Heartburn: Encyclopedia II - Heartburn - Treatment

Heartburn - Treatment

Heartburn - Prevention

If heartburn occurs when lying down, raising the head with pillows or sitting up frequently provides relief – although care must be taken to avoid placing continuous strain on the neck. Avoidance of certain foods shortly before bedtime is frequently advised to avoid future attacks.

Heartburn - Medications

Antacids, H2-receptor antagonists and proton pump inhibitors are used (in that order) to treat heartburn.

Daily treatment with Antacids is effective for 25-30% of people with GERD. Acid-blocking medications are the most effective for mild forms of the condition.

With the advent of proton-pump inhibitors, H2-receptor antagonists are not widely used.

Proton pump inhibitor is a class of medications which can be effective for people who do not respond to antacid or acid blockers. Proton-pump inhibitors directly block acid production in the stomach cells and provide more effective relief than less powerful medications.

Heartburn - Restricting Diet

Restricting diet is very important, since 90-95% of sufferers of heartburn or esophageal disorder can link their symptoms to specific foods. Therefore, it is important that heartburn sufferers manage their diets as a way to treat their heartburn. Sufferers should choose the kinds of foods and drinks which have little risk of causing acid reflux, while some kinds of foods or drinks should be avoided as they are major heartburn triggers.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Treatment", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki