Features of heartburn after eating - causes and treatment

Definition of heartburn

Heartburn is an unpleasant feeling of heat or burning that spreads from the epigastric region along the esophageal canal.
Sometimes the patient may feel acidity and bitterness in the mouth. This happens when stomach acid flows back into the esophagus. After food is swallowed, it moves down the esophagus to the stomach, where hydrochloric acid is produced. This secretion is very sour and caustic, so the walls of the stomach are covered with a mucous layer and are reliably protected from the negative effects of gastric juice. Between the digestive organs there is a valve that prevents the backflow of food. But sometimes the work of the sphincter is disrupted and the food bolus, processed by gastric juice, returns to the esophagus. The cavity of this organ does not have protective membranes, so the outpouring of gastric secretions leads to irritation of the esophagus and ulcerative lesions. Mostly, heartburn occurs 1-2 hours after eating.

According to severity, heartburn is divided into three types:

• Moderate – observed once a month.
• Average – once every 7 days.
• Severe – heartburn may occur daily after each meal.

Important! If a person constantly has stomach pain and has heartburn attacks after eating, this can lead to the development of erosions, ulcers and even cancer. Therefore, if such symptoms occur more than 2 times a week, you must make an appointment with a gastroenterologist.

What to do if you have frequent attacks?

The presented methods of dealing with intestinal problems are effective and proven, but they should be used only in extreme cases. If unpleasant symptoms recur, you should consult a doctor who will conduct a diagnostic examination to explain the cause of the discomfort.

Heartburn may indicate gastroesophageal reflux, and frequent bloating and excessive gas after eating may indicate pancreatic or liver failure. In such cases, it is necessary to apply special treatment and follow proper nutrition.

Take care of yourself and always be healthy!

Symptoms of heartburn after eating

Characteristic signs of heartburn after eating are:

• Increased salivation.
• Nausea, vomiting.
• Belching of sour, bitter or undigested food residues.
• Difficulty swallowing, sensation of a “lump” in the throat.
• Heaviness in the stomach.
• Burning pain behind the sternum, aggravated by bending over and lying down.
• Coughing - which indicates swelling of the nasopharynx and esophageal tube.
• Sour or bitter taste in the mouth.

On a note! Belching of air occurs as a result of the release of gases from the stomach cavity or when the diaphragm contracts.

How to quickly relieve heartburn

Fighting heartburn involves reducing acidity in the stomach and eliminating irritation in the esophagus. This is how most fast-acting drugs work. This is a symptomatic treatment aimed only at the manifestations of the disease or functional disorders. This approach is only appropriate for rare attacks. If heartburn is caused by pathology, complex therapy prescribed and supervised by a doctor is necessary.

With the help of drugs

Means for quickly eliminating heartburn belong to the group of antacids. They relieve discomfort in a matter of minutes by enveloping mucous membranes or neutralizing hydrochloric acid. The advantages of such drugs are reasonable price, rapid development of effect, over-the-counter availability, and safety for occasional use.

Disadvantages include possible side effects with systematic use, the risk of “rebound syndrome” (increased production of hydrochloric acid after the end of the drug’s effect). Antacids can be used for rare cases of heartburn. If it occurs regularly, a symptomatic remedy should be prescribed by a doctor. Information about the most popular drugs is presented in the table below.

Table - Effective drugs against heartburn

If you don't have medicine on hand

If heartburn takes a person by surprise, and the pharmacy is far away, you can use proven, affordable remedies that are available in every home. They are also suitable for relieving burning, but cannot be used regularly. Most often, for heartburn, it is recommended:

• 2-3 tablets of activated carbon - the sorbent will eliminate excess acid, is absolutely safe for health, the tablets need to be crushed into powder, diluted with water, drunk in 2-3 sips;
• potato juice - 1-2 tubers should be crushed with a blender or through a meat grinder into a pulp, squeeze out the juice through gauze (you need to get ¼ cup), drink in small sips;
• almonds - several raw nuts without peel should be thoroughly chewed, swallowed and washed down with a small amount of water;
• baking soda - dissolve half a teaspoon of powder in a glass of water, drink in small sips until you feel better.

Also, during an attack of heartburn, it is recommended to drink a glass of milk in small sips. Contrary to popular belief, honey should not be added to the drink, as it stimulates the secretion of gastric juice.

Why does heartburn appear after eating?

Why heartburn occurs after eating depends on many circumstances. The occurrence of a burning sensation in the esophagus in the morning is often not associated with food intake; the causes of the pathology in this case are gastrointestinal diseases or pregnancy. In addition, pathology of the mucous membrane can be caused by the uncontrolled use of non-hormonal anti-inflammatory and analgesic drugs. Discomfort and pain worsen after taking medications such as: Diclofenac, Indomethacin, Citramon, Paracetamol, Ketarol.

What does heartburn and sour taste in the mouth and after eating mean? With reflux, gastric secretions erupt into the esophagus and from there enter the mouth. The causes of unpleasant taste are most often gastrointestinal pathologies, unhealthy diet, and the use of inappropriate drugs (antibiotics or antihistamines), which change the intestinal microflora and lead to dysbiosis.

On a note! Heartburn can occur not only with increased, but also with decreased acidity of gastric juice. The source of the problem in this case will be the excessive sensitivity of the epithelial tissue of the digestive organs.

Features of burning sensation during pregnancy

Expectant mothers may also suffer from a burning sensation in the esophagus that appears after eating. Why do you suffer from heartburn during this period? The fact is that pregnant women have increased pressure inside the abdominal cavity. Constant heartburn after eating occurs due to an increase in the amount of progesterone in the blood.

It is also necessary to pay attention to the diet. Thus, the following dishes contribute to the appearance of an unpleasant burning sensation in the abdominal cavity and behind the sternum:

• fatty and fried meat;
• strong tea, coffee;
• food that is too hot or, conversely, too cold;
• soda;
• some types of fruits and vegetables;
• sour dishes.

Not only these factors cause heartburn after eating: the reasons may lie in toxicosis and cardiovascular pathologies. A doctor will be able to determine why a pregnant woman experiences heartburn after eating after a detailed examination.

Main reasons

Poor diet is one of the causes of heartburn

The main causes of heartburn immediately after eating are:

1. Increased acidity of gastric juice.
2. Weakness of the cardiac sphincter (the septum that separates the stomach from the esophagus).
3. Obesity. With excess weight, the organs become overgrown with adipose tissue, which provokes a slowdown in intestinal motility and disruption of digestive processes.
4. Reduced physical activity.
5. Snacking on the go, quickly swallowing food, lack of diet.
6. Pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract.
7. The use of drugs that cause gastroesophageal reflux. Such drugs are Aspirin, Ortofen, Ibuprofen.
8. Excessive eating. After a heavy meal, the stomach stretches and puts pressure on the cardiac valve, which leads to relaxation of the muscles and the flow of gastric juice into the esophagus.
9. Doing exercises or lifting weights after a large dinner or lunch.
10. Tight and uncomfortable clothes, pulling the stomach with a belt.
11. Abuse of cigarettes, alcoholic beverages or coffee.
12. Taking a lying position or going to bed immediately after eating.
13. Pregnancy. The causes of heartburn in women during pregnancy are not only the consumption of “wrong” foods, but also an increase in intra-abdominal pressure caused by compression of internal organs and increased production of progesterone.
14. Emotional stress.
15. Poor nutrition. Heartburn and belching after eating often occur after eating too fatty, salty, spicy or smoked foods. Sour berries and fruits can also cause a negative reaction.

On a note! The causes and treatment of heartburn after eating are interrelated, therefore, before using medications, it is necessary to determine what became the trigger for the unpleasant phenomenon.

Heartburn often appears during pregnancy

Causes

Gastroenterologists consider improper human eating behavior to be one of the important reasons. This applies to both children and adults. People do not always adhere to the principle of regular meals; long breaks are allowed, followed by overeating. Advertised diets are used indiscriminately for weight loss.

The “culprits” for disruption of the cardiac sphincter may be:

• smoking and drugs;
• overweight, abdominal obesity (pushes the diaphragm up, puts pressure on the stomach);
• frequent consumption of coffee;
• dry food, snack with sandwiches;
• some medications;
• stress;
• wearing tight belts and corsets that constantly compress the abdominal cavity;
• pregnancy in the 1st–2nd trimester;
• intense physical activity immediately after a meal or shortly before a meal.

What foods cause heartburn?

Foods that increase acidity contribute to heartburn:

• coffee;
• carbonated drinks;
• kvass;
• all types of alcohol;
• fresh bakery;
• fatty meat dishes;
• hot sauces and seasonings;
• pickles and pickled vegetables;
• mushrooms;
• cabbage;
• sour dairy products;
• citrus;
• confectionery with cream.

Unhealthy foods include: concentrated soups and cereals, fast food, canned food. Any fried or smoked food promotes increased juice secretion.

Heartburn, depending on the diet and quality of food, goes away after regular feeding is organized and food stimulation of the stomach to produce additional acid is stopped. It is much more difficult to get rid of a painful sensation if it is caused not by functional, but by organic reasons.

Diseases of which heartburn is a symptom

The occurrence of constant heartburn after eating can be associated with various pathologies of the digestive system. Most often they are:

1. Gastritis in chronic form is recurrent inflammation of the gastric mucosa, accompanied by debilitating pain in the central segment of the abdomen. For this reason, heartburn usually occurs 2 hours after eating.
2. Diaphragmatic hernia is a displacement of part of the stomach, esophagus or intestinal loops into the chest cavity, which weakens the muscle tone of the esophageal tube.
3. Ulcers of the duodenum or stomach, a typical symptom of which is increased acidity of gastric secretions. When ulcerations are scarred by dense connective tissue, the lumen of the esophagus narrows, which often causes constant heartburn and the feeling of a lump in the throat after eating. Sometimes surgery is required to improve the patient's well-being and prevent cancer.
4. Insufficiency of the cardiac sphincter, as a result of which the food bolus treated with hydrochloric acid returns to the esophagus.
5. Inflammation of the gallbladder often causes flatulence and a feeling of bitterness in the mouth.
6. Duodenitis is an inflammation of the duodenum, most often the mucous membrane of the organ is damaged. Signs of the disease are constant bowel dysfunction, pain in the hypochondrium and heartburn after eating.
7. Pancreatitis – when the pancreas becomes inflamed, insufficient amounts of enzymes are released, making it difficult to digest food. The consequences of such disorders are attacks of nausea, frequent belching, and upset bowel movements. Processed food stagnates and sours, which leads to dysfunction of the digestive organs.
8. Gastroesophageal reflux is the outflow of gastric juice along with food into the lumen of the esophagus. Often this ends in the development of inflammation of the mucous membranes of the organ. A characteristic symptom of the disease is heartburn during or after eating.

How does it manifest in children?

The child’s body does not yet have sufficient protection from external aggressive factors, which include prohibited foods and medications. Pediatricians say that half of children under the age of four months have heartburn caused by underdevelopment of the digestive tract. By the age of five, a child suffers from acid reflux.

The causes of heartburn by the age of six are little different from those in adults

Preschoolers more often suffer from food poisoning and helminthic infestation. Babies - from low-quality “adult” food, expired fruit complementary foods (sold in the store at a discount), overfeeding with fatty cakes, fried foods. A small child cannot distinguish pain from heartburn. He often vomits and feels sick.

The baby is lethargic, cries, presses his hands to his stomach, and does not sleep well. His throat may become red and his voice may become hoarse. Parents should not offer fruits or sweets to their baby with such symptoms. On the contrary, you should avoid all fatty foods. Switch to liquid milk porridges, one-day kefir, chamomile decoction.

The child must be shown to a pediatrician and examined. For younger schoolchildren, the cause of heartburn is free access to carbonated drinks, cakes, sausage rolls, and other fast food. On the way home from school, queues form at the kiosks. Teenagers start smoking.

As a result, dysfunction of the biliary tract appears (dyskinesia of the hyper- or hypotonic type). The disease is accompanied by dull or cramping pain in the right hypochondrium, nausea, bitterness in the mouth, and general weakness. During examination, it is possible to detect Giardia in the duodenal contents.

Food

Most often, manifestations of heartburn and nausea after eating occur after eating foods “stuffed” with dyes, preservatives and flavor enhancers. Harmful foods can also be a provoking factor:

1. Any citrus fruits. They are very acidic and cause increased secretion of hydrochloric acid into the stomach. It is especially dangerous to take oranges, lemons and juices based on them on an empty stomach.
2. Baked goods and sugar products have an irritating effect on the walls of the stomach.
3. Peppermint and lemon balm help relax the esophageal sphincter.
4. Tomatoes and tomato sauce increase the acidity of stomach secretions.
5. Onion garlic.
6. Various seasonings – for irregular heartburn symptoms, you can add spices in small quantities.
7. Fatty foods often become a trigger for heartburn. When the stomach is full, it stretches and puts pressure on the lower esophageal sphincter, as a result of which its muscles relax and food, along with hydrochloric acid, returns to the esophagus. Products with a high fat content take a very long time to digest, which leads to increased secretion of the gastric glands.
8. Fried food for heartburn is also not your best friend. When too many fatty acids enter the stomach, the body produces large amounts of hydrochloric acid and bile, which leads to increased acidity in the environment of the said organ. Regular consumption of fried foods leads to inflammation and the appearance of ulcers on the mucous membrane of the esophagus and stomach.

Drinks that cause heartburn

Why does heartburn occur after eating? Food is not always to blame for this phenomenon; sometimes the problem lies in the use of inappropriate drinks:

• Coffee and tea. The presence of caffeine in drinks causes the eruption of gastric contents into the esophagus, heartburn and heaviness in the stomach after eating.
• Carbonated drinks - increase the volume of the stomach, helping to weaken the cardiac valve.
• Beer – enhances the production of hydrochloric acid.
• Wine – promotes the appearance of gastritis.
• Vodka affects the gastric mucosa, increasing the likelihood of erosions and ulcerations.
• Cognac - the alcohol concentration in the drink is quite high, so when consumed, the same symptoms occur as after vodka.
• Champagne leads to the accumulation of carbon dioxide in the stomach, as a result of which the tone of the esophageal valve decreases.

Excessive coffee consumption can cause heartburn

Necessary examinations

To assess the condition of the intestines and determine the cause of severe heartburn after eating, a number of examinations are prescribed:

• General and biochemical blood test.
• Blood sampling for Helicobacter pylori.
• FEGDS is an endoscopic method for examining the stomach, esophagus and duodenum.
• X-ray examination is performed to exclude ulcers, erosions and other pathologies of the esophagus.
• Daily pH-metry – to measure acidity in the digestive organs.
• Esophagomanometry - helps to assess the functioning of the sphincters and parts of the esophagus.

Features of heartburn

A burning sensation occurs in adults and children. The course of heartburn depends on the cause of increased acidity and the individual characteristics of the body.

Pregnancy

Vomiting, nausea and heartburn are the main symptomatic signs of pregnancy in the first trimester. After conception, hormonal changes begin in the body: progesterone is actively produced, affecting the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. In the first months of pregnancy, the expectant mother may have a desire to eat foods that are incompatible with each other, which leads to a burning sensation in the throat, sternum, and esophagus.

Heartburn is also a concern in the last stages of pregnancy. The fetus in the third trimester has increased significantly in size, so the child contributes to compression of the internal organs.

Child population

In newborn babies and children under one year old, heartburn is a rare occurrence. Burning is a symptomatic sign accompanying pain in the stomach or abdomen due to an internal inflammatory process. Spasms in a child are observed with serious pathologies of the digestive system: acute gastritis, inflammation of the mucous membrane of the esophagus, hernia. Signs of a burning sensation are:

• constant belching after eating;
• spasms;
• nausea;
• vomiting;
• rumbling in the stomach;
• lethargy, weakness;
• irritability;
• lack of appetite;
• restless sleep.

Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract are associated with poor nutrition: early introduction of complementary foods, consumption of adult foods, fast food, sweets, carbonated drinks.

How to get rid of heartburn?

Pharmacy medicines

How to get rid of heartburn after eating is simple: use medications. However, it should be remembered that such remedies only relieve negative symptoms without affecting the underlying cause of the disease. Therefore, if you experience regular burning pain in the chest after eating, you need to visit a doctor.

To eliminate heartburn attacks, the following are used:

• Antacids are medications aimed at suppressing the increased acidity of the stomach, as well as protecting the mucous layer of the digestive organs. The disadvantages of the drug include a short-term effect (about 3 hours), but such drugs are the safest and can be used to treat pregnant women and young children. The most common antacids are: Phosphalugel, Maalox, Almagel Neo, Gastal, Altacid.
• Proton pump inhibitors. The tablets are taken orally, after which they are absorbed in the small intestine and penetrate through the blood into the secretory tubules of the stomach, having a direct effect on reducing the secretion of hydrochloric acid. They are considered the most effective, and the duration of action of the medication extends to 8 hours. However, such drugs penetrate the bloodstream and can cause many side effects, so they should be used only as prescribed by a doctor. These include: Omeprazole, Nolpaza, Zulbex, Famotidine.

Unconventional methods

Baking soda can help relieve heartburn symptoms

Treatment with folk remedies for heartburn after eating is not aimed at eliminating the cause of the pathology, but effectively relieves negative symptoms and improves quality of life. The following recipes are considered the most common:

• Pour 2 tsp of chamomile into 200 ml of boiling water, leave for 30 minutes, strain. Drink 50 ml of infusion after meals. The grass can be replaced with St. John's wort, oak bark, mint, and wormwood.
• Dilute 1 teaspoon of soda in a glass and take orally. You should not abuse this remedy: it can provoke an increase in the production of hydrochloric acid.
• Buy food chalk at the pharmacy, grind it to a powder and heat it in a frying pan. Use the finished product 1 tsp before meals for 2 weeks.
• Drink 1/3 glass of potato juice 4 times a day. Duration of treatment: 10 days, after the same period of time the course is repeated.

Why is heartburn dangerous?

A burning sensation is a symptom, and its causes can be dangerous for the patient. Thus, gastritis can develop into an ulcer and lead to perforation of the stomach walls with the development of peritonitis. This is a life-threatening condition that requires the help of a surgeon. Even a timely visit to the hospital does not guarantee a cure, since the risk of developing sepsis is high.

All pathologies accompanied by heartburn can lead to diseases of the esophagus. With constant irritation, the mucous membranes atrophy or, conversely, grow. Their degeneration is fraught with the formation of cancerous tumors. This disease is extremely difficult to treat and is associated with the risk of spreading metastases.

Prevention rules

To prevent heartburn, it is necessary to normalize your lifestyle and diet. To do this, you must adhere to certain rules:

1. Organize your diet and avoid eating too hot or cold foods. You need to eat food every 3-4 hours in small portions, do not overeat. Properly organized nutrition will help cope with heartburn and relieve negative symptoms.
2. Sit down at the table no later than 3-4 hours before going to bed. Dinner should be light.
3. Consume 1.5-2 liters of liquid per day. It is especially useful to drink mineral water without gases after meals: 200-250 ml will be enough.
4. Follow a diet for heartburn that excludes too spicy, salty and fatty foods, as well as citrus fruits and chocolate products.
5. Avoid conflicts and stress.
6. Sleeping with your head elevated (you can use two pillows): this will help prevent stomach contents from regurgitating into the esophagus during sleep.
7. Do not bend or lie down for 40 minutes after eating.
8. Stop smoking and drinking alcoholic beverages.
9. Wear loose clothing that does not put pressure on the stomach.
10. Chew your food well.

Heartburn after eating is a common occurrence if a person likes to go to bed immediately after a meal or eats too heavily. But sometimes an unpleasant symptom can signal a serious disease of the internal organs. Therefore, if you experience regular attacks of heartburn, you should make an appointment with a gastroenterologist. A nutritionist can provide additional assistance in adjusting and establishing a diet.

Prevention recommendations

It is possible to avoid heartburn as a symptom of dysfunction of the intestinal tract by following the following nutritional rules:

• high-quality chewing of food;
• eating small portions of food;
• refusal to eat a few hours before bedtime;
• restriction in the use of foods that provoke increased production of hydrochloric acid;
• do not exercise or lie down for half an hour after eating;
• to refuse from bad habits.

Adjusting your diet, lifestyle, and daily routine is important for external and internal causes of acid reflux. Regular visits to the doctor at the first signs of illness will help you avoid serious health problems.

We recommend: What can you take during pregnancy for heartburn without harm to your health?

Heartburn and pain

All causes of heartburn often worsen to such an extent that the patient begins to feel intense attacks of burning pain. For example, with chronic hyperacid gastritis, acidic digestive juice refluxes into the esophagus. Irritation of the mucous aggressive environment begins, causing the walls to become inflamed. As the process worsens, erosions and ulcers appear, which react more severely to subsequent injections of acid, responding with severe, cutting pain.

Constant, aching (dull) pain often occurs with duodenitis. Strengthening occurs after eating and when dieting is violated.

With chronic cholecystitis, heartburn and pain occur in the upper, right part of the abdomen. Particularly severe attacks occur after eating high-calorie foods or severe shaking while traveling in transport.

The ulcer often begins with a burning sensation and pain with periodic exacerbations, regardless of food. With a hiatal hernia, pain occurs when bending forward and lying down. They send sensations to the back and heart. Weakening occurs in an upright position and when walking. With GERD there is pain at the top of the epigastrium. In pregnant women, pain with heartburn occurs due to hypersecretory gastritis.

With indigestion, it hurts to the point of nausea. In addition to heartburn, there is belching with bloating and rumbling of the intestines. Such disorders are provoked by a weakening of the contractile function of the walls of the gallbladder, intestines, stomach, and increased acid secretion.

How to relieve heartburn during pregnancy

Heartburn during pregnancy, especially in the later stages, is considered a harmless phenomenon. The condition does not harm the child, but it significantly disrupts the mother’s usual lifestyle and causes purely physical discomfort.

To get rid of the symptom, expectant mothers are advised to eat smaller meals, avoid unhealthy foods and black tea. Doctors advise listening to the body and noticing what foods, activities, and body positions alleviate the condition. The experience gained should be used during subsequent attacks.

If heartburn is severe, antacids can be used at times. The drugs Rennie, Gastal, Maalox are considered safe. However, they should be used exactly according to the instructions, for the shortest possible course, since some drugs can interfere with the absorption of nutrients in the intestines.

Treatment

Depending on what was the source of heartburn after eating, its neutralization will be carried out in several ways:

• medicinally;
• by following nutritional rules;
• using traditional medicine;
• surgically.

If the patient complains of severe heartburn, as well as to eliminate associated symptoms, drug treatment includes taking:

• antacids - to reduce the secretion of hydrochloric acid;
• gastroprotectors - to envelop and protect the mucous membrane of the stomach and esophagus;
• PPI;
• antiemetics;
• antihistamines and antispasmodics.

An important role in treatment is adherence to a gentle diet, which includes following several simple rules:

• complete rejection of fatty, fried and overly salted foods;
• minimizing the consumption of harmful products, the list of which was indicated above. However, it should be taken into account that each person’s body is individual; those foods that cause heartburn after eating in some people do not cause any discomfort in others;
• preparing dishes only using gentle methods, namely steaming, stewing, baking without adding fat or boiling;
• make sure that the last meal is no later than two hours before bedtime;
• Chew foods thoroughly – this will improve their digestibility;
• eat often, up to six times a day, but in small portions - this will prevent overeating, which very often causes heartburn.

In complex therapy, the use of traditional medicine is permitted, but only after prior consultation with the attending physician, since the patient may not be aware of individual intolerance to one or another component. The most common and effective folk remedies for heartburn after eating are:

Freshly squeezed potato juice is an effective remedy for heartburn

• freshly squeezed potato juice;
• Apple vinegar;
• aloe juice and honey;
• chamomile and calendula flowers;
• peas;
• raw sunflower or pumpkin seeds;
• Activated carbon;
• licorice and calamus root;
• fennel, anise and dill;
• flax seeds;
• eggshell.

Surgical intervention is used extremely rarely, for example, in the following conditions:

• failure of conservative treatment;
• the patient's serious condition;
• peptic ulcers, oncology and other serious ailments of the digestive system.

Internal reasons

1. Gastritis (inflammation of the stomach walls).
2. Gastroesophageal reflux or GREB (backward reflux of an acidic bolus of food into the esophagus with irritation of the walls).
3. Ulcer of the duodenum and/or stomach with the formation of open wounds on the surface of the mucous membranes.
4. Gastric dyspepsia (neurosis). It is provoked by depression and excessive psycho-emotional stress.
5. complications after operations on the gastrointestinal tract.
6. Zollinger-Ellison syndrome (tumors in the pancreas with increased gastrin production).
7. Gallstone disease with the formation of stones in the gallbladder and ducts.
8. Tumors in the gastrointestinal tract of any nature.
9. Inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis).
10. Pathologies of the cardiovascular system.

Folk remedies

There are cases when, due to the individual characteristics of the body, taking medications is prohibited; traditional medicine recipes for heartburn can help out. They must be made from natural ingredients that do not cause allergies. Which folk remedies treatment recipes are best are presented below:

1. Honey. You need to make a honey solution from 1 tbsp. l. in 250 ml of warm water and drink constantly after meals.
2. Herbal decoction: St. John's wort, chamomile, plantain, taken 10 g each, pour 500 ml of boiling water and boil for 3 minutes. Drink 100 ml 3 times a day before meals. Course - 14 days.
3. Fresh potato juice. Drink 4 times a day, 75 ml in 30 minutes. before meals. Course - 21 days, break, take 21 days.
4. A mixture of onions and sugar in a 1:1 ratio. The finely grated vegetable is covered with sugar and boiled in a water bath. Drink 1 tsp. before each meal for 14 days.

Causes of heartburn 1-3 hours after eating

A severe attack of heartburn often begins an hour or several hours after eating, which indicates the following disorders:

• overeating, especially high-calorie foods;
• smoking after meals;
• rest lying down immediately after eating;
• obesity;
• drinking alcohol, tea, coffee, soda drinks immediately after or during meals;
• overeating sweets;
• eating large amounts of mint;
• taking medications after a meal, the effect of which is associated with muscle relaxation and a decrease in blood pressure.

Diagnostics

Carrying out diagnostic measures is aimed at finding out the causes of heartburn and only then drawing up treatment tactics. When seeking help from a medical institution, the patient is required to undergo the following diagnostic examination:

• study by a gastroenterologist of the patient’s medical history and life history - to identify factors for the appearance of such a symptom;
• the doctor performing a thorough questioning and physical examination, which must necessarily include palpation of the abdomen. This will help the clinician get a complete picture of the course of heartburn, as well as determine the presence and intensity of manifestation of accompanying symptoms;
• clinical and biochemical tests of blood, urine and feces;
• Ultrasound and radiography of the OBP;
• endoscopic procedures aimed at examining the internal surface of the gastrointestinal tract, in particular the stomach and esophagus;
• biopsy is the removal of a small piece of the affected organ to confirm or rule out the presence of cancer.

Stomach biopsy

Only after studying all the results of a laboratory diagnostic examination, a specialist draws up an individual treatment strategy for each patient.