Cooling off Heartburn
What is heart burn ? Heartburn/acidity is a commonly used term for GERD - G astro E sophageal R eflux D isease . The main symptoms are burning in the chest , rising from stomach region (just below the sternum bone ) & going up toward the neck . It can also cause chest pain which is similar to heart pain and some times its difficult to differentiate between pain of heart attack & GERD Other symptoms include dry cough,sore throat, hoarseness,bloating,burping, hiccups, difficulty swallowing, lump in the throat, vomiting or regurgitation. Why does it happen ? A muscular ring called the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) separates the esophagus from the stomach. Normally, the LES works something like a gate. The muscle relaxes when you swallow, opening the passage between the esophagus and stomach and allowing food to pass into the stomach. When the sphincter tightens, it closes the passage, keeping food and acidic stomach juices from flowing back into the esophagus. I
