Heartburn

Description

Heartburn has nothing to do with the heart. It's a pain in the chest and a burning sensation in the esophagus, near the heart. When you eat pizza, for example, it passes from your mouth to your esophagus and on to your stomach. The junction between your stomach and esophagus normally keeps food and stomach acid from coming back up. Certain foods can affect the junction, making it less effective. The mucous lining in your stomach protects the stomach wall from being attacked by the hydrochloric acid that breaks down food. The esophagus has no mucous lining to protect it. When food and stomach acid regurgitate into the esophagus, a burning feeling, called heartburn, results. An antacid relieves heartburn by making stomach acid less acidic.

Runtime

2 min

Subjects

Genre

Date of Publication

[2013], c2010

Database

Films on Demand

Direct Link