1.Heartburn Begins With a Bite
Take a bite of warm, gooey pepperoni pizza, and your digestive system kicks in. Acids go to the stomach, ready to break down your meal. In many people, a faulty valve-like structure lets these acids run amok, leaking into your esophagus and triggering a burning feeling in the chest. Heartburn is a very common symptom. More than 60 million Americans have it at least once a month. The following slides show where heartburn starts and how to stop it.
2.GERD (Acid Reflux) Symptoms
The hallmark of acid reflux is heartburn — a painful burning sensation in the middle of the chest. Heartburn typically strikes after meals and can last several hours. The discomfort may be worse after bending over or lying down. Other symptoms of severe acid reflux include a sour-tasting fluid in the back of the throat, difficulty swallowing, or feeling that food is stuck in the chest or throat. A chronic cough or asthma attacks can also be caused by acid reflux. A description of heartburn symptoms is usually all that s needed to diagnose acid reflux.
