Heartburn is a phenomenon familiar to a large numberpeople of all age categories. And in spite of the fact that heartburn itself does not represent a serious threat to human health, it is not enough to tolerate it to few people. After all, heartburn can deprive of peace and sleep no less than, for example, a painful tooth. People describe heartburn as a strong burning sensation in the chest and larynx. And this sensation arises because of the inflammatory process, which affects the mucous membrane of the esophagus. And this most inflammatory process, in turn, develops due to the regular casting of stomach contents into the esophagus. After all, the composition of gastric juice includes hydrochloric acid, which has a strong irritant effect on the mucosa 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 for no reason. In order for this phenomenon to develop, there must be provocative factors. Such factors include:
- Diet of a sick person
If you are surprised to encounter heartburn, immediatelyremember what you ate on that day. The leading cause of heartburn for today is malnutrition. Most often heartburn provokes fatty, fried foods, cured and smoked foods, sausages, sweets and especially chocolate, as well as coffee and carbonated drinks. Try to eliminate them from your menu and for sure heartburn will bother you much less often. And for a while the treatment of heartburn from them should be completely abandoned.
- Diseases of the digestive tract
The second most frequent causethe development of heartburn - is the presence of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, such as peptic ulcer of the stomach or duodenum and gastritis. And gastritis as with increased level of acidity of gastric juice, and with a lowered.
- Genetic predisposition
In the event that the valve located betweenstomach and esophagus, weakened, throwing the contents of the stomach into the esophagus is almost inevitable. In medicine, this phenomenon is called gastroesophageal reflux. In this case, as a rule, heartburn makes itself felt even in childhood. In addition, if a child goes to bed immediately after the meal, he may begin vomiting.
General recommendations for heartburn
If such an attack, like heartburn, overtook you, remember the need to observe several simple rules, without which any treatment for heartburn will be useless:
- Human nutrition
First, try all at onceExclude from the menu all the above products. Secondly, your food should be divided. Portions should be small, and a break between meals - no more than 2.5 hours. As a rule, this measure largely helps to get rid of heartburn. In addition, after eating, do not go to bed for at least 30 minutes. And do not have dinner later than two hours before bedtime.
- Bed
Ideally, the head of the bed should be slightly elevated. Do not rush into the furniture store - you can just put a blanket, rolled up by a roller, under the pillow.
- Bad habits
Try to completely stop smoking andconsumption of alcoholic beverages. They have a very strong irritant effect on the mucous membranes of the stomach and esophagus. Or, if you completely can not abandon them, reduce the amount of consumption to the possible minimum. 
Treating heartburn
So, with what is heartburn and why is itappears, we sorted out. Let's now talk about what to do with heartburn. Of course, first of all it is necessary to consult a gastroenterologist, to exclude the presence of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. For this, the doctor will perform the necessary examination and, if necessary, will prescribe the appropriate treatment. Most often, antacids are used to treat heartburn - pharmacological drugs that envelop the mucous membrane of the esophagus. They remove the inflammatory process and prevent repeated irritation of the esophagus with hydrochloric acid, which is part of the gastric juice. In the event that the examination shows that a person has an excessively high level of acidity of the gastric juice, he may be prescribed drugs that lower the level. But in no case should you take any medication yourself, without the appointment of a doctor, as if they were not praised by acquaintances, and that would not be advertising.
Emergency measures for heartburn
Most often with heartburn people are accustomedgoes to the kitchen, for baking soda. Of course, such a tool will bring you a temporary phenomenon. However, you will not be able to cure heartburn in this way. Of course, everyone understands this. But what if there is no strength to tolerate heartburn right now? In such cases, you can resort to the help of traditional medicine. All these tools are fast enough. However, remember that some of them do not have a far better effect on the state of the stomach, so do not abuse them.
- Soda solution
This tool has long been used in the event,if the heartburn was particularly strong. Dissolve in a half cup of warm oxen a third of a teaspoon of soda, mix thoroughly and gulp in a gulp. Heartburn will disappear in a few seconds. But the holy place is not empty and the heartburn will be replaced in a minute by a belch - the result of a chemical reaction taking place in your stomach. Doctors to such a tool are extremely negative, believing that it provokes the development of gastritis, and sometimes even gastric ulcer.
- Activated carbon
This emergency facility is the mostsparing for your stomach. For him, you need 10 tablets of activated charcoal and half a glass of milk. Tablets grind and dissolve in slightly warmed milk. Get the resulting solution in one gulp. Of course, it does not act as fast as a solution of soda - about 30 minutes later. But there is practically no damage to the stomach.
- Sunflower oil
The first "bell" of the beginningHeartburn? Immediately go to the kitchen and take one tablespoon of any vegetable oil. In just 3 - 5 minutes of heartburn stop annoying you. However, remember that sunflower oil has a light, but still laxative effect.
- Root of calamus
If you have the root of aira at your fingertips, thenit can help to eliminate an attack of heartburn. To do this, it is enough to chew for a minute a small piece of the root of the calamus, then drink it with half a glass of water. As a rule, heartburn disappears quickly enough and this day does not return. 
Treating heartburn with folk recipes
And in order that heartburn does not come back again andagain, you need to treat it. And for the treatment of heartburn, you can successfully use the recipes of traditional medicine. They are completely safe, have no side effects and can be used to treat even pregnant women and children. The only thing that should be paid attention is that the person does not have an allergic reaction to this or that component.
- Potato juice
Raw juice of potatoes excellently removes heartburn. And, in addition, it can be used to treat gastritis and gastric ulcer. The very treatment is extremely simple - in the morning, on an empty stomach, a sick person should drink half the glass of freshly squeezed potato juice. Do not prepare juice for the future - in just 20 minutes it will completely lose its useful properties. The duration of this course of treatment is not less than 10 days. Of course, heartburn will disappear much earlier. But if you stop treatment, she will very quickly reassert herself.
- Decoction of licorice root
Place in an enamel saucepan 10 gramscrushed licorice root and 2 teaspoons of dry crushed orange peel. Pour half a liter of water, bring to a boil and reduce the heat. Cook for 20 minutes, then cover and cover with a towel. Infuse the broth for 3 hours. Then strain the broth with gauze cloth, pour into a glass container, add two tablespoons of any natural honey and mix thoroughly. The resulting remedy a sick person should take in the morning, on an empty stomach, half the glass. The duration of treatment is 14 days.
- Herbal Remedies
To prepare the next remedy for youIt will take half a teaspoon of leaves of plantain, oregano, althea root, caraway seeds. The herbal mixture is placed in an enamel pan, pour two glasses of water and bring to a boil on low heat. Turn off the fire, cover the pan with a lid and leave to stand for a day. The resulting broth of a sick person should take one tablespoon 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 occurrence of heartburn provoked by gastritis, the course of treatment should last 21 days.
- Flax seeds
Infusion of flax seeds is able to cope even withthe most severe heartburn. Put in a thermos two tablespoons of flax seeds, pour them ½ cup of boiling water, leave to infuse for 4 hours. After this, infusion of flax seeds strain with gauze and immediately drink. It is advisable to do this before bed. Do not cook infusion for future use - it should always be fresh. Otherwise, his healing effect will be much weaker. Relief man will feel after the first application. A full course of treatment should last two weeks.
- Decoction of chamomile
Chamomile quite effectively removes inflammatoryprocess of the esophageal mucosa, and therefore, eliminates heartburn. For treatment, a decoction of chamomile is used: place 5 tablespoons of dry chamomile inflorescences in an enameled container, fill them with one liter of water and bring to a boil. Cook for 10 minutes, then cool and strain, add a tablespoon of any natural honey. Take a decoction of chamomile must be twice a day - in the morning and in the evening. The duration of treatment is at least 14 days. Of course, heartburn is a very unpleasant phenomenon. But if you do not grieve, and know exactly what to do with heartburn, it's quite possible to cope with it. Be healthy! We advise you to read:
