Overview
... You''ve just eaten a big meal and leaned back in your favorite chair. Then it happens. Your chest starts to hurt so much it feels like it''s on fire. Heartburn is common, and an occasional episode is ...

GERD and Asthma
... It is estimated that more than 75 percent of patients with asthma also experience gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). People with asthma are twice as likely to have GERD as those people who do not...

Digestive Diseases and Nutrition: Questions and Answers
... My doctor recommended I talk to a registered dietitian about following a fat-controlled eating plan to control my chronic diarrhea. I don’t understand how changes in my diet can help me. Please explai...

What You Need to Know About Non-Cardiac Chest Pain
... What is non-cardiac chest pain? Many people, both young and old, have intermittent chest pain. Chest pain can be alarming, as it might indicate severe heart disease or even a heart attack. However, ma...

Nutrition Problems and Their Solutions 
... A variety of medical problems can affect your appetite. Your illness, medications, or surgery can cause these problems. Many patients become frustrated when they know that they need to eat to get well...

Digestive Diseases: Frequently Asked Questions
... 1. What are hemorrhoids? Hemorrhoids are swollen blood vessels near the anus and lower rectum (lower part of the large intestine). These blood vessels are found in spongy cushions of tissue just under...

Heartburn
... What is heartburn? Despite its name, heartburn has nothing to do with the heart. (Some of the symptoms, however, are similar to those of a heart attack. Heartburn, also called acid indigestion, is an ...

Heartburn Symptoms
... What does heartburn feel like? A burning feeling in the chest just behind the breastbone (the sternum) that occurs after eating and lasts a few minutes to several hours. Chest pain, especially after b...

When You Should Contact Your Doctor About Your Heartburn Symptoms
... You should contact your health-care provider for any of the following reasons: Your heartburn symptoms have become more severe or frequent. You are having difficulty swallowing or pain when swallowing...

Q&As: Antacids and Heartburn
... It seems that my husband has heartburn every night. I think he should see a doctor. He thinks he should just continue taking antacids. Who’s right? Occasional heartburn is common and generally not ser...

Heartburn Glossary
... Acid reflux - the backflow of stomach acid into the esophagus. Acid reflux generally occurs because the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) relaxes and allows harsh stomach juices flow into the esophagus...

Heartburn Resources
... Web Sites Cleveland Clinic Department of Gastroenterology www.clevelandclinic.org/gastro Atlas of Digestive Endoscopy www.luz.ve/ICA/Atlas_med/i_index.html Columbia University Gastroenterology Web htt...

What Causes Heartburn?
... Various lifestyle and dietary factors can contribute to heartburn by increasing the relaxation of the lower esophageal sphincter, allowing it to open, increasing the amount of acid in the stomach, inc...

Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)  Hiatal Hernia Heartburn
... What is gastroesophageal reflux?Gastroesophageal reflux or GERD, is the presence of stomach contents in the esophagus. A weakened valve between the esophagus and stomach allows gastric contents to irr...

What''s the Treatment for Heartburn?
... How you can treat heartburn Over-the-counter liquid antacids are also helpful in treating occasional heartburn. If your symptoms persist, do not respond to treatment or occur frequently, you need to s...

Heartburn: Small Problem Turns Into Big Worry if Ignored
... An occasional bout of indigestion or heartburn is generally nothing to worry about, but if the pain and irritation become frequent or cause you to wake at night, it’s time to talk to your doctor. Hear...

Preventing and Managing Heartburn Taking Care of Yourself
... Preventing and managing your heartburn You can get relief and prevent heartburn by making changes in your diet and lifestyle. The first things to try are the following: Don''t go to bed with a full s...

Gastroesophageal Reflux (GERD)/Acid Reflux in Infants and Children
... Gastroesophageal reflux (GERD) is the upward movement of stomach’s contents, including acid, into the esophagus and sometimes into or out of the mouth. GERD is also referred to as acid reflux. Most in...

Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)
... Heartburn is a burning sensation in the center of the chest that often occurs after eating, bending over, with exercise, and sometimes at night when lying down. Approximately one in 10 adults has hear...

What are the Long-term Complications of GERD?
... If its not controlled, chronic heartburn or GERD can result in serious problems. Esophagitis Too much stomach acid in the esophagus can cause a painful and irritating inflammation of the esophagus. Es...

24-Hour Esophageal pH Test
... What is an esophageal pH test? An esophageal pH test measures and records the pH in your esophagus to determine if you have gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). The test can also be done to determi...

Fundoplication Procedure for Children
... What is gastroesophageal reflux? Gastroesophageal reflux is a digestive disorder that affects the lower esophageal sphincter (the muscular ring connecting the esophagus with the stomach). The sphincte...

Laparoscopic Antireflux Surgery
... What is gastroesophageal reflux? Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a digestive disorder that affects the lower esophageal sphincter (the muscular ring connecting the esophagus with the stomach...

Treating Heartburn With Surgery
... Often gastroesophogeal reflux disease (GERD) can be managed medically; however, 1.75 million sufferers of daily GERD do not respond to lifestyle changes or drug treatments and may require surgery. Sur...

The 48-Hour Bravo Esophageal pH Test
... What is an esophageal pH test? An esophageal pH test measures and records the pH in your esophagus to determine if you have gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). The test can also be done to determi...

Digestive Diseases Dictionary
... This dictionary defines words that are often used when talking or writing about digestive diseases. It is designed for people who have digestive diseases and their families and friends. The words are ...

Upper GI Series
... The digestive system The upper gastrointestinal (GI) series uses x rays to diagnose problems in the esophagus, stomach, and duodenum (first part of the small intestine). It may also be used to examine...

Facts and Fallacies About Digestive Diseases
... The digestive system Researchers have only recently begun to understand the many, often complex diseases that affect the digestive system. Accordingly, people are gradually replacing folklore, old wiv...

Barrett''s Esophagus
... Barrett's esophagus is a condition in which the esophagus, the muscular tube that carries food and saliva from the mouth to the stomach, changes so that some of its lining is replaced by a type of...

Heartburn, Hiatal Hernia, and Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)
... Gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD, occurs when the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) does not close properly and stomach contents leak back, or reflux, into the esophagus. The LES is a ring of m...

FDA Approves an Implant for Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease
... The Food and Drug Administration today approved Enteryx, a permanently implanted device to help patients with symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), a condition in which some of the stoma...

Gastroesophageal Reflux in Children and Adolescents
... Gastroesophageal reflux (GER) occurs when stomach contents back up into the esophagus (the tube that connects the mouth to the stomach) during or after a meal. A ring of muscle at the bottom of the es...

Gastroesophageal Reflux in Infants
... Gastroesophageal reflux (GER) occurs when stomach contents come back up into the esophagus (the tube that connects the mouth to the stomach) during or after a meal. A ring of muscle at the bottom of t...

FDA APPROVES BOTOX TO TREAT FROWN LINES
... FDA today announced the approval of Botulinum Toxin Type A (Botox Cosmetic) to temporarily improve the appearance of moderate to severe frown lines between the eyebrows (glabellar lines), a medical co...

Planning To Look Flab-u-less? Know the Facts About Liposuction
... by Alexandra Greeley A self-described athlete, thirty-year-old Jeanne Smith of Washington, DC, is fit, active, and happy. But like many young women, she has felt dissatisfied with her looks. Because s...