Heartburn, or GERD (Gastro-esophageal reflux disease), is often described as a burning feeling in the lower chest, that may be accompanied by 'gassiness' or belching and a sour or bitter taste in the throat and mouth. It usually occurs after eating a big meal or while lying down. The feeling can last for a few minutes or as long as a few hours.

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Despite its name, heartburn doesn't affect the heart. Rather, it generally is the result of irritation of the lower portion of the esophagus – just above the opening where food enters the stomach. 

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Heartburn can be the result of a variety of factors and while medication may tame the symptoms, heartburn or GERD symptoms will usually keep coming back until the underlying problem is fixed. Medication for GERD is usually aimed at reducing the amount of acid in the stomach or neutralizing the stomach acid that’s seeped up into the esophagus (Remember that the normal condition is for the stomach to produce constantly hydrochloric acid to help digest protein.) The problem is that our stomach and esophagus are also made of protein and when this esophageal tissue is exposed to strong acid it can become irritated or even ‘burned’. Thankfully, our stomach has a valve at the top of it that opens to allow food coming down from the esophagus to enter the stomach. Normally, this valve quickly closes to keep both the food and acid inside of the stomach. 

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However, a common occurrence in people with heartburn is for this valve to not close entirely, allowing acid or acidic gases to seep out into the esophagus. There can be several reasons why the valve is unable to close completely which may include: inflammation or muscle tension in the abdominal wall or diaphragm, a hiatal hernia (a condition where the stomach slides upwards through the opening in the diaphragm), thoracic spine or rib cage dysfunction, poor posture, and spinal nerve irritation. Often when prior treatment has proven unsuccessful, it may be due to not having one or more of these factors properly addressed.

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Sometimes pain in the chest may be mistaken for heartburn when it's really a sign of heart disease. If you have any of the symptoms listed below, call your doctor.

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Call your doctor if:

• You have trouble swallowing or pain when swallowing.

• You're vomiting blood. 

• Your stools are bloody or black. 

• You're short of breath.

• You're dizzy or lightheaded.

• You have pain going into your neck and shoulder.

• You break out in a sweat when you have pain in your chest.

• You have heartburn often (more than 3 times a week) for more than
  2 weeks.

 

At Maloney Elkassem Wellness Center, we offer a wide variety of treatment options tailored to treat your specific problems, by tackling the heartburn and GERD at its root cause(s). In fact, our well-rounded approach allows us to successfully treat many cases of GERD where other treatments have failed. 

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Hiatal hernia reduction, Active Release Techniques (ART) soft tissue therapy, joint manipulation, Trigger Point therapy and other soft tissue therapies, thoracic and abdominal strengthening exercises and stretches are some of the most common approaches that we use in alleviating heartburn and GERD, though if it’s ever apparent that you need treatment beyond what we can provide, we can refer you to one of the many other health professionals that we trust.

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We provide relief for many types of heartburn and GERD. If you suffer from heartburn, you owe it to yourself to call us…