Here
we are discussing the various causes of severe
heartburn.
Heartburn is caused when
acidic food contents of the stomach are refluxed
or pushed back into esophagus (the muscular tube
that connects the throat to the stomach, allowing
food to enter the stomach to be digested) due to
the faulty lower esophageal sphincter that
inappropriately opens up when it should not do so.
However, as a result of this slight opening, part
of the acidic stomach content that had reached the
esophagus starts irritating its upper part,
causing a burning sensation behind the breast
bone. This precisely is the cause of heartburn,
one of the principal symptoms of gastroesophageal
acid reflux disease or GERD.
Did
you know that most Americans suffer from this
disease? This seems to be the case because most
Americans gorge themselves with meaty spicy food
and are obese - the two primary causes of severe
heartburn or GERD. Since casual over-the-counter
anti-acidic medications usually take care of these
acid reflux heartburns, people often do not pay
any special attention to GERD till severe
heartburn makes them more attentive to the disease
condition.
GER-related
heartburn turns severe due to several reasons that
include indulging in spicy fatty food,
indiscriminate eating habits with no regard for
elimination of trigger foods, consuming acidic
fruits or fruit juices like orange juice,
medications like antihistamines, Beta-2 agonists,
calcium channel blockers, diazepam, opioid
analgesics, broncho dilators, etc. Severe
heartburn is also caused due to long neglected Barrett's
Esophagus, a condition in which abnormal cells
gives rise to esophageal adenocarcinoma or cancer
of the esophagus.
However,
several factors are checked before coming to the
above conclusion which includes (a) severe
heartburn, (b) heartburn occurring regularly over
a sustained period of time, (c) if does heartburn
still occur despite regular treatment with
anti-acidic formulations and (d) has swallowing
food become a problem.
Severe
heartburn associated with the above factors needs
careful examination that may involve endoscope, a
flexible tube that permits doctors to inspect the inner
lining of the esophagus as also to examine the
small tissue samples collected through the
endoscope to look for changes that may predict
cancer.
While
heartburn is common, affecting millions of people
worldwide, severe heartburn caused mostly by
Barrett's esophagus or cancer of the esophagus is
rather rare. According to a report published by
the American Cancer Society (ACS) esophageal
adenocarcinoma which is related to GERD and
manifest in the form of severe heartburn is now
several times more in profusion than what was
found ten years ago.
Never
neglect the causes of severe heartburn. But
ironically, when someone suffers from GERD and
opts for conventional remedies, the solution is
able to treat just the symptom, whereas the disease
and its causes remain unattended to. This is not
good news indeed. So turn to holistic remedies
that treat the body as a whole and attempts to
identify all the causes (there can be many causes
of acid reflux) of the disease. Having done this,
severe heartburn can be aptly treated because all
the contributing factors are then taken
on.
A
holistic remedy is a much better option when it
comes to finding a treat for severe
heartburn.
