Author: MJT
The Extremes Of Heartburn Treatment
Heartburn is such a common affliction that, at one time, a
medicine made for heartburn treatment was one of the most popular medicines
sold in the world. There are a lot of
treatments for heartburn, but most tend to range somewhere in the middle of the
road, usually involving combinations of antacids and drugs.
Of course, there are treatments for heartburn at the extreme
ends of the spectrum as well, for those who do not suffer from severe heartburn
or for those who suffer from severe chronic heartburn. To get an idea of the wide range of heartburn
treatments, here are examples at both ends of the spectrum.
For Mild Cases
For light cases of heartburn, all you really need are a few
lifestyle changes and maybe a bottle of antacid around for when things are
extra bad. Heartburn can result from
eating many different kinds of food, particularly spicy foods or fatty
foods. So the best treatments for
heartburn, when the cases are mild, are to avoid those foods or to eat them
only in moderation. Since extra weight
can create conditions favorable for heartburn, moderating your diet is a good
idea in the first place.
There are other lifestyle changes that help as treatments
for mild heartburn, such as eating no later than three hours before bed, since
the closer to your bedtime you eat, the more likely you will be to have
episodes of heartburn at night. Even in
cases where people suffer heavily from heartburn, simple things like these make
great additions to standard treatments.
For Heavy Cases
If the heartburn is severe or recurs often, or if the
heartburn is the result of something called a hiatal hernia, doctors may
prescribe the most severe of heartburn treatments, that of surgery. In cases like this, doctors will fix the
hernia and then, if needed, tighten the opening in the diaphragm, the sheet of
muscle in your torso that lets you breathe, so that the sphincter at the end of
the esophagus is tighter.
In addition, the stomach may be wrapped around the lower
esophagus, making a twist that allows food to go down, but makes it much harder
for acid to go back up the esophagus, which is the cause of heartburn. Of course, if you suffer from heartburn, from
mild to severe, be sure to discuss with your physician the possible heartburn
treatments and test them out, so you can get to feeling better.
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