My sister-in-law reaches into her purse for a big bottle of colourful heartburn tablets. They look like candy and that’s how she pops them. She’s been taking these pills regularly for years. When I ask why she doesn’t see someone about it, she says, “It’s heartburn–nothing serious.”
For some people, heartburn is nothing serious and popping those tablets provides all the relief they need. If you’re taking them occasionally, there’s nothing wrong with that. However, according to naturopathic physician Megan Mackenzie, “If you’ve reached a pack-a-day habit, you’ve got a problem that requires medical attention.”
Heard about GERD?
Chronic heartburn is the most common symptom of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), known to some as acid reflux. GERD is a chronic and painful condition that can leave you vulnerable to more serious dangers, including ulcerations of the esophagus and possibly esophageal cancer.
At the intersection of the esophagus and the stomach is the lower esophageal sphincter, a doorway of muscle. The sphincter, when working correctly, keeps the stomach contents (including the acid) in the stomach where it belongs. When stomach acid sneaks past the sphincter and touches the esophagus, the result is a burning sensation–heartburn.
The lower esophageal sphincter may open for many reasons. A full stomach, lying down, bending over, and pregnancy can all place pressure on the stomach and cause the sphincter to relax its hold. Certain food may relax the sphincter, such as chocolate and mints. Even coffee, alcohol, and nicotine affect the sphincter’s performance.
Getting Help
When heart and lung conditions have been ruled out, and you have been diagnosed with GERD, see a health care professional who will assess your condition holistically. GERD can be as individual as the sufferer and can be caused by many things. It may be the result of a food allergy or too much or too little stomach acid.
Because there are many different possible causes of GERD, no one remedy will effectively treat everyone. For example, if excessive acid in the stomach is the culprit, you might find relief from deglycyrrhizinated licorice tablets that coat the esophagus or from supplements containing concentrated marsh mallow or slippery elm. If your system produces too little acid, you may need digestive aids with pepsin, protease, and amylase. But Dr. Mackenzie cautions people to have their GERD causes assessed first. If you take digestive aids when your body is already producing excessive acids, it’s going to make it much worse.
Dietary Changes
According to Dr. Mackenzie, “GERD is easy to treat once you figure out what the problem is.” The first step she recommends is changing what you eat. This will benefit you no matter what the cause. The change does not need to be permanent; adapt your diet for a short period of time, long enough to heal your stomach.
Keep track of what you eat. Maintaining a food diary will help you and your health care professional identify the relationship between certain foods and heartburn, and help determine the cause.
Next, Dr. Mackenzie recommends turning eating into a stress-free event. Most of us are active throughout the day and we don’t take time to slow down when we eat. “The digestive tract doesn’t work when under stress,” she says. “You have to sit down and relax when eating to digest properly.”
My sister-in-law might not be ready to kick the tablet habit just yet. But over a relaxed lunch of slightly different cuisine, I might be able to convince her to at least alter her diet.
Should you be checked for GERD?
Common symptoms include:
- frequent heartburn–twice a week or more
- burning in the chest or beneath the chest bone or sternum
- sour taste in the mouth
- coughing
- wheezing
- difficulty swallowing
- chest pain
Note: Always seek immediate medical attention for chest pain.
