If you or someone you love suffers from heartburn, you know that it
can be very disruptive to your daily life. Most heartburn sufferers
say it stops them from enjoying food. Others say it keeps them from
getting a good night's sleep, it makes it hard to concentrate
at work, and it interferes with family activities. Sound familiar?
Don't worry. Heartburn is a pain, but it can be helped.
Heartburn & Reflux For Dummies is the plain-English
guide to relief for you if you've been recently diagnosed
with heartburn or reflux, if you suspect you may suffer from it, or
if you're concerned about your loved ones. This comprehensive
book shows you how to recognize symptoms, get an accurate
diagnosis, and work with a physician to receive the most effective
treatment available. You'll see how to:
* Get your symptoms under control
* Find the right physician
* Reduce stress and fine-tune your diet
* Avoid medicines that trigger upset
* Decide if surgery is right for you
This friendly guide explains what the various forms of reflux
are, as all too often reflux is either self-treated or mistreated
and followed by serious complications. There's detailed
information on building a comfortable lifestyle by reducing stress,
improving your diet, controlling portions, and timing your meals to
minimize heartburn and reflux. Plus, this sensitive guide even
covers heartburn in infants, children, and the elderly.
You'll also discover:
* How to heal the esophagus of inflammation or injury, as well as
manage or prevent complications
* The latest information on prescription medications and side
effects
* Healthy habits to adopt to reduce your pain triggers
* Helpful home remedies and alternative medicine
* The special risks and remedies for heartburn during
pregnancy
* The side effects and complications associated with surgery
Complete with a catalog of heartburn medicines and a list of
reliable Web sites for people with digestive disorders,
Heartburn & Reflux For Dummies is your one-stop guide to
stopping the hurt, starting to heal, and enjoying food again!
Autorentext
Carol Ann Rinzler writes a nutrition column for the New
York Daily News and has authored more than 20 books.
Ken DeVault, MD, is coauthor of the American College of
Gastroenterology's official guideline statements on the diagnosis
and treatment of GERD.
Zusammenfassung
If you or someone you love suffers from heartburn, you know that it can be very disruptive to your daily life. Most heartburn sufferers say it stops them from enjoying food. Others say it keeps them from getting a good night's sleep, it makes it hard to concentrate at work, and it interferes with family activities. Sound familiar? Don't worry. Heartburn is a pain, but it can be helped.
Heartburn & Reflux For Dummies is the plain-English guide to relief for you if you've been recently diagnosed with heartburn or reflux, if you suspect you may suffer from it, or if you're concerned about your loved ones. This comprehensive book shows you how to recognize symptoms, get an accurate diagnosis, and work with a physician to receive the most effective treatment available. You'll see how to:
- Get your symptoms under control
- Find the right physician
- Reduce stress and fine-tune your diet
- Avoid medicines that trigger upset
- Decide if surgery is right for you
This friendly guide explains what the various forms of reflux are, as all too often reflux is either self-treated or mistreated and followed by serious complications. There's detailed information on building a comfortable lifestyle by reducing stress, improving your diet, controlling portions, and timing your meals to minimize heartburn and reflux. Plus, this sensitive guide even covers heartburn in infants, children, and the elderly. You'll also discover:
- How to heal the esophagus of inflammation or injury, as well as manage or prevent complications
- The latest information on prescription medications and side effects
- Healthy habits to adopt to reduce your pain triggers
- Helpful home remedies and alternative medicine
- The special risks and remedies for heartburn during pregnancy
- The side effects and complications associated with surgery
Complete with a catalog of heartburn medicines and a list of reliable Web sites for people with digestive disorders, Heartburn & Reflux For Dummies is your one-stop guide to stopping the hurt, starting to heal, and enjoying food again!
Inhalt
Introduction 1
About This Book 1
Conventions Used in This Book 2
What You're Not to Read 2
Foolish Assumptions 3
How This Book is Organized 3
Icons Used in This Book 5
Where to Go from Here 6
Part I: Naming Your Pain 7
Chapter 1: Picturing Heartburn and Reflux 9
Meeting Your Heartburn 9
Pinning the Tail on the Heartburn Donkey 11
Looking for Help in All the Right Places 13
Chapter 2: Tracking Your Digestive Tract 17
Defining Digestion 18
Testing the Protectors 24
Examining the LES 25
Chapter 3: Cataloging the Symptoms and Hazards of Heartburn, Reflux, and GERD 31
Tracking the Symptoms 32
Calculating Long-Term Consequences 37
Chapter 4: Rating Your Reflux Risk 41
Picturing People with Heartburn 41
Factoring in the Family 43
Rendering a Gender Bias 45
Mentioning Medical Risks 46
Weighing Weight's Weight on Reflux 48
Pinpointing Problem Eaters 51
Adding Up Your Own Reflux Risk 52
Part II: Eating Your Way to Relief 55
Chapter 5: Meeting Your Nutrition Needs 57
Measuring Nutrition 57
Beginning with the Big Guys 59
Investigating Vitamins 62
Mining the Minerals 66
Supplementing the Info 71
Chapter 6: Fine-Tuning Your Diet 81
Enjoying Food 81
Explaining How Food and Drink Can Cause Heartburn 82
Naming the Guilty Parties 85
Making Meals Safer 94
Choosing the Safest Cooking Technique 96
Chapter 7: Reviewing Home Remedies, Alternative Approaches, and Herbal Healers 99
Grading Granny's Goodies 99
Looking for Alternatives 103
Evaluating Herbal Medicine 105
Linking Other Alternative Approaches to Heartburn/Reflux 114
Part III: Treating Your Middle 115
Chapter 8: Finding the Right Doctor 117
Deciding When to See the Doctor 117
Sorting Through the Heartburn Specialists 118
Choosing a Doctor 119
Going to the Doctor with Your History in Hand 125
Chapter 9: Examining Your Esophagus and Testing Your Tummy 127
Picking Potential Patients 127
Assessing Your Acidity 128
Measuring Your Muscle Strength 131
Studying Your Stomach 133
Evaluating Your Esophagus 134
Chapter 10: Prescribing Relief 139
Noting the Cost of Heartburn Help 139
Aiming for Neutrality with Antacids 140
Blocking the Burn 147
Slowing the Pump 153
Interesting Interacting 158
Chapter 11: Avoiding Problem Pills 163
Pinpointing Potential Problems 163
Naming Medicines That Loosen the LES 164
Targeting Traffic Stoppers 169
Listing Irritating Drugs and Supplements 170
Naming Medical Conditions That May Make Meds Stick 173
Minimizing the Heartburn Effects of Essential Medicines 174
Chapter 12: Exploring Surgical Options 177
Nominating Candidates for Heartburn Surgery 178