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The Truth About Heartburn: What It Is, And How To Avoid It
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Heartburn is a condition that affects millions of people every day, and many of them simply choose to accept it as an unfortunate fact of life. The truth is that most cases of heartburn are preventable, and a great number of people are afflicted by this unpleasant condition because of the things they eat, and other behaviors they might never think could be linked to it. In this article, we will get the bottom of what really causes heartburn and list some natural, simple steps you can take to rid yourself of this condition.
What Heartburn Really Is
As you probably already know, heartburn does not actually affect the heart at all. The term merely describes an uncomfortable, burning sensation that occurs in the center of the chest. This pain is caused by stomach acid shooting upward into the lower esophagus, where it does not belong. Your stomach acid is designed to dissolve and break down foods into molecules which the body can convert into energy. Your stomach walls have a special, natural lining which protects it from the corrosive effects of stomach acid. (This is why you are not keeling over from stomach pain all the time.) When a hole forms in this lining, it is called an ulcer, which can be quite painful, as the stomach acid begins to burn the unprotected area of the stomach walls.
When you get heartburn, that same thing is happening in your lower esophagus, which has no special lining. The stomach acid creates a painful, burning sensation which can be too unpleasant to ignore.
Chronic heartburn is known as acid reflux disease. There are number of non-prescription medications you can buy which can alleviate the symptoms of heartburn, but none of them address the root causes. Making some changes to your diet and lifestyle, however, can have real and lasting benefits for those who want to free themselves of the pain of heartburn.
Foods, Drinks and Other Things That Can Trigger Heartburn
There are many foods which can trigger episodes of heartburn. Some of them are more or less what you would expect, while others might surprise you.
1. Tomatoes are one food that can cause heartburn to occur. While tomatoes do contain many nutrients, the juices in tomatoes are also very acidic and likely to trigger heartburn. The tomato sauce found on many pizza recipes is why many people report getting heartburn after enjoying a few slices of pizza.
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