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Heartburn is a very common ailment that affects up to 60% of the population. Middle-aged people are most at risk. There can be many causes of this type of ailment. Heartburn should be fought without a doubt, because it can lead to very serious diseases. Why are middle-aged people much more likely to develop heartburn? What causes untreated heartburn?
What exactly is heartburn?
Heartburn is a burning sensation in the stomach or esophagus, often accompanied by pain and even coughing and a feeling of acidity in the mouth. Burning is caused by excessive secretion of gastric juices that enter the upper parts of the digestive system. In special cases, burning and pain can be felt even in the throat, which can cause the feeling of unpleasant irritation of the throat walls. In individual cases, pain and burning are accompanied by coughing, which is a natural reaction of the body to such ailments.
What is heartburn from?
Many middle-aged people ask themselves: what is heartburn from? The answer to this question is very simple, namely an irregular diet or the consumption of drugs on an empty stomach. These causes by far most often cause persistent heartburn, which may not go away even for a long time. Other causes of heartburn include gastrointestinal ulcers, frequent indigestion, and even gastroesophageal reflux.
The last cause is very dangerous, because as a result we experience reflux and heartburn at the same time. This type of reflux is a significant impairment of the function of the esophageal sphincter, which regulates the passage of food into the stomach. It is a kind of one-sided barrier that should prevent food from going backwards. If it does not work properly, reflux occurs and very often heartburn occurs.
As for any medications, they should be taken after a fairly large meal. This is especially true of medicines containing acetylsalicylic acid, antibiotics, or generally speaking preparations that cause increased gastric acid secretion. Before taking them, a meal is highly recommended, because taking them on the so-called empty stomach can irritate the mucous membrane of the digestive system.
How to treat heartburn in middle-aged people?
Treatment of heartburn should begin when it affects us very often. Sporadic cases of this type of ailment can be cured by using over-the-counter heartburn pills. However, we recommend that you talk to your pharmacist or GP before buying them, as self-medication is unacceptable and can cause significant problems. As an example of a drug that can help fight heartburn, we can give Rennie. The dosage is very simple, the optimal dose is 1 tablet an hour after each meal and before bedtime. If you do not feel relief, you can take one or two additional tablets, but do not exceed the number of 16 tablets in a day.
Heartburn? Learn the 10 rules that will help you prevent it
If heartburn occurs irregularly, you can also observe your body, because often the symptom of heartburn is caused by selected foods or overeating.
In this case, to reduce the occurrence of heartburn to zero, you should give up heartburn-inducing foods. If the burning sensation is strong and appears very regularly, it’s time to visit a specialist doctor, i.e. a gastroenterologist. In the first place, he will recommend any tests, most often ultrasound imaging of the digestive system, to eliminate bacteria or damage to the stomach and digestive tract. Further treatment depends on the identified problems.
What foods to avoid to reduce heartburn?
Most people who drink strong coffee are at risk of heartburn. People who break records for the amount of coffee consumed during the day should definitely change this, because sooner or later they will suffer from heartburn. Fatty foods should also be excluded from the menu. Fat is digested much longer than, for example, vegetables, which forces the stomach to secrete much more juices and heartburn.
All types of alcohol are also not recommended for people suffering from heartburn. It’s not just about acidic alcohols, but about the vast majority of spirit drinks, because they relax the muscles of the esophagus and stomach, which in turn causes reflux. Fried foods and carbonated drinks fall into the same category as they also cause heartburn. In addition, fried foods contain fat, which in itself is dangerous for the digestive tract.
Heartburn is one of the least pleasant ailments affecting the digestive system. This problem is related to many factors. Most often, however, it is caused by improper nutrition or the wrong use of medications. Remember that even heartburn should not be treated arbitrarily, because the problem can be much more serious than it seems at first.