| If heartburn takes you you by throat, sip liquids
According to the British medical journal The Lancet, heartburn is a common ailment. In fact, 25 percent of Americans report experiencing heartburn at least once a month, 12 percent at least once a week and 5 percent daily. What is heartburn? And what about gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)? Here's a guide to provide a bit more understanding of that burning sensation in your chest. • Why is it called heartburn? ''Heartburn is often sensed as a burning feeling behind the middle of the lower to middle of the chest, giving the sense that it may be coming from the heart,'' said Dr. Philip Jaffe, an associate professor of medicine at Yale University School of Medicine. • What is happening, biologically speaking? According to Dr. David Peura, a professor of medicine at the University of Virginia Health System: ``Acid that's normally produced by the stomach is washing back up into the esophagus [the swallowing tube that carries food from the mouth to the stomach] and irritating [burning] its lining.
Heavily Advertised Drugs Not Always Best Option
MADISON, Wis. -- The pharmaceutical industry spends billions of dollars a year advertising drugs directly to people, but Consumer Reports said the most highly promoted drugs are not necessarily the best choice. Lunesta is the most heavily advertised prescription drug, but plenty of others get air time, like the acid reflux drug Nexium and the asthma medication Advair. Those ad campaigns are reaching their target audience, according to Consumer Reports' chief medical advisor Dr. Marvin Lipman. Lipman reviewed a survey of 39,000 patients and 335 doctors to see what kind of requests doctors get in a typical week. "Seventy-eight percent of the physicians we surveyed said they've gotten, 'I saw it on TV' requests," Lipman said. The most frequently requested prescriptions were for insomnia, acid reflux, impotence and allergies.
Things to consider about a new symptom
WHEN AN ELDER sees a doctor about a new symptom, a decision must be made about how aggressively its cause should be pursued. First, the individual should provide a detailed description of the symptom. Did it come on suddenly or gradually? How long has it been present? What makes it better or worse? Do other symptoms accompany it? Are physical signs, such as fever or sweating, present? Was the symptom present previously? How severe or disabling is it? A decision is then made about how best to determine its cause. Some of the questions that may be asked: 1. Is the symptom likely a reflection of a chronic condition? For example, shortness of breath previously in an individual previously needs a different evaluative process than it does in an individual with chronic lung disease.
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