Reasons behind heartburn: Find Out What the Real Causes of Heartburn Are

Just like other chronic ailments, heartburn is a result of multiple and interlinked causes. Although many popular texts make reference to aspects of lifestyle and eating particular foods, the real reasons underlying heartburn extend to a wider selection of factors with genetic, lifestyle and dietary aspects.

Heartburn can be defined as the sensation of burning and of pain in the chest or throat area that is often felt after eating a meal. Although healthy people may experience such a feeling once per week or less, if heartburn occurs twice per week or more frequently, this may be a sign of a more severe medical condition called acid reflux disease, and also known as GERD (Gastro Esophageal Reflux Disease).

GERD comes about because of two physiological problems: the first is excess acidity in the stomach; and the second is a weakened sphincter (LES, Lower Esophageal Sphincter) which no longer acts properly to block off the stomach from the esophagus. Normally, the LES only opens to let food and drink flow into the intestinal system and should not let gastric juices escape backwards. Nevertheless, in reflux situations, the LES is debilitated and stomach contents can reflux or splash back to the esophagus, corroding the lining and causing the feeling of pain.

As indicated earlier, several inter-linked factors make for a weak LES or excessive stomach acidity. These factors include:

1. Genetically inherited characteristics.

2. Lifestyles, where stress from lack of sleep, emotional pressure or excess of work provoke problems, as does smoking. This plays havoc with the digestion, attacks the immune system and favors Candida multiplication, which then contributes to acid reflux disease.

3. Candida infections. Candida is normally present anyway in the human body, including the intestinal and genital areas. In usual circumstances, Candida is balanced by beneficial bacteria and does not harm the body. But under certain conditions Candida microbes grow rapidly and spread. These microbes can then ferment and reflux stomach contents back into the esophagus, where inflammation and damage to the esophageal lining then take place.

4. Diet patterns, as in the regular and frequent eating of foods that provoke acid production, such as chocolates, peppermint, tomatoes and citrus fruits. Also, eating foods that are fatty or spicy and that weaken the LES, or foods that are hard to digest, can worsen acid reflux.

To cut out heartburn and to stop it from coming back, the root causes must be resolved. Whereas conventional treatments only superficially treat the symptoms, a holistic, all-natural approach gets to the real underlying causes to provide the only true safe and effective cure for acid reflux.




Jeff Martin is a medical researcher, certified nutritionist, health consultant and author of the #1 best-selling e-book, "Heartburn No More- Open The Door To an Acid Reflux Free Life". Jeff has written dozens of holistic health articles and has been featured in ezines and print magazines, as well as on hundreds of websites worldwide.

To Learn More About Jeff Martin´s Unique 5-Step Holistic Acid Reflux Cure System Visit: Heartburn No More.

For further information visit: Causes of Heartburn