At $329 for a bottle of 90 pills bought in Canada, the cost of treating heartburn with the little purple pill known as Nexium is enough to give you indigestion. And if you know the nutritional consequences of treating heartburn with Rolaids, Tumz, Prilosec, Nexium, and their kin, it's enough to tie your stomach in knots.
Heartburn is an uncomfortable burning or feeling of warmth in the chest that has nothing to with the heart. Food travels from the mouth to the acidic environment stomach through a narrow tube called the esophagus. At the base of the esophagus lies the lower esophageal sphincter (LES). This is essentially a valve to keep digested food and stomach acid from traveling backwards up the throat. When the LES does not close completely, the lower part of the esophagus can be burned by stomach acid and cause the sensation of heartburn.
About one in three people experiences heartburn occasionally. Some people suffer heartburn after every meal. People who suffer from certain medical conditions may have an increased risk of heartburn. These conditions include diabetes, hiatal hernia, and autoimmune diseases such as Raynaud's phenomenon and scleroderma. Heartburn can also be aggravated by medications, especially aspirin, heart and blood pressure medications, and the asthma drug Theodur (theophylline). Most of the time, however, heartburn is due to dietary indiscretion.
The conventional wisdom concerning heartburn is that certain foods relax the LES and allow stomach acid to come up. These foods are thought to include alcohol, caffeinated coffee and tea, chocolate, citrus fruits and juices, fatty foods, peppermint, peppers, and tomatoes. Strictly speaking, peppers do not cause heartburn; they only heighten the sensation of pain when it occurs and cause the pain to be felt sooner. At least one study has found that the majority of people who have heartburn continue to experience symptoms even after eliminating other typical problem foods. However, everyone with heartburn can benefit from eating small meals.
Scientists at the Cattedra di Gastroenterologia at the University of Milan devised a sophisticated experiment to make exact measurements of gastroesophageal reflux after a high-calorie, high-fat meal, a high-calorie, balanced meal, and a reduced-calorie, balanced meal in a group of heartburn sufferers. They found that the high-calorie meal with the least amount of fat actually caused the greatest amount of heartburn. The low-calorie caused less heartburn than either of the high-calorie meals. The explanation of these results is that stuffing your stomach forces food back into the esophagus.
For most heartburn sufferers, eating less is more important than avoiding any particular food. Eat your regular foods, just in smaller portions. And don't pass up avocados, mushrooms, salmon, sunflower seeds, or salmon. These foods are good sources of pantothenic acid, also known as vitamin B5. This vitamin catalyzes the continual breakdown of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins from food. Pantothenic acid won't relieve heartburn by itself, but it will help your stomach digest smaller meals more quickly with less time for acid reflux.
Read about Antacids for Heartburn and (Inflammatory Bowel Disease) IBD & Food Additives. Robert Rister is the author or co-author of nine books on natural health.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Robert_Rister
At $329 for a bottle of 90 pills bought in Canada, the cost of treating heartburn with the little purple pill known as Nexium is enough to give you indigestion. And if you know the nutritional consequences of treating heartburn with Rolaids, Tumz, Prilosec, Nexium, and their kin, it's enough to tie your stomach in knots.
Heartburn is an uncomfortable burning or feeling of warmth in the chest that has nothing to with the heart. Food travels from the mouth to the acidic environment stomach through a narrow tube called the esophagus. At the base of the esophagus lies the lower esophageal sphincter (LES). This is essentially a valve to keep digested food and stomach acid from traveling backwards up the throat. When the LES does not close completely, the lower part of the esophagus can be burned by stomach acid and cause the sensation of heartburn.
About one in three people experiences heartburn occasionally. Some people suffer heartburn after every meal. People who suffer from certain medical conditions may have an increased risk of heartburn. These conditions include diabetes, hiatal hernia, and autoimmune diseases such as Raynaud's phenomenon and scleroderma. Heartburn can also be aggravated by medications, especially aspirin, heart and blood pressure medications, and the asthma drug Theodur (theophylline). Most of the time, however, heartburn is due to dietary indiscretion.
The conventional wisdom concerning heartburn is that certain foods relax the LES and allow stomach acid to come up. These foods are thought to include alcohol, caffeinated coffee and tea, chocolate, citrus fruits and juices, fatty foods, peppermint, peppers, and tomatoes. Strictly speaking, peppers do not cause heartburn; they only heighten the sensation of pain when it occurs and cause the pain to be felt sooner. At least one study has found that the majority of people who have heartburn continue to experience symptoms even after eliminating other typical problem foods. However, everyone with heartburn can benefit from eating small meals.
Scientists at the Cattedra di Gastroenterologia at the University of Milan devised a sophisticated experiment to make exact measurements of gastroesophageal reflux after a high-calorie, high-fat meal, a high-calorie, balanced meal, and a reduced-calorie, balanced meal in a group of heartburn sufferers. They found that the high-calorie meal with the least amount of fat actually caused the greatest amount of heartburn. The low-calorie caused less heartburn than either of the high-calorie meals. The explanation of these results is that stuffing your stomach forces food back into the esophagus.
For most heartburn sufferers, eating less is more important than avoiding any particular food. Eat your regular foods, just in smaller portions. And don't pass up avocados, mushrooms, salmon, sunflower seeds, or salmon. These foods are good sources of pantothenic acid, also known as vitamin B5. This vitamin catalyzes the continual breakdown of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins from food. Pantothenic acid won't relieve heartburn by itself, but it will help your stomach digest smaller meals more quickly with less time for acid reflux.
Read about Antacids for Heartburn and (Inflammatory Bowel Disease) IBD & Food Additives. Robert Rister is the author or co-author of nine books on natural health.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Robert_Rister