• Heartburn, Reflux and your pharmacist’s solution

Heartburn, Reflux and your pharmacist’s solution

Healthy digestion takes place while we rest, eat, sleep or work. You will generally only become aware of the process after eating foods that don't agree with you, eating or drinking too much, becoming constipated or having gas. One of the most frequent symptoms of digestive problems is reflux. Call 1800 675 957 for more information.

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Heartburn or reflux is very common. Almost everyone has it at some stage.
The burning throat and post-meal unpleasantness of reflux affects many Australians - perhaps as many as one in four adults.*

What are your symptoms?

The most common symptom is heartburn, and people often make do with an antacid to relieve this and other symptoms, when real long-term relief is only as far away as their pharmacist.

The symptoms flare up when your oesophagus, the muscular tube that connects your throat and stomach, develops a weakness around the sphincter at its lower end. As a result stomach acid (and sometimes food and liquid) backs up into the oesophagus; this has a tender lining that doesn't protect against stomach acid, and heartburn or indigestion is the result.
Other symptoms of reflux include:
o Burping, sometimes to excess
o Fluid or food coming back into the mouth
o The mouth suddenly filling with saliva
o Swallowing difficulties
o Sore throat and/or persistent dry cough
The frequency of heartburn (which incidentally has nothing to do with your heart) increases with age and symptoms can include a fiery feeling in your chest or upper abdomen after you eat or lie down, and throat burning, sleeping problems, tightness, soreness or hoarseness (especially when you wake up).

Warning signals

Frequent heartburn (at least twice per week) should not be left unattended, as in its chronic form, it may be a symptom of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD), a condition that can cause or contribute to other medical problems.
Frequent heartburn or indigestion may also signal other conditions, such as ulcers, that could worsen if not diagnosed and treated early.
If your symptoms return despite taking your current medication, talk to your pharmacist because now they can help you more than ever before. A heartburn or reflux medication previously available only through prescription from medical practitioners has been approved and made available through the pharmacist.Call 1800 675 957 for more information.

A good prevention plan

What – and how – you eat matters
If you never ate, you’d never have heartburn. But that’s not possible or sensible, so the best option is to work out how food affects you. Try the following:
Give up large meals. When you overeat, the extra food pushes backup into your oesophagus. So instead of three large daily meals, switch to four to six smaller ones, but be sure to eat the last meal two to three hours before bedtime.
Chew slowly and thoroughly. Doing so makes it easier for your body to speed the food through your digestive system, giving it less time in your stomach.
Avoid high-kilojoule, fatty foods. Research shows high levels of dietary fat increases sensitivity to heartburn.
Steer clear of common triggers. These include mint, coffee, alcohol, citrus fruit, tomatoes, chocolate, spicy foods and carbonated drinks.
Experiment to see what foods affect you most, and try to cut back on them.

Other measures to prevent reflux:
o Carrying extra weight can add to the problem. Try to slim down.
o Eating smaller meals, more frequently, eases pressure.
o Drink plenty of water - eight 250ml glasses a day.
o Avoid certain drugs, including anti-inflammatories such as ibuprofen, naproxen, and aspirin. Prescription drugs can also exacerbate the problem - check with your doctor.
o Take up meditation, yoga or deep breathing to manage stress, and exercise regularly - brisk walking, swimming or cycling
o As with so many conditions, smoking may trigger a heartburn episode.

How to make heartburn a distant memory

Despite your best efforts at prevention, your heartburn, indigestion or regurgitation symptoms may still recur. Antacids from the supermarket or pharmacy only provide short-term relief – that is all they are intended to do, so if you continue to suffer from the symptoms on two or more days a week, or the symptoms interfere with your daily activities or disturb your sleep, it’s time for a rethink. In fact it’s time to see your pharmacist for sustained relief that can last for weeks (whilst on medication) or for a product that suits you and make heartburn a distant memory.
Why should you settle for 12 or 24 hours when you can have weeks of relief?

Call 1800 675 957 for more information.

* Roy Morgan Single Source, Mar 2009