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!

Acid reflux can hit just about anyone, at anytime.? It can occur occasionally after you?ve had a particularly large, greasy meal, or more frequently becoming disruptive to your daily life. The symptoms can include excessive burping, difficulty swallowing, the feeling that there?s something lodged in your throat, or nausea after eating. Causes are varied, but culprits may be ingestion of fatty foods that the stomach does not have enough hydrochloric acid to deal with; a weakening of the esophageal sphincter (which acts as a gateway through which acid should not pass); hiatal hernias; or esophagitis.

Some of the more popular homeopathic methods for dealing with acid reflux are through the use of lifestyle changes and natural remedies that you can find at a good health food store. For one thing, limit your intake of fatty or processed foods.? They make your stomach work overtime to digest the unnatural substances. Also, try to drink at least eight glasses of water a day; diluting stomach acid can help heal your esophagus to the point where it can be able to do its job correctly again. Try eating smaller meals more frequently, instead of one or two heavy meals in a day; that way your stomach doesn?t have to work so hard to process the little meals. Do not drink alcohol, or greatly curtail your intake. Also, avoid caffeine and try to eat at least few hours before you?re planning on lying down. Gravity will send acid up to your esophageal sphincter, and its job is to keep the acid down, so lying down right after a meal really challenges its ability to do so.

Even controlling the stress in your life is an excellent way to keep stomach acids where they belong.? Stress causes all your systems to go into overdrive, including acid production.? Taking a deep, calming breath can help prevent heartburn pain down the line.

A few dietary supplements are around that might work for you.? These include teas such as chamomile or peppermint, which can soothe the stomach. Eating an apple actually seems to work for some people and barley grass has been shown to be a great acid reducer. Apple cider vinegar, in its organic, unpasteurized state, has been shown to help sufferers, as has pickle juice, orange peel extract, slippery Elm bark, and probiotics.? Papaya enzymes help speed the digestive process, which prevents pressure in the stomach from building to an uncomfortable amount.? Ginger has also been an age old solution for settling an upset stomach, and heartburn is no exception.? Whether it?s tea or candied, it can help relieve pain from acid reflux.

For more information on natural ways to relieve acid reflux, please visit www.refluxremedy.com and read The Reflux Remedy Report.? There you will find a compilation of a huge amount of natural remedies.? The one that will work for you could be waiting for you to discover it 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.