When it comes to the causes and treatments of heartburn, you could break it all down into three factors. One or all of these points will be worth considering if you start feeling the usual symptoms of heartburn or acid reflux. If you don’t know these already, get familiar with them now and keep them in mind.
What you eat
You should be all too familiar with the foods that can trigger heartburn. Chocolate, spicy meals or high fat foods are some of the primary contributors. If you’ve experienced heartburn more than a couple of times in your life, you should also be very familiar with which foods are most likely to trigger a bad case in you. Sometimes certain foods affect people differently. Large meals can cause you problems, including giving you such a bad case of heartburn, antacids may not fix the problem.
When you eat
Eating late at night before you go to bed or perhaps even laying down to rest can cause a problem. If you’re lying flat, that makes it easier for acids to get to your throat and esophagus. If you think you’re going to need it, it’s best to take antacid medication after breakfast. Remember, you have to have food in your stomach before the medication can have the chance to work properly.
What you do
Antacids and PPIs can help relieve your heartburn symptoms, but you can’t become overly reliant on them. Getting addicted to any kind of medication can be counterproductive. More importantly, it’s important to understand that frequent acid reflux problems can mean you need more than medicine to fix the problem. Frequent acid reflux or heartburn could be a sign of a larger health issue, and that means the next step is to see a doctor.
We know how to help people with ongoing or severe heartburn/acid reflux. If we can help you, give us a call at 832-945-8717.