Heartburn is a pain that is caused when acidic fluid that should remain in the stomach finds its way into the esophagus (which is the eating or swallowing tube of the human body). The pain and discomfort of heartburn can range from mild to severe and some people mistakenly believe that they are having a heart attack when they are actually suffering from a case of heartburn.

Heartburn and acid indigestion can be incredibly painful. At the least, they cause a pain in the chest (hence the moniker “heartburn”), and at the worst, they can cause the erosion of the esophagus to the point that surgery is required in order to repair the damage. While there are medications that can help to prevent acid indigestion and esophageal erosion, they are not recommended for women who are pregnant, and therefore heartburn during pregnancy becomes an even bigger problem.

With heartburn often comes a feeling or bloating or gas in the abdominal area and burping. Some people experience the taste of acid in their mouth when they have heartburn. The symptoms of heartburn tend to get worse after a big meal has been eaten and especially a meal that contained fatty or fried foods. Heartburn can also worsen after caffeine or alcohol is taken in as well as the smoking of tobacco.

Heartburn is the leading symptom of gastroesophageal reflux disease, a.k.a. GERD or acid reflux, acid indigestion, etc. The pain and burning sensation of heartburn is caused by gastric acid (a.k.a. stomach acid) being regurgitated into the esophagus right below the breastbone near where the heart is located (although heartburn really has nothing to do with the heart). Many times, heartburn pain can even rise to the chest, neck, throat, and jaw. Chronic cough is also caused by acid reflux and sometimes mimics asthma.

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is very common, in particular among elderly people and women who are pregnant. More than an estimated 60 million American adults find themselves plagued by the uncomfortable symptoms of heartburn at least once during the course of a month and an estimated 25 million Americans, both males and females, suffer from the discomfort of heartburn on a day-to-day basis. It is believed that in 94 percent of the above cases, heartburn can be connected to eating certain foods

Most of us don’t suffer heartburn all of the time. Why is that?

Since heartburn is the result of acidic liquid (usually chyme, or partially digested food) from your stomach entering your esophagus, or the tube that connects your mouth to your stomach. Normally, a valve called the LES (lower esophageal sphincter) maintains a barrier between the esophagus and the stomach, so that the latter’s acidic contents don’t spill into the esophagus. The stomach and LES are protected from acid; the esophagus is not. Well, when food or drink is taken into your tummy, the LES muscle – found at the bottom of the esophagus – closes so that all of the contents of the stomach remain where they should be. When the LES stays closed after we eat something, we stay heartburn free.

Generally, heartburn occurs as a result of one of three reasons. In the first instance, the esophagus is not able to adequately defend itself against the acid coming up from the stomach – the LES doesn’t stay closed. Secondly, there is too much acid in the stomach due to the food eaten so it must send it back up from where it came. And thirdly, the food is not able to get down the esophagus quick enough and is pushed back up due to the acid pushing up from the stomach. Acid coming up from the stomach area is often called "reflux."

When acid from the stomach (or acid reflux) comes in contact with the esophageal lining, a feeling of burning and discomfort takes place in the chest and sometimes all the way up to the throat. In some cases the acid comes up and is able to reach the back portion of the mouth and when this happens it is referred to as "acid indigestion."

Is your heartburn a consistent problem? In order to be diagnosed by a doctor with GERD you must suffer from heartburn on a regular basis. People who occasionally experience heartburn due to eating fatty or fried foods or drinking alcohol do not necessarily suffer from GERD. As a general guideline, if you find yourself suffering from the discomfort of heartburn more than twice throughout a week then a doctor will tell you that you have gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

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