|
|
Heartburn
: |
Ways
to Avoid Heartburn
The best
way to deal with heartburn or indigestion is
to avoid them in the first place. Simple preventive steps are:
- Avoid
big meals. Your stomach must work long and hard to process
them, which means it must produce a lot of acid. It helps
to eat more frequent, smaller meals.
- After
you eat, don't lie down right away. If you do, you're more
likely to have heartburn, because gravity
is now preventing food from going speedily to the intestines.
- Eat
your last full meal at least three hours before bedtime.
When you go to sleep, everything slows down, including your
digestive system, so food you've eaten right before bedtime
will stay in your stomach longer. It won't feel good.
- Sleep
with your head and shoulders propped up 6 to 8 inches, so
that your body is at a slight angle. This gets gravity working
for you and not against you. Digestive juices in your stomach
are then more likely to head south, for your intestines,
instead of back up into your esophagus to cause a burning
sensation.
- Avoid
tight-fitting garments. They can literally compress your
stomach, making it more likely that the stomach's acid contents
will back up into your esophagus.
- Avoid
foods that contain a lot of acid, such as citrus fruits
and tomatoes, and any other food that gives you problems.
- Cut
down on caffeine. It makes your stomach produce more acid.
Caffeine-heavy items include coffee, tea, chocolate, and
some sodas.
- Cut
down on alcohol and smoking. Both irritate the lining of
your stomach and tend to lower esophageal sphincter pressure.
When this happens, it's easier for the stomach's acid contents
to shoot back up your esophagus.
- Heartburn,
also called acid indigestion, is the most common symptom
of GERD. Anyone experiencing heartburn
twice a week or more may have GERD.
- You
can have GERD without having heartburn.
Your symptoms could be excessive clearing of the throat,
problems swallowing, the feeling that food is stuck in your
throat, burning in the mouth, or pain in the chest.
- If
you have been using antacids for more than 2 weeks, it is
time to see a doctor. Most doctors can treat GERD. Or you
may want to visit an internist--a doctor who specializes
in internal medicine--or a gastroenterologist--a doctor
who treats diseases of the stomach and intestines.
- Doctors
usually recommend lifestyle and dietary changes to relieve
heartburn. Many people with GERD also need
medication. Surgery may be an option.
| FDA
Consumer |
|
|
|
|
