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Take Steps to Better Manage Your Heartburn
Special to The Truth
Heartburn is one of the
most common reasons people visit their doctors. If you
suffer from a burning feeling in your chest or throat,
experts recommend preparing for your next doctor’s
appointment by learning more about heartburn and what you
can do to manage the condition.
“Physicians often use
upper endoscopy to diagnose and manage gastroesophageal
reflux disease, or GERD,” says Dr. Molly Cooke, president of
the American College of Physicians (ACP). “But this is not
an appropriate first step for patients with typical
heartburn.”
The ACP advises against
upper endoscopy for heartburn, unless other serious symptoms
are present. According to the ACP’s recommendations, it can
be an expensive test that doesn’t necessarily improve the
health of patients, exposes patients to preventable harms,
and can lead to unnecessary interventions down the line.
“For those whose heartburn
is accompanied by difficult or painful swallowing, bleeding,
anemia, weight loss, solid food sticking in the esophagus,
or recurrent vomiting, an upper endoscopy is appropriate,”
advises Dr. Cooke.
Sensible diagnosis is just
part of the equation. Prevention and management of the
condition is important too. The ACP recommends the following
steps to help relieve occasional heartburn as well as GERD:
• Make lifestyle changes.
Lose excess weight, stop smoking, eat smaller meals, don’t
lie down for several hours after eating, wear loose-fitting
clothes, and limit how much alcohol you consume. Resist
foods and beverages that can trigger your heartburn, such as
chocolate, peppermint, coffee (with or without caffeine),
garlic, onions, and fried, spicy, fatty or tomato-rich food.
• Raise head of your bed.
Place wood blocks under your bedposts to raise the head of
your bed six to eight inches.
• Control acid.
Over-the-counter antacids such as Maalox, Mylanta, Rolaids,
or Tums may ease heartburn. For a stronger acid-reducer, try
an H2 blocker such as famotidine (Pepcid and generic) or
ranitidine (Zantac and generic).
• Consider proton pump
inhibitors (PPIs). Medicine to reduce gastric acid
production is warranted in most patients with typical GERD
symptoms such as heartburn or regurgitation.
PPIs are a group of drugs
that relieve symptoms and heal the lining of the esophagus
in almost all sufferers. For best results, take them 30 to
60 minutes before a meal. Omeprazole and lansoprazole are
sold over-the-counter as low-cost generics. If symptoms
don’t improve after two to four weeks, ask your doctor about
taking two doses daily.
Free online resources can
help you discover the best treatment for you. For example,
you can visit www.CRBestBuyDrugs.org and click on
“heartburn” for a free drug report on PPIs.
Left untreated, GERD can
inflame the lining of the esophagus, causing a condition
known as esophagitis. A few GERD patients develop Barrett’s
esophagus, a disorder that can, in rare cases, lead to
cancer of the esophagus.
Visit http://hvc.acponline.org
for more tips on managing your health care, including
resources developed in collaboration with Consumer Reports.
Courtesy StatePoint
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