Tips for Heartburn Relief

Wednesday, April 26, 2006

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Chances are you've experienced heartburn — that uncomfortable burning sensation in your chest and throat.

It's a common digestive response to overindulging in a big meal or eating spicy food. It's also a symptom of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), a condition in which digestive acid flows back (refluxes) into the tube (esophagus) that connects your mouth and stomach.

Occasional heartburn is generally nothing to worry about, but some people are bothered by heartburn every day. Whether your symptoms are mild or severe, lifestyle changes can help reduce heartburn. The May issue of Mayo Clinic Health Letter offers tips to reduce or eliminate symptoms:

Eat smaller meals — Smaller meals reduce pressure on the lower esophageal sphincter. This ring of muscles normally keeps digestive acid in your stomach, helping prevent acid reflux.

Avoid your "triggers" — Most people have specific heartburn triggers such as fatty or fried foods, alcohol, chocolate, peppermint, garlic, onion, tomato-based foods, spicy foods, citrus foods, caffeine or nicotine.

Loosen your belt — Tightness around your waist pressures the lower abdomen and the lower esophageal sphincter.

Don't lie down after a meal — Wait at least three hours after eating before going to bed or lying down.

Give up tobacco — Smoking can increase stomach acid. Swallowing air during smoking may also aggravate acid reflux.

Try to lose weight — Being overweight is one of the greatest risk factors for heartburn.

Raise the head of your bed — Elevating the head of your bed about six inches puts gravity to work for you. Use bricks or blocks under the feet at the head of your bed, or insert a wedge between your mattress and box springs to elevate your body from the waist up. Raising your head with an extra pillow doesn't help.

Sleep on your left side — This may help your stomach empty better.

If heartburn bothers you, talk to your doctor. Over-the-counter and prescription medications can help when lifestyle changes aren't enough. Surgery to tighten the sphincter muscles to prevent reflux also is an option.
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About Mayo Clinic

Mayo Clinic is the first and largest integrated, not-for-profit group practice in the world. Doctors from every medical specialty work together to care for patients, joined by common systems and a philosophy of "the needs of the patient come first." More than 3,700 physicians, scientists and researchers, and 50,100 allied health staff work at Mayo Clinic, which has campuses in Rochester, Minn; Jacksonville, Fla; and Scottsdale/Phoenix, Ariz.; and community-based providers in more than 70 locations in southern Minnesota., western Wisconsin and northeast Iowa. These locations treat more than half a million people each year. To obtain the latest news releases from Mayo Clinic, go to www.mayoclinic.org/news. For information about research and education, visit www.mayo.edu. MayoClinic.com (www.mayoclinic.com) is available as a resource for your health stories.