Heartburn is a phenomenon familiar to many people.people of all ages. And despite the fact that heartburn itself does not pose a serious threat to human health, few people can tolerate it. After all, heartburn can deprive you of peace and sleep no less than, for example, a toothache. People characterize heartburn as a strong burning sensation in the chest and throat. And this sensation occurs due to an inflammatory process affecting the mucous membrane of the esophagus. And this very inflammatory process, in turn, develops as a result of the regular reflux of stomach contents into the esophagus. After all, gastric juice contains hydrochloric acid, which has a strong irritating effect on the mucous membrane of the esophagus, which, unlike the mucous membrane of the stomach, has no protection.
Causes of heartburn
As they say, there is no smoke without fire. And there is no heartburn without a reason. For such a phenomenon to develop, there must be provoking factors. Such factors include:
- Diet of a sick person
If you are surprised to find yourself with heartburn,immediately remember what you ate that day. The leading cause of heartburn today is poor nutrition. Most often, heartburn is provoked by fatty, fried foods, dried and smoked products, sausages, sweets and especially chocolate, as well as coffee and carbonated drinks. Try to eliminate them from your menu and heartburn will probably bother you much less often. And for the time of heartburn treatment, you will have to completely give them up.
- Diseases of the digestive tract
The second most common causedevelopment of heartburn is the presence of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, such as gastric ulcer or duodenal ulcer and gastritis. Moreover, gastritis with both increased and decreased levels of gastric acidity.
- Genetic predisposition
In the event that the valve located betweenstomach and esophagus, weakened, the reflux of stomach contents into the esophagus is almost inevitable. In medicine, this phenomenon is called gastroesophageal reflux. In this case, as a rule, heartburn makes itself known in childhood. In addition, if the child goes to bed immediately after eating, he may begin to vomit.
General recommendations for heartburn
If such a misfortune as heartburn has befallen you, remember the need to follow a few simple rules, without which any treatment for heartburn will be useless:
- Human nutrition
First, try to fully understand it right awayexclude all the above-mentioned products from your menu. Secondly, your meals should be fractional. Portions should be small, and the break between meals should be no more than 2.5 hours. As a rule, this measure significantly helps to get rid of heartburn. In addition, after eating, do not lie down for at least 30 minutes. And do not have dinner later than two hours before bedtime.
- Bed
Ideally, the headboard of the bed should be slightly raised. Don't rush to the furniture store - you can simply put a blanket rolled up under the pillow.
- Bad habits
Try to quit smoking completely anddrinking alcoholic beverages. They have a very strong irritating effect on the mucous membranes of the stomach and esophagus. Or, if you cannot give them up completely, reduce the amount of consumption to the possible minimum.
Treating heartburn
So, what is heartburn and why does it happen?appears, we figured it out. Let's now talk about what to do with heartburn. Of course, first of all, you need to see a gastroenterologist to rule out the presence of gastrointestinal tract diseases. To do this, the doctor will conduct the necessary examination and, if necessary, prescribe the appropriate treatment. Most often, antacids are used to treat heartburn - pharmacological drugs that envelop the mucous membrane of the esophagus. They relieve inflammation and prevent repeated irritation of the esophagus with hydrochloric acid, which is part of the gastric juice. If the examination shows that a person has an excessively high level of acidity of gastric juice, he may be prescribed drugs that lower this very level. But in no case should you take any medications on your own, without a doctor's prescription, no matter how much your friends praise them, and no matter what the advertising says.
Emergency measures for heartburn
Most often, when a person suffers from heartburn, he or she usuallyheads to the kitchen for baking soda. Of course, such a remedy will bring you a temporary effect. However, you will not be able to cure heartburn this way. Of course, everyone understands this. But what if you do not have the strength to endure heartburn right now? In such cases, you can resort to the help of traditional medicine. All these remedies act quite quickly. However, remember that some of them are far from the best for the stomach, so you should not abuse them.
- Soda solution
This remedy has long been used in thatif the heartburn was particularly severe. Dissolve a third of a teaspoon of soda in half a glass of warm water, mix thoroughly and drink it in one gulp. The heartburn will disappear in just a few seconds. But a holy place is never empty and heartburn will be replaced in just a minute by belching - the result of a chemical reaction occurring in your stomach. Doctors are extremely negative about such a remedy, believing that it provokes the development of gastritis, and sometimes even gastric ulcer.
- Activated carbon
This emergency aid is the mostgentle on your stomach. For this you will need 10 tablets of activated carbon and half a glass of milk. Crush the tablets and dissolve in slightly warmed milk. Drink the resulting solution in one gulp. Of course, it does not work as quickly as the soda solution - in about 30 minutes. But then there is practically no damage to the stomach.
- Sunflower oil
We felt the first "bells" of the beginningheartburn? Go to the kitchen immediately and take one tablespoon of any vegetable oil. In just 3-5 minutes, heartburn will stop bothering you. However, remember that sunflower oil has a mild, but still laxative effect.
- Root of calamus
If you have calamus root on hand, thenit can help eliminate an attack of heartburn. To do this, it is enough to chew a small piece of calamus root for a minute, then wash it down with half a glass of water. As a rule, heartburn disappears quite quickly and does not return that day.
Treating heartburn with folk recipes
And so that heartburn does not return again andagain, it needs to be treated. Moreover, traditional medicine recipes can be successfully used to treat heartburn. They are completely safe, have no side effects and can be used to treat even pregnant women and children. The only thing you should pay attention to is that the person does not have an allergic reaction to one or another component.
- Potato juice
Raw potato juice is excellent for relieving heartburn.And, in addition, it can be used to treat gastritis and gastric ulcers. The treatment itself is extremely simple - in the morning, on an empty stomach, the sick person should drink half a glass of freshly squeezed potato juice. Do not prepare the juice for future use - in just 20 minutes it will completely lose its beneficial properties. The duration of such a course of treatment is at least 10 days. Of course, heartburn will disappear much earlier. But if you stop the treatment, it will very quickly reappear.
- Decoction of licorice root
Place 10 grams in an enamel pancrushed licorice root and 2 teaspoons of dry crushed orange peel. Pour in half a liter of water, bring to a boil and reduce heat. Cook for 20 minutes, then cover with a lid and wrap in a terry towel. The decoction should be infused for 3 hours. Then strain the decoction using gauze, pour into a glass container, add two tablespoons of any natural honey and mix thoroughly. The patient should take the resulting remedy in the morning, on an empty stomach, half a glass. The duration of the course of treatment is 14 days.
- Herbal Remedies
To prepare the following remedy you will need:you will need half a teaspoon of plantain leaves, oregano, marshmallow root, and caraway seeds. Place the herbal mixture in an enamel pan, pour in two glasses of water and bring to a boil over low heat. Turn off the heat, cover the pan with a lid and leave to brew for 24 hours. The patient should take one tablespoon of the resulting decoction before each meal, at least five times a day. The duration of the course of treatment is 10 days. In the same case, if the heartburn is caused by gastritis, the course of treatment should last 21 days.
- Flax seeds
Flax seed infusion can even cope withthe most severe heartburn. Place two tablespoons of flax seeds in a thermos, pour ½ cup of boiling water over them, and leave to infuse for 4 hours. After that, strain the flax seed infusion using gauze and drink it immediately. It is advisable to do this before bed. Do not prepare the infusion for future use - it should always be fresh. Otherwise, its healing effect will be much weaker. A person will feel relief after the first use. And the full course of treatment should last two weeks.
- Decoction of chamomile
Chamomile is very effective in relieving inflammation.process of the mucous membrane of the esophagus, and therefore eliminates heartburn. For treatment, use a chamomile decoction: place 5 tablespoons of dry chamomile flowers in an enamel container, pour one liter of water over them and bring to a boil. Cook for 10 minutes, then cool and strain, add a tablespoon of any natural honey. Take chamomile decoction twice a day - morning and evening. Duration of treatment is at least 14 days. Of course, heartburn is an extremely unpleasant phenomenon. But if you do not lament, but know exactly what to do with heartburn, it is quite possible to cope with it. Be healthy! We advise you to read:
