Heartburn and Indigestion

CHRISTMAS is a time of excess. Going heavy on the nibbles can lead to many symptoms of indigestion. These can vary from heartburn, nausea and belching to a feeling of food coming up or feeling of dinner not going down. Some people simply feel a constant need to clear their throat like a tickly cough.

These symptoms bear all the hallmarks of a stomach being overworked by being asked to digest richer food than normal.

The differences between Heartburn & Indigestion:   

Most people can treat heartburn and indigestion with simple changes to their diet and lifestyle, or with a number of different medications, such as antacids.

Antacids are used to relieve the symptoms of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD also called acid reflux), heartburn or indigestion (also called dyspepsia). By neutralizing stomach acid, antacids relieve symptoms such as burning in the chest or throat area caused by acid reflux, a bitter taste in the mouth, a persistent dry cough, pain when lying down, and regurgitation.

Antacids can be bought from pharmacies without a prescription. To make sure a particular medicine is safe for you, Ask your Life Pharmacist.