What is the Heartburn?
Heartburn is a pain behind the breast bone, often described as ‘burning’ in quality. Pain can also be felt at the same level in the mid-line of the back. Most people suffer from heartburn at one time or another. In fact heartburn has nothing to do with the heart - it is a digestive problem. Heartburn is generally related to meals and posture and can often be relieved by remedies for indigestion.
Pain from the heart is also felt in the chest and sometimes in the upper abdomen. There are two kinds of heart pain. The first, angina, is a pain in the chest due to a temporary shortage of oxygen being carried in the blood to the heart muscle. Angina should be suspected if the chest pain is brought on by exercise and relieved by rest. The second is the more severe and prolonged pain of a heart attack. A heart attack should be suspected if the pain is felt intensely in the centre of the chest, spreading perhaps to one or both arms (especially the left) and into the lower jaw; or feels like a heavy pressure or is ‘vice-like’.
Potentially dangerous confusion can arise when someone neglects their heart pain believing it to be heartburn.
What Causes Heartburn?
Acid is present in the stomach to digest food. Heartburn occurs when small amounts of this acid rise up into the gullet (oesophagus) - the tube which carries food from the mouth to the stomach. This is called reflux.
The gullet, unlike the stomach, does not have a protective lining. So when it is exposed to the acid, it can become inflamed and painful.
Heartburn is a pain behind the breast bone, often described as ‘burning’ in quality. Pain can also be felt at the same level in the mid-line of the back. Most people suffer from heartburn at one time or another. In fact heartburn has nothing to do with the heart - it is a digestive problem. Heartburn is generally related to meals and posture and can often be relieved by remedies for indigestion.
Pain from the heart is also felt in the chest and sometimes in the upper abdomen. There are two kinds of heart pain. The first, angina, is a pain in the chest due to a temporary shortage of oxygen being carried in the blood to the heart muscle. Angina should be suspected if the chest pain is brought on by exercise and relieved by rest. The second is the more severe and prolonged pain of a heart attack. A heart attack should be suspected if the pain is felt intensely in the centre of the chest, spreading perhaps to one or both arms (especially the left) and into the lower jaw; or feels like a heavy pressure or is ‘vice-like’.
Potentially dangerous confusion can arise when someone neglects their heart pain believing it to be heartburn.
What Causes Heartburn?
Acid is present in the stomach to digest food. Heartburn occurs when small amounts of this acid rise up into the gullet (oesophagus) - the tube which carries food from the mouth to the stomach. This is called reflux.
The gullet, unlike the stomach, does not have a protective lining. So when it is exposed to the acid, it can become inflamed and painful.
posted by pepper | 6:47 AM
1 Comments:
The most common reason for heartburn is related to food. One of top reasons for heartburn is caffeine. Caffeine contains something called theobromine, which is found naturally in many caffeine bearing plants. Theobromine relaxes the LES muscle, and as stated by Robert M, the acids shoot up into the esophagus. Another top cause of heartburn is fried and fatty foods. Fatty foods have a tendency to slow down the digestion process, which leads to the food being kept in the stomach for a long time. This results in increased pressure to the stomach. This
pressure build-up will weaken the LES allowing stomach acid to pass into the esophagus. A third cause, is tomatoes, tomato-based products, and alcohol also cause the LES to relax. These foods lead to an increase in the production of more stomach acid, which will add to stomach pressure.
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