Treating Indigestion, Heartburn, and Ulcers
First Aids
Heartburn, sour stomach, indigestion— whatever you call it, it's still the same acidy, sour, unsettling feeling that occurs during or after a meal.
There you are, sitting with your family and enjoying a celebration dinner at the best restaurant in town. As you blow out the candle and dip into the ice cream surprise, you suddenly feel a pang. Ouch! The bitter, queasy taste of heartburn hits. You say your excuses and go off to the bathroom, silently berating yourself for eating that shallot, hot pepper, and garlic sauce.
It might not happen exactly that way, but when heartburn hits, it knows no bounds, no excuses, and no options.
The Ins and Outs of Heartburn
More than 40 million Americans suffer from heartburn on occasion, that sour feeling that occurs when stomach acid splashes back up into the esophagus.
At the point where the esophagus and the stomach meet is a muscle called the lower esophageal sphincter (LES). This muscle acts like a trap door, opening to let food into the stomach, then closing up tight to prevent the food from coming out.
There are certain actions that can irritate and reopen the LES, spilling stomach acid back into the esophagus and creating heartburn. These include:
- Eating spicy, fatty, sour, or minty foods that don't agree with you
- Overindulging during a meal
- Being overweight
- Drinking too much coffee or alcohol
- Smoking cigarettes
- Taking some medications, including unbuffered aspirin
- Wearing belts and waistbands that are too tight
- Being pregnant
- Taking birth control pills
Treating Heartburn
Ouch!
Although heartburn is a common ailment, it can also signal something more serious: a heart attack. Many people who come into an emergency room with what they think is simply a bad case of indigestion could be having more serious problems. If you feel an intense, unrelenting bout of heartburn, go to a doctor—fast!
Taking over-the-counter antacids is the most common treatment for heartburn—and, unless you are taking a medication that contradicts the alkaline in antacids—they usually work fast.
However, today there are also preventative medications on the market that not only neutralize the acid that creeps back up, but reduce the amount of acid that is made. These include the two best-selling prescription medications, Tagamet and Zantac (which are now sold over-the-counter). These medications block acid in your stomach and are successful for people with ulcers.
Both Tagamet and Zantac are called H2 Antagonists. You can get milder forms of these medications as well. These milder over-the-counter pills need to be taken an hour before a spicy meal to be effective.
However, these medications need time to work and if you are having an attack of indigestion or heartburn now, the best bet is still an antacid.
You can also try to prevent heartburn with non-medication treatment tricks. Here are some suggestions:
- Eat several small meals during the day instead of three big ones.
- Avoid spicy food, alcohol, coffee, and any other foods that can irritate your digestive tract.
- Eat your last meal several hours before you go to sleep. (This gives your body a chance to completely digest the food.)
- Eat slowly and put the fork down between bites. (This too helps you digest foods more easily.)
- Sleep with your head and upper torso raised about six inches. A foam wedge works well.
- Learn to relax. The less stress you feel, the better your entire body will work.
First Things First
Another easy heartburn antidote is deep breathing. The more you relax your body, the less likely it is that the “trap door” will let acid leak back out.
If antacids aren't available and someone is experiencing a bout of heartburn, give him or her one half of a cup or less of skim milk (only if the person does not have any problems with meat or dairy; for some people, eating protein creates a condition that is somewhere between an ulcer and heartburn). If there are no problems with ingesting protein, the skim milk can be an effective antacid substitute for heartburn or ulcers because it helps neutralize the acid. Further, skim milk contains no fat, which can be an irritant.
The key is to drink a small enough amount to work, but not enough to “splash up.” If skim milk isn't available, even a glass of water might help.
Whether you sip skim milk or water, it's important to remember one key thing: sit up for at least 30 minutes after you've sipped the liquid. This position will help the liquid do its “magic.”
Ulcer Understanding
The main difference between an ulcer and indigestion is that the former is often more serious than the latter. However, indigestion can be a warning sign of an ulcer (although not in every person). In other words, heartburn/sour stomach/indigestion can be a symptom of an ulcer, a condition in which the normal stomach lining breaks down, revealing unprotected tissue that is irritated by stomach acid. Or it can signal plain old indigestion.
An ulcer looks like a cluster of painful sores on the inner lining of the stomach. An ulcer can bleed and cause a great deal of pain, including cramps, indigestion, and severe heartburn.
Ouch!
As with any medication, acid blockers also can have side-effects in some people. Headaches, drowsiness, diarrhea, gas, and dizziness are the most common. However, these symptoms usually disappear within a few days. You also should check with your doctor about combining acid blockers with other medications; certain combos can cause adverse reactions.
Cause and Effect: An Up-To-The-Minute Ulcer Newsflash
For years, diet was blamed as much for ulcers as it was for heartburn. No more. A change in diet will not cure your ulcer, but it can still help. Scientists have isolated a bacteria called Helicobacterpylori(H. pylori) as the cause of some of these painful sores. Many—but not all—ulcers are now considered an infection like influenza, strep throat, and the common cold.
What's interesting is the fact that about 50 percent of us carry the H. pylori bacteria in our stomachs and intestines but have no reaction. Unfortunately, the other 50 percent's immune systems cannot keep H. pylori quiet. They have ulcers.
If your heartburn is long-term and severe, and you experience pain in your stomach or intestines, make an appointment with your doctor. Ulcers don't usually constitute life-and-death emergencies unless they bleed—but they can make a daily routine pretty miserable!
The best treatment for ulcers is the same acid blockers used for heartburn, either in over-the-counter formulas or in the stronger prescription ones, such as Tagamet and Zantac.
Researchers have also discovered that certain antibiotics or a regimen of acid blockers combined with plain old Pepto-Bismol can get rid of H. pylori in a matter of weeks in most cases.
Excerpted from The Complete Idiot's Guide to First Aid Basics © 1996 by Stephen J. Rosenberg, M.D. and Karla Dougherty. All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. Used by arrangement with Alpha Books, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
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