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
Setting a Surgical Schedule 181
Cutting and Pasting: Fundoplication 183
Meeting the Morning After 187
Reaching Home Base 189
Balancing Risks and Benefits 190
Peering into the Reflux Crystal Ball 191
Part IV: Creating a Comfortable Lifestyle 193
Chapter 13: Building a Better Body 195
Answering Question Numero Uno: Who’s Overweight? 195
Choosing a Healthful Weight Control Program 200
Working Off Your Reflux 209
Chapter 14: Healing Heartburn with Healthy Habits 217
Snuffing Out Heartburn 217
Toasting the Pain-Free Life 224
Getting a Good Night’s Sleep 226
Chapter 15: Stressing Stress Relief 233
Stressing the Importance of Stress 233
Activating Your Adrenals 234
Linking Stress to Heartburn 237
Unlocking Your Stomach from Your Stress 239
Chapter 16: Fashioning (and Furnishing) a Comfortable Life 245
Burning Your Bra and Loosening Your Belt 245
Looking Good, Feeling Fine 247
Finding Furniture That Fights Heartburn 251
Part V: Meeting the Special Cases 255
Chapter 17: Handling the Heartburn of Pregnancy 257
Are All Pregnant Women at Risk for Reflux? 257
Avoiding Unnecessary Tests 261
Determining Safe Remedies 262
De-Linking Your Lifestyle from Your Reflux 267
Chapter 18: Finding Heartburn in Infants and Children 271
Naming What’s Making Your Child Cry 271
Diagnosing Reflux in Children 275
Treating Children with Reflux 276
Chapter 19: Taking Aim at Senior Heartburn 283
Aging into Heartburn 283
Identifying the Risk Factors in Older Folk 285
Diagnosing Heartburn in Older Patients 289
Treating Senior Heartburn 290
Part VI: The Part of Tens 295
Chapter 20: Ten or So Heartburn and Reflux Myths 297
Heartburn is Common, So It’s Nothing to Worry About 298
Heartburn and Reflux Inevitably Lead to Cancer 298
Only Overweight People, Drinkers, and Chiliheads Get Heartburn and Reflux 298
Smoking a Cigarette After Eating Prevents Heartburn 299
Heartburn is an Inevitable Part of Growing Older 299
OTC Antacids Aren’t Real Medicine 299
Taking Prescription Heartburn and Reflux Drugs Makes Digesting Food More Difficult 300
Having Nighttime Heartburn Means You Should Sleep Sitting Up 300
Love Coffee? Got Heartburn? Switch to Decaf 301
To Avoid Heartburn After Eating, Relax 301
Having Heartburn during Pregnancy Means Giving Birth to a Hairy Baby 302
Heartburn is Connected to the Heart 302
Chapter 21: Ten Heartburn Web Sites 303
The National Heartburn Alliance 304
International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders 304
HelpHeartburn.com 305
GERD Information Center 305
The American Gastroenterological Association 305
The American College of Gastroenterology 306
American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) 306
North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition 307
American Academy of Family Physicians 307
The American Dietetic Association 308
The Food and Drug Administration 308
Chapter 22: Ten Sometimes Painful, Often Annoying, but Almost Never Fatal Digestive Disorders 309
Appendicitis 310
Bezoar 310
Constipation and Diarrhea 311
Gas (Flatulence) 311
Globus Sensation 313
Hemorrhoids 313
Hiccups 314
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) 314
Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) 315
Glossary 317
Index 323
