All About Treating Heartburn

There is nothing like the feeling of heartburn and it is something that most people would rather never have to experience in their lives again. For a lot of people, heartburn will only come once and a while and it never needs a lot of medical attention.

But for others, it is something that is a struggle on a daily basis and it can be very painful to live with the symptoms that come along with it. Heartburn says it all when trying to describe how it bad it hurts because it truly does burn and the pain cannot be mistaken for anything else.

While it really is not the heart that is burning, it may seem like it because it is actually the esophagus that is experiencing the trouble and this is right below the breastbone. This is really gastric acid that is being regurgitated by the person's system and this acid is what burns your insides. The pain usually starts in the chest but may actually find its way up into the throat and in some cases, even the jaw. Some people experience the most problems with their heartburn making its way into the throat when they lay down.

How to Treat It

There are a lot of things that you could be trying at home before ever taking your problem of heartburn to the doctor. But, if your heartburn does not get better with at home remedies or it gets worse, you may want to consult a doctor, as there are medications that can be prescribed to you. There are a lot of over the counter antacids that can be taken and for those suffering from just mild heartburn, this can generally do the trick. But the relief that comes from antacids generally only last for sixty minutes and sometimes even less then that.

Another way to try and treat heartburn yourself is to actually try and prevent it from happening at all. A lot of times, those suffering from heartburn can link their heartburn symptoms to certain foods that they are eating. Once someone learns what foods set off their heartburn, they can learn to manage their diet better and in turn, will lessen the amount of time that they have to suffer any pain. A lot of times, this will mean consuming less fatty foods and drinks with caffeine as this has been proven to cause heartburn in a lot of people.