Chest pain can be a very worrisome symptom, and rightfully so. It?s a symptom of a whole host of medical conditions, a few of which can be fatal if it?s ignored. However, some conditions associated with chest pain are pretty benign. For example, heartburn and angina both involve chest pain, but leaving one of them untreated can be a fatal mistake. So, what is the difference between heartburn and angina, and how can you tell which one you?re suffering from?

Similarities and differences

Both heartburn and angina (a heart attack) present with chest pain, but that?s pretty much where the similarities end.

Heartburn pain is generally described as a burning sensation that radiates from the chest up into the neck. It can sometimes be accompanied by reflux, or the feeling of food or liquid in your throat or mouth, a bitter taste in your mouth, burping, hiccupping and just a general feeling of indigestion. These feelings increase after eating, or after lying down.

Angina pain is more of a pressure or feeling of heaviness in your chest, associated with a whole host of other symptoms. The symptoms often come on very suddenly. They include:

? Shortness of breath

? The pain or a numbing sensation may spread to your shoulders or arm

? Fatigue

? Sweating

? Lightheadedness

When dealing with these two very different conditions, it?s important to listen to, and understand your body?s signals so that you can respond accordingly. Heartburn is nothing that you need to rush to the emergency room for, but angina is.

Treatments

If you think you are experiencing angina, walk away from the computer right now! Go to the hospital immediately! Immediate medical attention is the only thing that can help relieve chest pain due to angina.

Heartburn pain is a little easier to deal with. It can be treated naturally and dealt with fairly quickly to minimize discomfort. For example:

? Something as simple as drinking a large glass of water can often help soothe heartburn pain. It works by flushing acids out of the stomach, keeping them from doing further damage and causing irritation. Additionally, mixing the water with a few tablespoons of apple cider vinegar can help speed pain relief to the area.

? Some people have even found relief from just eating an apple during a heartburn attack.

? Various teas like ginger, chamomile and fennel have also been shown to settle acid indigestion and help soothe fiery stomachs.

? To prevent heartburn attacks, avoid foods you?ve noticed that upset your stomach. Common ones include garlic, onions, caffeine, alcohol and citrus fruits that are full of natural acids.

? Try eating smaller meals, but more often, rather than just a few large meals every day. This helps prevent your stomach from overproducing acid to try to digest the massive amount of food you just threw at it.

Hopefully you?re now armed with information and can respond accordingly if you ever experience chest pain due to one of these two medical problems. However, there?s defiantly more to it than what?s provided in this small article, so for more information please visit www.refluxremedy.com and find out more!

Sometimes before the cure for heartburn can do any good, you need to know more about what triggers heartburn first.

The antacid manufactures have made billions of dollars through the years promising heartburn sufferers quick ways to relief.

Problem is, they don’t work, never have and in fact Swedish scientists proved years ago antacids even make heartburn worse.

In fact it was the antacid manufacturers that invented acid rebound.

If you’ve never heard of acid rebound it’s because they don’t really talk about that one very much. You might hear your doctor mention it just before he up grades you to a proton-pump inhibitor (PPI) product, but otherwise you probably won’t.

Acid rebound is like heartburn on steroids.

Because antacids don’t cure heartburn, they can make the cause of your heartburn worse, which then leads you to getting hooked on even more expensive and dangerous heartburn treatments.

Acid rebound happens when you stop taking proton pump inhibitor (PPI) medications like Prilosec. It’s basically a worsening of your heartburn and acid reflux symptoms. This worsening of your heartburn is caused from your stomach acid producing cells going through withdrawal of the PPI drugs.

Unfortunately, for many heartburn sufferers the only answer for acid rebound is to go back on the medication that caused it and that’s NOT a situation you want to put yourself in, is it?

Even using these dangerous antacid and heartburn medications for as little one month can trigger acid rebound and worsen any gastro-esophageal reflux (GERD) symptoms.

Here are some other pharmaceuticals that can worsen your heart burn:

• Aspirin
• NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) such as ibuprofen and naproxen
• Antihistamines such as Benadryl
• Antibiotics such as tetracycline
• Heart medications such as Procardia, Inderal, Tenormin, and Cardizem
• Anti-anxiety medications such as Valium or Ativan
• Osteoporosis medications, such as Fosamax
• Steroid medications such as prednisone
• Chemotherapy drugs and radiation therapy for cancer
• Nitrates and nitroglycerin
• Anticholinergics such as Antispas and Robinul
• Narcotics such as Demerol
• Iron supplements
• Theophylline
• Synthetic? or corn derived Vitamin C

One of my favorite remedies for heartburn is to drink alkaline water “in-between” my meals all day long. You can spend thousands on a machine to do it, or you can alkalize your water with coral ocean mineral tea bags or sprinkle some Himalayan or Celtic sea salt in your water bottle.

These ocean minerals are almost identical to the molecular structure of your blood and bones. Keeping your tissues and organs replenished with “ionic” minerals is a great way to preserve a healthy stomach acid environment.

For a quick and easy way to relieve heartburn try fresh ginger tea, warm lemon juice and water or raw apple cider vinegar. Personally all that in a cup of warm tea sounds good to me.

You were born to heal,

Todd M. Faass?

Health Ecologist

There are many natural cures for heartburn. This is great news because a lot of people suffer from this painful burning caused by stomach acid entering the esophagus. Stomach acid often enters the esophagus but it usually goes unnoticed because our bodies naturally swallow saliva throughout the day which washes the acid back into the stomach without any pain. When too much acid is coming up and it causes pain, it is necessary to take action starting with looking into natural cures for heartburn.

Conventional and somewhat unconventional methods alike often include basic items around the house. One of the most commonly recommended remedies is drinking a mixture of apple cider vinegar and water before a meal to prevent the onset of the painful condition. This remedy has proven effective in preventing an occurrence; however this must be done prior to eating for it to be effective.? Another way to stop heartburn before it starts is papaya.? It contains an enzyme that helps speed the digestive process and prevents pressure from building in the stomach.The specific types of food that typically trigger heartburn attacks vary from person to person. Foods like alcohol, garlic, onion, citrus and caffeine are common triggers.? It is important to take note of any patterns in your diet in relation to heartburn attacks so that you can be aware of what causes it for you.

If preventative measures are not taken or are not effective, there are a few natural cures for heartburn that are known to relieve the pain of acid refluxafter it has already hit. These include eating an assortment of foods that contain a special acid that counter the pain a little differently than the prevention methods will. For example, apples are effective acid neutralizers.? Also, ginger helps settle an upset stomach, and can help where heartburn is concerned as well.? Drinking some chamomile tea can also help bring relief from heart burn pain.? Even something as simple as drinking a glass of water can be just the boost your body needs to flush unwanted acids through the system.

Other remedies that may prove effective include lying with your head in an elevated position if you are experiencing heartburn. This helps keep your head properly aligned over your stomach and prevents acids from creeping into the esophagus.? Also, eating smaller meals prevents large amounts of food from backing up in your stomach causing uncomfortable pressure to build.? To give your stomach a head start, just don’t eat less than 2 hours before going to bed.? That gives your body time to properly digest everything and prevents acids and foods from getting into the esophagus when you lie down.

There are numerous options when it comes to natural cures for heartburn that should be looked at. It is not a one size fits all solution and you should try several different remedies or a combination of solutions until you find the one that works best for you and gives you the best results.

For more on natural cures for acid reflux, please visit www.refluxremedy.com.? The Reflux Remedy Report found there is full of natural remedies that you can try today.

Acid Reflux Disease is a painful disorder where the sufferer encounters heartburn at least twice a week. Treatments for this problem are wide ranging, from over the counter medications to natural solutions, to changes in the sufferer?s daily routine.

Medications

? There are several over the counter options that help neutralize stomach acid, like Tums or Mylanta.

? Prescription options can help target the specific cause of reflux.

o Proton pump inhibitors ? like Nexium and Prilosec ? and H2 blockers ? such as Zantac and Pepcid ? halt the production of stomach acids.

o Prokinetics ? like Reglan ? help push food through the system and strengthen the lower esophageal sphincter (the muscle that moves food into the stomach and helps prevent it from backing up into the esophagus).

o Foaming agents help coat the stomach and prevent the onset of reflux.

Natural Remedies

? Warm chamomile or fennel tea, when sipped, can help soothe a stomach irritated by heart burn.

? Apple cider vinegar has also been helpful during heartburn and with prevention of heartburn. Take 2 to 3 tablespoons to help relieve reflux, and dilute the same amount in a cup of water for prevention.

? Ginger can help alleviate all kinds of stomach discomforts, including heart burn. It can be mixed with hot water in tea form, consumed in candied form, or taken in pill form. All help relieve and prevent heartburn.

? Drinking a quarter of a cup of aloe vera juice may also prove to be helpful. Be careful though, as aloe from a house plant contains a powerful laxative and isn?t recommended for consumption. Only drink aloe vera juice that is meant for drinking.

? Yogurt that?s unflavored has helpful bacteria that aide in tightening stomach walls, preventing acid from being allowed up into the esophagus.

? Milk has been shown to help soothe heartburn. Drinking a glass may help relieve symptoms.

? Drinking a glass of water may also help. It dilutes the stomach contents and flushes them through the system, preventing pressure and acid to build.

Daily Changes

? Quit smoking! Among other detrimental health problems caused by smoking, heartburn has been shown to be caused by it.

? Less is more! Eat smaller meals more often. Eating a few large meals a day has been shown to overload the stomach, creating pressure and acid buildup which results in reflux.

? Don?t be a Scrooge! Avoid eating right before bed. Gravity helps keep acid where it belongs and lying down right after eating allows it into the esophagus where it can cause irritation.

? Watch what you eat! Track the foods you eat to help pinpoint which specific foods are triggers for heartburn.

? Beware! Monitor your intake of certain over the counter pain medicines ? like aspirin and ibuprofen ? as well as vitamins ? like calcium and potassium ? as they?ve been shown to spur acid reflux.

Surgery

While rare, sometimes reflux is so bad surgery is necessary. The procedure involves wrapping a portion of the upper stomach around the lower esophagus. This solution aids in tightening the muscles located in the lower esophagus and prevents acids from migrating out of the stomach. This is often a last resort of treatment.

For additional treatment ideas, please see our Reflux Remedy Report.