Heartburn and Reflux For Dummies

Introduction 1

About This Book 1

Conventions Used in This Book 2

What You’re Not to Read 2

Foolish Assumptions 3

How This Book is Organized 3

Icons Used in This Book 5

Where to Go from Here 6

Part I: Naming Your Pain 7

Chapter 1: Picturing Heartburn and Reflux 9

Meeting Your Heartburn 9

Pinning the Tail on the Heartburn Donkey 11

Looking for Help in All the Right Places 13

Chapter 2: Tracking Your Digestive Tract 17

Defining Digestion 18

Testing the Protectors 24

Examining the LES 25

Chapter 3: Cataloging the Symptoms and Hazards of Heartburn, Reflux, and GERD 31

Tracking the Symptoms 32

Calculating Long-Term Consequences 37

Chapter 4: Rating Your Reflux Risk 41

Picturing People with Heartburn 41

Factoring in the Family 43

Rendering a Gender Bias 45

Mentioning Medical Risks 46

Weighing Weight’s Weight on Reflux 48

Pinpointing Problem Eaters 51

Adding Up Your Own Reflux Risk 52

Part II: Eating Your Way to Relief 55

Chapter 5: Meeting Your Nutrition Needs 57

Measuring Nutrition 57

Beginning with the Big Guys 59

Investigating Vitamins 62

Mining the Minerals 66

Supplementing the Info 71

Chapter 6: Fine-Tuning Your Diet 81

Enjoying Food 81

Explaining How Food and Drink Can Cause Heartburn 82

Naming the Guilty Parties 85

Making Meals Safer 94

Choosing the Safest Cooking Technique 96

Chapter 7: Reviewing Home Remedies, Alternative Approaches, and Herbal Healers 99

Grading Granny’s Goodies 99

Looking for Alternatives 103

Evaluating Herbal Medicine 105

Linking Other Alternative Approaches to Heartburn/Reflux 114

Part III: Treating Your Middle 115

Chapter 8: Finding the Right Doctor 117

Deciding When to See the Doctor 117

Sorting Through the Heartburn Specialists 118

Choosing a Doctor 119

Going to the Doctor with Your History in Hand 125

Chapter 9: Examining Your Esophagus and Testing Your Tummy 127

Picking Potential Patients 127

Assessing Your Acidity 128

Measuring Your Muscle Strength 131

Studying Your Stomach 133

Evaluating Your Esophagus 134

Chapter 10: Prescribing Relief 139

Noting the Cost of Heartburn Help 139

Aiming for Neutrality with Antacids 140

Blocking the Burn 147

Slowing the Pump 153

Interesting Interacting 158

Chapter 11: Avoiding Problem Pills 163

Pinpointing Potential Problems 163

Naming Medicines That Loosen the LES 164

Targeting Traffic Stoppers 169

Listing Irritating Drugs and Supplements 170

Naming Medical Conditions That May Make Meds Stick 173

Minimizing the Heartburn Effects of Essential Medicines 174

Chapter 12: Exploring Surgical Options 177

Nominating Candidates for Heartburn Surgery 178

Setting a Surgical Schedule 181

Cutting and Pasting: Fundoplication 183

Meeting the Morning After 187

Reaching Home Base 189

Balancing Risks and Benefits 190

Peering into the Reflux Crystal Ball 191

Part IV: Creating a Comfortable Lifestyle 193

Chapter 13: Building a Better Body 195

Answering Question Numero Uno: Who’s Overweight? 195

Choosing a Healthful Weight Control Program 200

Working Off Your Reflux 209

Chapter 14: Healing Heartburn with Healthy Habits 217

Snuffing Out Heartburn 217

Toasting the Pain-Free Life 224

Getting a Good Night’s Sleep 226

Chapter 15: Stressing Stress Relief 233

Stressing the Importance of Stress 233

Activating Your Adrenals 234

Linking Stress to Heartburn 237

Unlocking Your Stomach from Your Stress 239

Chapter 16: Fashioning (and Furnishing) a Comfortable Life 245

Burning Your Bra and Loosening Your Belt 245

Looking Good, Feeling Fine 247

Finding Furniture That Fights Heartburn 251

Part V: Meeting the Special Cases 255

Chapter 17: Handling the Heartburn of Pregnancy 257

Are All Pregnant Women at Risk for Reflux? 257

Avoiding Unnecessary Tests 261

Determining Safe Remedies 262

De-Linking Your Lifestyle from Your Reflux 267

Chapter 18: Finding Heartburn in Infants and Children 271

Naming What’s Making Your Child Cry 271

Diagnosing Reflux in Children 275

Treating Children with Reflux 276

Chapter 19: Taking Aim at Senior Heartburn 283

Aging into Heartburn 283

Identifying the Risk Factors in Older Folk 285

Diagnosing Heartburn in Older Patients 289

Treating Senior Heartburn 290

Part VI: The Part of Tens 295

Chapter 20: Ten or So Heartburn and Reflux Myths 297

Heartburn is Common, So It’s Nothing to Worry About 298

Heartburn and Reflux Inevitably Lead to Cancer 298

Only Overweight People, Drinkers, and Chiliheads Get Heartburn and Reflux 298

Smoking a Cigarette After Eating Prevents Heartburn 299

Heartburn is an Inevitable Part of Growing Older 299

OTC Antacids Aren’t Real Medicine 299

Taking Prescription Heartburn and Reflux Drugs Makes Digesting Food More Difficult 300

Having Nighttime Heartburn Means You Should Sleep Sitting Up 300

Love Coffee? Got Heartburn? Switch to Decaf 301

To Avoid Heartburn After Eating, Relax 301

Having Heartburn during Pregnancy Means Giving Birth to a Hairy Baby 302

Heartburn is Connected to the Heart 302

Chapter 21: Ten Heartburn Web Sites 303

The National Heartburn Alliance 304

International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders 304

HelpHeartburn.com 305

GERD Information Center 305

The American Gastroenterological Association 305

The American College of Gastroenterology 306

American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) 306

North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition 307

American Academy of Family Physicians 307

The American Dietetic Association 308

The Food and Drug Administration 308

Chapter 22: Ten Sometimes Painful, Often Annoying, but Almost Never Fatal Digestive Disorders 309

Appendicitis 310

Bezoar 310

Constipation and Diarrhea 311

Gas (Flatulence) 311

Globus Sensation 313

Hemorrhoids 313

Hiccups 314

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) 314

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) 315

Glossary 317

Index 323