the difference between heart burn and indigestion

Q.Whats the difference between heart burn and indigestion (symptom wise)?

A.If the stomach contents reflux up into the oesophagus (food pipe), the acidic contents irritate the lining - this gives the classic burning (heartburn) pain behind the sternum (breastbone). The contents can reach as high as the back of your throat giving a bitter tasting watery sensation. During the night, these contents may irritate your voicebox (do you wake up with a hoarse voice?) or you may breathe the contents into your lungs (have you had recent episodes of cough or chest infections?) An upset stomach tends to give discomfort in the region just above the belly button - this is indigestion. The discomfort passes with time and is made worse with certain foods - eg spicy, fatty etc. To treat reflux you need to avoid stooping, raise the head of the bed if possible, eat no later than 3 hours before bed. Quitting smoking and losing weight also help. Try gaviscon and an antacid (eg Rennie) for immediate relief and add in ranitidine or cimetidine (eg Zantac) for longer term acid supression. If you get symptoms for more than 2 weeks then see your doc as something dodgy could be going on. It's best to get these things checked out!

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