Do You Know the Most Common Reason for a Visit to a Gastroenterologist?

Lifestyle therapy for Heartburn

Today let’s talk about heartburn and acidic belches. It is one of the most common causes for a visit to a gastroenterologist. Symptoms related to reflux disease could be frustrating and socially embarrassing.

Heartburn Stories: 1. Once I was trapped in an elevator with an obese, overly fed, not so gentle man- He burped Armageddon’s during that elevator trip. I think he had just eaten Philly Steak Sandwich and Vodka Seltzer.  I do have these skills, you can also call me: Juicy Burp Expert as opposed to a poop specialist.

2. One of my relatives is hilarious. Whenever she sneezes, it is very quiet, almost like a mouse farted. Oh! but her belches and burps can shake shut doors and rattle closed windows. As she amused or sickened people around her with her trombone style loud juicy burps, she always proclaimed that I couldn’t control it.  I haven’t found a doctor who could help me. The gas and acid travels to my head and I get a migraine.

Hmmm… I didn’t know that there was a cavity with an elevator joining food pipe directly to the brain!

We all have had our fair share of burping and reflux stories. They can be funny, offensive, or humiliating depending upon the context. But they are unambiguously painful and annoying

GERD Facts: Nearly 1/3^rd of the Americans suffer from heartburn or acid reflux symptoms at least once in 2 weeks.  Also known as gastro-esophageal reflux disease or GERD, it accounts for $15-$20 billion in direct and indirect healthcare costs in the US.

Food pipe or esophagus has a lining that is sensitive to too much acidic or basic pH. So when stomach juices flow backwards into the esophagus, it irritates the organ and causes discomfort and symptoms. Most typically, it causes burning sensation in the chest known as heartburn, sour taste, or regurgitation of food back in to the throat. Atypically, it can result in chest pain, hoarseness, cough and breathing or swallowing issues.

Lifestyle Therapy For GERD: Since mainstay of therapy for GERD is lifestyle and dietary modifications, let me share with you a few research proven tips to combat reflux disease. These will prevent your symptoms from turning bad to dire!

1. Eat small portions and chew well: The bigger the meal, larger is the acid output. Additionally, overstuffed stomach results in higher abdominal pressure and thus increases the chances of reflux.
2. Reduce fat intake: Higher fat content in food retards its emptying from the stomach. The longer the food sits in the stomach, the more chances that it could back up. Furthermore, it causes secretion of extra acidic juices and thus increased risk of GERD.
3. Stop smoking, and alcohol: Both smoking and alcohol not only can worsen reflux disease symptoms but also increase one’s risk of esophageal/stomach cancer, and ulcer disease.
4. Avoid eating before bed: Last meal of the day should preferably be at least 3 hours before becoming recumbent. Normal stomach takes 3-4 hours to empty its contents. The closer the meal to bedtime, more likely that it is still getting churned in the stomach and will likely back up on lying down.
5. Shed a few pounds: Excess belly fat increases abdominal pressure making stomach acid leakage in to the food pipe more likely. Tight clothing can potentially do the same. Losing a few pounds improves heartburn and reduces its risks. Goal should be to loose 10% of excess fat.
6. Shun Caffeine, Chocolate, Mint and fizzy beverages: These beverages increase the risk of acid reflux by partially relaxing the lower esophageal sphincter.
7. De-stress and sleep tight: Anxiety, stress and depression cause certain chemical changes in the body, which in turn increase acid production. Additionally, these chemicals exaggerate luminal pain response. So one may become more aware of the discomfort and the pain perception is elevated.
8. Elevate the head end of the bed: Finally, keeping the head end of the bed elevated by 45 degrees helps. This should be achieved by placing blocks on the head end of the bed as opposed to using extra pillows.

Finally, I read the following on the Internet:

“I have googled “how long does heartbreak last?” The result more popular than that was “how long does heartburn last?” This implies more people suffer from heartburn than from heartbreak.

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I would like to end the post by saying that heartburn could be more painful and threatening than heartache. So let’s take care of it!

Please share your views, and comments on this post. Do you have heartburn? What do you do to alleviate it? What other GI health topics would like me to address?

Thank you for very much for reading, keep smiling!