The burning agony which begins in your chest is the first indication of problems. You have to be careful right now, because misdiagnosis could be the difference between life and death. What you are feeling could be a heart attack approaching on. But knowing the symptoms quickly rules this out. No, you've felt this way before. The biggest clue? That hearty meal you've just gorged yourself on. That's right, the burning in your chest is the returning of your old curse? heartburn. Or, perhaps it wasn't the large meal causing the fiery blast in your gullet. Maybe it was the two cups of coffee after breakfast which lit up your esophagus. Or the chocolates you just couldn't pass up at lunch. Not to worry, you think to yourself. You'll just reach for the antacids and be done with it. It may surprise you that you're doing more harm than good, and this could lead to more lasting damage in the long run. With all of the myths and misconceptions surrounding heartburn, a clear discussion as to its cause is in order. As stated above, heartburn usually begins suddenly in the chest, and typically this condition occurs at some time just after we've eaten. The burning sensation, near the heart, is due to the fact that the stomach juices can sometimes get backed up, gurgling into the gullet, with acid rising up the esophagus, burning and irritating its lining along the way. It's easy for the stomach to handle this sever liquid, its lining is designed to resist stomach acid. Our gullet lining, unfortunately, is not. Therefore, when the acid lets loose in the esophagus, trouble follows right behind it. Heartburn is born and you might as well put on an old movie, because you are going to be awake for a while. We all have a part in our body to which we can point the finger of blame. You can call him LES, or Lower Esophageal Sphincter. When this guy is on the job and paying attention, stomach acid stays where it belongs, in the tough-lined stomach. But, when LES has gone to sleep on the job, and is no longer paying proper attention, the mischievious stomach acid loves to sneak past LES and go running rampant in the Upper Esophageal hall around the ticker. This would explain why almost half of us roll through life, arriving at the end without ever having had so much as an indication of heartburn. LES is more alert and on the job in some of us than others. Lucky them. The rest of us become well familiar with over the counter antacids and acid-reducers, without ever finding out that by using these medicines we might possibly be doing ourselves more harm than good. So, if popping over the counter pills and other similar cures aren't going to work, what is? Is it best to just focus on working through the irritation, putting up with the problem and wait for it to lessen? What kind of life would that be to lead? The point is, don't give up on finding relief for your heartburn aggravation. No matter how sever or frequent your heartburn, believe that a cure, a lasting cure, is available to you. And what you discover may surprise you. Living with your heartburn is precisely the wrong thing to do. In fact, following this strategy could lead to serious consequences. Then there is the vital knowledge of being able to tell if what you are suffering is heartburn? or a heart attack. Really, you can live a normal life again. But you must work out the problem LES is causing, permanently. And you must arm yourself with the knowledge needed to get this done. There is more to your heartburn than meets the gullet. Take this situation seriously now, or face the consequences down the way. If you would like to learn more on this and many other health related subjects please visit |
Heart Conditions | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|