Heartburn
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Please refer to our health precautions section before proceeding.
IT CAN FEEL LIKE a weight on your chest or a bra that's much too tight, but usually it's a burning pain that begins in the pit of the stomach and spreads in waves upward to the back of the throat. Some people get it occasionally after an unusually heavy meal; others get it regularly, almost daily. It's heartburn, and it's no surprise that it makes you feel like something in your chest is burning: heartburn can occur when stomach acid containing hydrochloric acid (the stuff they use to clean metal) moves up from the stomach into the esophagus, the tube between your stomach and your mouth. The stomach has a lining that protects it from the effect of the powerful acid digestive juices, but the esophagus has no such lining. When the acid hits, it burns.
This type of heartburn can be an occasional event caused by overeating, spicy foods, too much alcohol, or medication. This is simple acid reflux. This occasional type of heartburn is usually remedied by an antacid. But repeated episodes of acidic reflux may lead to certain complications including esophagitis (the inflammation of the esophagus), esophageal ulcers, and a narrowing of the esophagus. These conditions would have to be identified and treated by a doctor.
There are other conditions that can seem like heartburn, and they must be remedied to relieve the symptoms. For additional information please go to The GI-Tract Center, where you will find and extensive review of the GI-Tract and it's various conditions.
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