At least once in a lifetime, especially when overeating or eating dry food, everyone has experienced a feeling of heat and burning behind the sternum or in the neck – this is heartburn. Many women first get acquainted with it during pregnancy, and men – when they are fond of smoking and drinking light alcohol.
One way or another, on average, about a third of the country’s population of different ages suffer from heartburn, and for many of them, heartburn greatly spoils life. How to deal with it with the methods of traditional and traditional medicine, so as not to harm health, says Goodshapetips.
How does heartburn occur?
When acidic gastric contents are thrown with active hydrochloric acid, as well as due to incomplete closure of the gastric sphincter, which closes the entrance to the stomach from the esophagus, heartburn occurs. As a result of hydrochloric acid irritation of the walls of the esophagus, there is pain and burning in the sternum, along the projection of the esophagus.
Heartburn is not always a sign of illness, it happens in healthy people after a heavy feast with alcohol, when using sweet some varieties of black bread, pastries, after spicy or very fatty, after taking dairy products, chocolate and strong tea and coffee, sour fruits, lemonade, tomatoes and ketchups.
In these cases, heartburn occurs only occasionally, it is short-lived, quickly disappears with the use of folk methods or a small dose of heartburn remedies.
Heartburn can be a side effect of certain medications that cause irritation in the lining of the esophagus and stomach. These drugs include anti-inflammatory drugs, antispasmodics, motherwort preparations and sleeping pills, aspirin, even effervescent.
In addition, the frequent occurrence of heartburn and its painful prolonged attacks may indicate chronic gastritis with increased acidity, the appearance of ulcers in the stomach, damage to the duodenum and esophagus.
Heartburn during pregnancy
Heartburn is one of the unpleasant moments of pregnancy, it gives expectant mothers a lot of unpleasant minutes. Heartburn occurs due to the fact that the large uterus supports the diaphragm and the lower part of the stomach, making its location more vertical, due to which, at the slightest inclination of the body, gastric juice can enter the esophagus.
Normally, the esophageal sphincter is closed and little is ingested, but during pregnancy, the muscles in the lower esophagus are more relaxed, making heartburn worse.
In addition to developmental features, heartburn in pregnant women also requires special treatment – not all drugs and alternative methods of treating heartburn are suitable for expectant mothers.
Drugs for heartburn from a pharmacy
Usually, with persistent heartburn, doctors, in parallel with the treatment of the cause that causes heartburn, prescribe to patients a number of medications that help in alleviating its manifestations. First of all, antacids are used. This is a group of drugs that neutralize hydrochloric acid produced in the stomach due to their chemicals.
Usually heartburn drugs are calcium, aluminum or magnesium salts, which form neutral and not harmful salts in reaction with hydrochloric acid. Then the contents of the stomach do not irritate the walls of the esophagus. These substances do not treat the causes of heartburn – they only alleviate its symptoms. The disadvantage of such funds is their effect on chair – they are often very strong, and also bind fatty acids and parts of vitamins. It is not recommended to use them all the time.
This group includes Gastal, Rennie, Gaviscon Forte.
Antisecretory agents cause the walls of the stomach to secrete less hydrochloric acid, and this, in turn, leads to a decrease in the aggressiveness of gastric contents, but negatively affects digestion.
They include Omeprazole or famotidine, they are used in the treatment of, for example, peptic ulcer, gastritis, and they affect the cause of heartburn. They cannot be taken on their own, they have a number of side effects and contraindications, they are prescribed in severe cases of heartburn, and are prohibited for pregnant and lactating women.
In addition, prokinetics are sometimes used for heartburn, which increase the peristalsis of the digestive tract and increase the tone of the muscles of the digestive system. This allows the contents of the stomach to leave it more quickly and locks the muscle between the esophagus and stomach more securely.
They include Cerucal And Motilium.
Help of traditional medicine
Many popular folk remedies are not as good as they seem at first glance, and can be used very limitedly. For example, the well-known tool – baking soda for heartburn: this is the most extreme and unsafe remedy. It, of course, neutralizes hydrochloric acid, but by irritating the walls of the stomach with the resulting air bubbles, it stimulates even more of its production.
Belching from soda is no less discomfort than heartburn. In addition, the systematic intake of soda leads to alkalization of the blood (the environment changes from neutral to alkaline), which leads to impaired blood clotting, headaches and nausea.
Milk intake – also not very effective and useful tool. First, not all adults tolerate milk, and taking it can cause diarrhea. Then it is not clear what was better – heartburn or diarrhea. Secondly, lactic acid, which is formed during the curdling of milk in the stomach, itself provokes the production of new portions of hydrochloric acid and irritates the esophagus.
Another common and ineffective remedy is Mint tea. Due to the sedative effect, mint relaxes the muscle of the esophagus, which only increases the reflux of contents into it and provokes heartburn.
Brings real relief raw potatoes – with heartburn, you can chew slices of raw potatoes or drink freshly squeezed tuber juice.
Helps reduce stomach acid mineral water slightly alkaline property is Slavyanovskaya, Smirnovskaya or Borjomi, drink it warm and without gas. Take 50 ml of water in small sips, preferably one hour before meals.
Also helps with heartburn chamomile decoction or plantain, drink half a glass of decoction in small sips three times a day.
To prevent heartburn, you need to eat right, do not bend over sharply and do not exercise immediately after eating, do not wear tight belts and stop smoking. Smokers suffer from heartburn three times more often than non-smokers.
