As with most chronic health
conditions, the causes of heartburn are multiple and
compound. While numerous popular articles refer to
certain lifestyle patterns and consumption of specific
foods as “causing heartburn”, the real causes of
heartburn include a wider combination of genetic,
lifestyle and dietary contributing factors.
Heartburn is a burning, painful, troublesome
sensation in the chest area or in the throat usually
experienced after a meal. While healthy individuals can
experience this sensation once a week or less, if
heartburn strikes twice a week or more, it can be a
symptom of a more serious medical impairment, called
acid reflux disease, also known as gastro esophageal
reflux disease (GERD).
Gastro esophageal reflux disease is the consequence of two physiological malfunctions: extra acidity in the stomach and the weakening of the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) – a ring of muscle that serves as a gatekeeper between the stomach and the esophagus. In healthy individuals, the LES opens only one way, letting the swallowed food and drink pass into the intestinal system while keeping the gastric juices inside. However, in reflux sufferers, the LES weakens thus allowing gastric contents to splash back (reflux) to the esophagus, burning its lining and causing the heartburn sensation.
As mentioned above, there are several interrelating factors and cofactors that can contribute to the weakening of the LES or to extra acid secretion in the stomach. Those include:
1. Genetic tendency
2. Lifestyle patterns, including smoking (that contributes to weakening of the LES) and stress evoked either by inadequate sleep, emotional pressure or work overload. Excessive stress can trigger digestive problems, weaken the immune systems and encourage Candida overgrowth, thus contributing to acid reflux disease.
3. Candida infections. Candida species normally inhabit certain areas of the human body, including the intestines and the genitals. While in a healthy individual’s body Candida are balanced by the friendly bacteria and cause no harm, under certain conditions these microorganisms begin to multiply rapidly, spreading to many different areas of the body. When Candida overgrows it can ferment and reflux the contents of the stomach upward to the esophagus, causing inflammation and damage to the lining of the esophagus.
4. Dietary patterns, the daily consumption of foods that trigger acid secretion (i. e. peppermint, tomatoes, citric fruits, chocolate etc.), foods that contribute to the weakening of the LES (fatty foods, spicy foods, chocolate) and hard to digest foods can exacerbate acid reflux.
Read
more about acid reflux foods to avoid.
Read
more about foods to eat
with acid reflux.
In
order to stop heartburn and prevent its recurrence, one
must first and foremost tackle the above root causes.
Contrary to conventional treatments that address the
manifestations of heartburn, adhering to an all-natural
holistic approach is the only way to cure acid reflux in
a safe and effective way.
