How Do I Choose the Best Over-the-Counter Heartburn Treatment?

The famous doctor of the Ming Dynasty Gong Tingxian established a chapter on spleen and stomach in "Shou Shi Bao Yuan". It is believed that "everything breeds, one person is one element, the energy of three burns, the veins of the five internal organs, and the veins of the five internal organs are all ancestral in the stomach.

Heartburn

Heartburn refers to the lack of elasticity of the sphincter to close tightly, causing food to flow back into the esophagus or mouth.

Causes of Heartburn

I. Overeating

Eating too much and being full makes it easy for food to flow back to the esophagus through the cardia sphincter.

Vigorous activities after a meal

Bend over, lie down, or do strenuous exercise after meals, etc., can easily make food flow back to the esophagus.

Third, the pants belt is too tight

Wearing over-tight clothes and pressing on the stomach may cause food to flow back.

Fourth, disease

Gastric ulcers, gallbladder diseases, or gastrointestinal diseases can cause problems like heartburn. ^[1]

Ways to relieve heartburn

Heartburn is a burning sensation caused by the inability of the sphincter to close tightly, causing food and gastric acid to flow back into the esophagus or mouth. Is your heartburn caused by running, doing aerobics or other sports?

If the answer is yes, then you don't need to give up your favorite exercise in order to avoid this discomfort. The chief expert of Hefei Sunshine Digestive Diseases Hospital Director Xu Jianwen teaches you to try the following methods.

Solve diet-related issues

Do you go for a run soon after eating? And, what type of food did you eat? --- Stop eating foods that cause you discomfort while maintaining sufficient time between meals and exercise.

Eat some light food before exercise

Some people eat foods that produce stomach acid before exercise, which causes severe heartburn during exercise. What foods should you start experimenting with? It can be bananas, yogurt, small bowls of cereal or toast.

2-3 hours after eating before starting exercise

How long should I take between snacks and exercise? Half an hour? One hour? Two hours? See which time is best for you. You may start to exercise after eating some snacks for half an hour, everything is normal, and no problems are found; you may also need to wait 2 to 3 hours to empty the contents of your stomach.

Rethinking how you exercise

For some people, certain exercises are more likely to cause heartburn than others. Experiment to compare and see which exercises will increase your heartburn and which will reduce it. You can also take an aerobics class or trekking and see if high-intensity aerobics or running can cause this discomfort. Some postures in an inverted or yoga pose that upset the center of gravity of the stomach may also trigger and aggravate heartburn. In this case, ask your coach how to modify these inverted positions.

Try vinegar therapy

Dean Xu said, "Although it is an issue of success and failure for individuals, trying to use some symptomatic treatment may not be harmful." Try vinegar therapy, which is safe, natural and cheap. The operation is very simple, just drink a little vinegar, which can eliminate and balance the heartburn to produce the required pH environment.

Try some over-the-counter medicines

Calcium can neutralize stomach acid. Dean Xu said, "Chewing calcium tablets (the main ingredient is calcium carbonate) or calcium-containing antacids are very safe. This is also a good way to try." Although it is not a specific medicine or a drug to relieve symptoms, it A good choice as a precautionary measure before exercise. ^[1]

Identification of heartburn

(1) Stomach and duodenal ulcer: upper abdominal pain is seasonal, rhythmic, and periodic. Pain is often associated with eating. Gastric ulcer pain usually occurs half an hour after a meal and gradually relieves after 1 to 2 hours. Duodenal ulcers are mostly painful and relieved after eating. It is often accompanied by other indigestive symptoms such as acid reflux and belching.

(2) Gastric cancer: Abdominal pain is irregular. It can be persistent as the disease progresses, and it is difficult to relieve it. At the same time, patients may experience symptoms such as loss of appetite, weight loss, anemia, vomiting, melena, upper abdominal mass, and even cachexia. The age of onset is more than 40 years old.

(3) Pancreatic disorders: Chronic pancreatitis may have faint or dull pain in the upper abdomen, sometimes radiating to the lower back, or it may show acute pain. As the disease progresses, abdominal pain may gradually increase; in addition, chronic pancreatitis may have digestion. The manifestations of impaired endocrine function such as malady, steatosis and diabetes. Pancreatic cancer Abdominal pain is paroxysmal or persistent, progressively worsening colic or dull pain in the upper abdomen, umbilical cord, or right upper abdomen. Most of them radiate to the lower back, and the pain is reduced when lying or leaning forward. Pancreatic head cancer is more common in jaundice, and there are also weight loss, ascites, and thrombophlebitis. B-ultrasound, retrograde cholangiopancreatography, and CT examination can confirm the diagnosis.

(4) Liver disorders: The abdominal pain of hepatitis can be faint pain, tingling, or soreness in the right upper abdomen or right lower flank, and most are intermittent. There is no obvious relationship between pain and eating. It is easy to appear after fatigue, abdominal palpation, liver enlargement, and tenderness. Hepatocarcinoma pain often increases progressively, beginning intermittently, then turning to continuous, often fixed in a certain area, and sometimes locally enlarged parenchyma or hardened liver or mass. Liver abscesses often show persistent tenderness, which can be confined to a certain area, with tender points obvious, and accompanied by systemic symptoms such as fever and elevated white blood cells. B-ultrasound and liver puncture can confirm the diagnosis.

(5) Gallbladder disorders: Patients with cholecystitis and cholelithiasis often have chronic right upper abdomen with dull or swollen pain, belching, etc., which are more induced or worsened after a fat meal, and some patients have local tenderness in the gallbladder area, or they may swell Large gallbladder, or accompanied by jaundice. B-ultrasound and cholangiography can help diagnosis.

(6) Others: Upper abdomen pain may appear in the early stage of acute appendicitis, and it will turn to right lower abdomen pain several hours later. In the elderly, atypical angina pectoris and myocardial infarction can sometimes cause upper abdominal pain, which is easily misdiagnosed. ^[1]

Treatment and prevention of heartburn

Drug treatment

Long-term and severe heartburn can be relieved by drugs. The drugs that doctors usually prescribe are roughly divided into two types. One is antihistamine which reduces gastric acid secretion. The other is a drug that forms a barrier between the esophagus and the stomach to protect the stomach wall. . At present, the following drugs are commonly used: [ Lizhu Dele ] oral. Adults take 1 capsule once a day, 4 times a day, the first 3 times half an hour before meals, and the 4th time 2 hours after dinner; or 2 times a day, 2 capsules each morning and evening. [ Open Chest Shun Qi Capsule ] Take 3 capsules orally, 2 times a day. Ingredients are betel nut, morning glory (fried), Chenpi, Muxiang, Magnolia (made from ginger), Sanling (made from vinegar), turmeric (made from vinegar), and pork tooth soap [ Omeprazole] Swallow 20mg every morning (treatment of duodenal ulcer should be taken before bedtime to reduce duodenal pain symptoms on an empty stomach). When the stomach is full of food, absorption can be reduced, so it should be taken orally before meals or on an empty stomach.

2. Usual prevention

There are many ways to prevent heartburn, such as: frequent small meals, chewing slowly, and eating less irritating and special foods; try not to drink soup or water during meals to reduce the chance of food reflux; try to wear clothing Looseness is advisable; do not exercise vigorously or sleep after meals. ^[1]

The basic principles of heartburn prevention

Heartburn is important to maintain, so how to maintain our stomach? Observe the following points carefully, it is no longer difficult to stay away from heartburn!

· Moderate diet, in addition to not too much, you should chew slowly.

· Keep upright. If you must lie down, please raise your head.

Take antacids.

· Do not drink milk or mint to avoid stimulating gastric acid secretion or reflux.

· Reduce drinking coffee.

· Stop eating chocolate.

Stop smoking and refuse second-hand smoke.

· Avoid drinking sparkling beverages.

· Do not eat greasy foods, such as meat and dairy products with high fat content, so as not to stimulate stomach acid.

Avoid excessive fat accumulation in the waist.

· Relax the belt.

Be aware of certain medications that may increase heartburn.

· Pay attention to spicy food.

· Eat less acid fruits such as oranges and lemons.

Avoid eating and drinking two hours before bedtime.

Eliminate stress from life. ^[1]