Management of Hyperacidity and Heartburn

The prevalence of gastric disorders is rising and has become a public health concern considering its strong association with the common metabolic disorders such as obesity, diabetes and inflammatory diseases such as cancer. Irregular and faulty eating patterns compounded with reduced physical activity can be the major factors responsible for the increasing trend. Peculiar burning sensation in the chest region or sour burps that follow the consumption of heavy fatty meals such as puri bhaji, vada pav, oily food, chicken burgers, etc is usually treated with antacids. Ironically, heartburn due to the oily over-sized meals results due to inability of the body to cope with increased acid requirement to digest these foods. So it is a condition requiring treatment with acid supplements instead of antacids and use of acid suppressing agents can be counter-productive. Both hyperacidity and heartburn being symptoms of acid burn in stomach and esophagus respectively are often understood as the same and treated similarly. Through this book, we have attempted to provide a better understanding of the two symptomatically overlapping but physiologically contrasting health conditions.