hours.

? Experiencing chest pain when lying down, bending over or eating.

? A burning feeling in the throat, or hot/sour, acidic and salty-tasting fluid in the back of the throat.

? Difficulty swallowing.

? The feeling of food stuck in the middle of the throat.

? Chronic coughing, a persistent sore throat, or chronic hoarseness.

It is very important to report these symptoms to your doctor, and then it is fairly simple to then make the diagnosis of heartburn. However, sometimes it is necessary for the doctor to perform special tests, in order to determine the severity of your problem. This may also used as a method to monitor your treatment. Special tests may also be useful if you are experiencing unusual symptoms such as weight loss.

Signs of heartburn that should not be mistaken for a heart attack are as follows:

? A sharp, burning sensation in the chest just below the ribs or breastbone.

? Usually pain will not radiate to the shoulders, neck or arms.

? Pain will be most common after meals, when lying on the back.

? Antacids will alleviate symptoms quickly.

? Cold sweat usually does not accompany any of these symptoms.

Possible signs of a heart attack are:

? A feeling in the center of the chest of fullness, tightness, dull pressure or pain.

? A feeling of tightness, as if a belt is being tightened around your chest.

? Sudden pain or pressure in the chest region that gets progressively worse.

? Dizziness

? Pain that can spread to the shoulders, neck, arms or jaw.

? Shortness of breath.

? Usually the presence of a cold sweat.

If you are one of the many people are who are prone to heartburn, and highly sensitive to food acid, there is no reason to be uncomfortable anymore! For many, food acid can lead to heartburn, and chest pain. Other people might experience, bladder pain and urinary urgency. However food acid may affect you, Prelief can help you! Prelief is the only product designed to fight food acid by removing irritating acids out of the foods you eat, while leaving the important protective stomach acid untouched. For more information, or to purchase this product, please visit my website at: http://www.alternative-health-supplements.com/prelief-heartburn-relief.htm



Ruth

Andrew Bicknell asked:


Most of us experience heartburn on occasion, but those who suffer from chronic heartburn may have much more serious disease known as acid reflux disease or GERD (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease). It is a condition that has become much more common with an increasing number of people showing up in their doctor’s office being diagnosed with it. Acid reflux is just what it sounds like, the digestive acids in the stomach reflux, or flow back into, the esophagus causing discomfort, pain and damage to the esophageal membranes.

The first symptom most adults suffer from GERD is simply heartburn. It normally feels like a burning sensation or pressure beneath or behind the heart. As acid reflux progresses the symptoms can progress to a bitter taste in the back of the throat, pain or burning in the throat, and problems swallowing. If for any reason you think you have acid reflux or are experiencing the chest pain, which could be signs of heart disease, associated with it it is important to see a doctor as soon as possible.

Acid reflux disease, if left untreated, can cause life altering and eventually life threatening problems. The gastric acids can damage the lining of the esophagus causing inflammation known as esophagitis. It can also damage the larynx causing voice problems and hoarseness, chronic cough, choking, and post meal nausea and vomiting.

As the lower portion of the esophagus becomes increasingly damaged by stomach acid Barrett’s esophagus will begin to develop. This is a condition in which the cellular structure of the esophagus begins to change and is considered a pre-malignant condition that increases the risk of esophageal cancer development.

The cause of acid reflux may not be what you think it is. Many people believe that their symptoms are caused by the overproduction of stomach acids, and while this does play a role the actual reason the acid is able to regurgitate back up into the esophagus is the failure one or combination of three components of the esophagus; the anti-reflux barrier (ARB), the lower esophageal sphincter (LES), and the gastroesophageal valve (GEV). These three barriers function is to keep stomach acids from refluxing back up into the throat and when they are weakened or fail they are no longer able to prevent this from happening.

The treatment of acid reflux disease consists of several options, or a combination of treatments. One of the first things patients are asked to do is change their diet and avoid those foods that set off the production of excess acid. This may involve keeping a food log for several weeks that will help identify foods that make the condition worse. There are also a number of over-the-counter and prescription medications available that help control acid production. Your doctor is the best source of information when it comes to choosing the correct medications for this disease. In extreme cases surgery can be performed to fix the problem.

If you think you have acid reflux disease it is important that you speak with your doctor so that you can get the proper treatment. What may be mildly annoying symptoms today could turn into something much more serious without the proper diagnosis and treatment.



Leslie