The coming holidays might be better described as "heartburn season," as people just can't seem to resist a good spread, even when they know that they'll likely suffer the effects of heartburn later. But just how harmful is heartburn to our health, and how can we avoid it? There are serious conditions such as Barrett's esophagus or esophageal cancer that may produce warning signs like those experienced by heartburn sufferers. Heartburn sufferers should watch for associated symptoms that may include difficulty swallowing, weight loss, fever, and bleeding of the stomach (identified by black stools), which might indicate more serious conditions.
"If you have heartburn associated with those warning symptoms you really should get in to see your doctor as soon as you can," advises Dr. Stuart Spechler, at UT Southwestern Medical Center. "Most of the time heartburn is a nuisance, not a tremendous threat to your health. I tell most of my patients that it's going to be a tradeoff - is the food going to taste good enough to suffer through the heartburn?"
As a doctor, Spechler has been trained to be a killjoy, claiming that: "As a general rule of thumb anything that tastes really good is likely to give you heartburn. And the reason is the fat content. Fat does a lot of things that promote heartburn. It stops the stomach from emptying well, so now you have more material in the stomach that's ready to reflux."
But if you really must have that delicious gravy on your turkey, or drown your pudding in extra double-cream, then Spechler is a firm believer in that old adage of prevention being better than cure. "If you know you're going to eat something that ordinarily gives you heartburn, there are medications that you can take before eating that food that might help."
So, rather than popping a few antacid tablets after the damage has been done, Spechler recommends that people take medications comprised of a histamine receptor blocker (H2 blockers) before they plan on eating heartburn inducing foods. H2 blockers, which work by slowing down the production of stomach acid, are generally available over the counter. "Most people suffering from heartburn get it every now and then. Those are the people who really benefit from this on-demand therapy," says Dr. Spechler. "If you're going to eat something you know is going to give you heartburn, you can take one of those pills a half hour before your meal, and you may be able to prevent the heartburn."
Source: Southwestern Medical Center
