Speaking of Women's Health
The Speaking of Women's Health Podcast is excited to bring you credible women's health information from host and Executive Director, Dr. Holly L. Thacker. Dr. Thacker will interview guest clinicians discussing relevant women's health topics and the latest news and tips.
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Speaking of Women's Health
The Burning Truth: Understanding Acid Reflux and GERD
That burning sensation creeping up your chest after a delicious meal isn't just uncomfortable—it's your body sending you an important message. Dr. Holly Thacker breaks down the crucial differences between occasional acid reflux and chronic GERD, a condition affecting one in three adults that shouldn't be ignored.
Drawing from decades of clinical experience, Dr. Thacker explains how your lower esophageal sphincter functions as the gatekeeper between your stomach and esophagus, and why factors like age, pregnancy hormones, certain medications, and lifestyle choices can compromise this important barrier. You'll learn why that burning sensation happens and how it can lead to more serious complications when left untreated.
Whether you experience occasional heartburn or struggle with chronic reflux, this comprehensive guide provides the knowledge you need to take control of your digestive health. Subscribe to our podcast for more expert insights that help you Be Strong, Be Healthy, and Be in Charge!
Welcome to another episode of the Speaking of Women's Health podcast. I'm your host, dr Holly Thacker, and I am back in the Sunflower House. I am the Executive Director of Speaking of Women's Health and I also direct our Center for Specialized Women's Health, and I have been seeing women in the office for decades. Also, previously I did a lot of hospital medicine and saw a lot of critically ill patients and did a lot of diagnostic evaluations. Now I currently specialize in menopause women with complex medical problems who are in menopause, hormone therapy, non-hormone therapy therapies, as well as osteoporosis. But today I'm going to talk about a very common problem that affects a lot of people, including adults. I even remember having it once briefly as a child, when I spent the summer in mexico and I think I tried a cactus.
Holly L. Thacker, MD:What exactly is acid reflux? Well, imagine this You're enjoying a delicious meal. It may be a spicy Mexican meal, it might be an Indian curry dish, maybe your favorite Italian dish, and oh, by the way, we have a lot of great recipes on Speaking on Women's Health, so be sure to check those out on speakingonwomenshealthcom if you haven't. So everything's going great, and then bam and it's not like the bam that Emeril Agassi used to do to kick it up a notch in cooking. It's a feeling of burning sensation creeping up your chest. Well, that's acid reflux for you. It's kind of like your stomach is throwing up a little bit in your esophagus, your swallowing tube throwing a temper tantrum, and it's not very comfortable to have acid in your esophagus. Or sometimes it even can go up into your mouth and throat and sometimes it can even get into the lungs. So when your stomach contents, they're supposed to stay in your stomach, they're only supposed to go one way down, and so when acid from inside your stomach flows backwards meaning up, it's called gastroesophageal reflux, from the stomach to the esophagus, refluxing backwards. So that's not a good thing and not only does it make you not feel good, but it irritates and inflames the tissue and inflames the tissue.
Holly L. Thacker, MD:Almost everybody has experienced an occasional episode of acid reflux. Could feel like indigestion, could feel like a burning stomach pain after eating or heartburn. Some people feel chest pain. But if you're having substernal chest pain you can't just assume it's reflux, because reflux is not going to kill you or not immediately like a heart attack can. So don't ever blame unexplained chest pain, shortness of breath, exertional discomfort, on heartburn until you've been evaluated by a physician and, of course, this podcast is not medical advice. This podcast is not medical advice. It's just information to empower you to be strong, be healthy and be in charge.
Holly L. Thacker, MD:So are acid reflux and GERD gastroesophageal reflux disease the same thing? Well, gerd is a little bit more chronic and severe form of acid reflux, like what I experienced as a child transiently was just acid reflux, it was not gastroesophageal reflux disease. So if you just have it two or more times a week, then we start to get concerned, particularly if it lasts for more than two weeks. It's moderate to severe if it occurs at least once a week. And I can tell you one of the most common concerns or mistakes, so to speak, I see is an adult who's got acid reflux, but it's actually GERD. They've been prescribed an acid reflux, but it's actually GERD. They've been prescribed an acid reflux medicine and they've taken it for more than two weeks and they continue to take it and they haven't had any diagnostic evaluation. So if you're over 40 and you have these symptoms that are persistent, you can't just take something to make yourself feel better. The pain should be telling you to evaluate your diet, your general health and your gastrointestinal health.
Holly L. Thacker, MD:So how common is GERD? Well, at least one in three people are affected, and they may include backwash, which is that acidy taste of food or liquids backwashing in your mouth. It's also called regurgitation. You might notice a very sour taste in your mouth. You may feel a burning sensation, because the acid can literally burn the tissues in your esophagus. And if it's felt in your chest, that's why people call it heartburn. If it's closer to your stomach, which is usually on the upper left side of your abdomen, people call that acid indigestion. The esophagus pain is innervated by some of the same nerves that innervate your heart, and so that's why you can't tell the difference.
Holly L. Thacker, MD:Some people just feel nausea, queasy, like you're losing your appetite, and although you may have eaten several hours ago, it might feel like your stomach is slow to empty. And that, of course, happens quite a bit in pregnancy, because the pregnancy hormones really slow the gastrointestinal tract. And some of these popular injectable GLP-1 and JIP some have more than one action. Weight loss drugs, which are incredibly popular. They're being compounded. Spas are giving them. I'm certainly not endorsing any of that. It's very concerning, I think. Anytime you inject anything or take anything in your body, um, that's not food. You know you should have medical supervision, but these drugs, just like pregnancy hormones, really slow the gut down.
Holly L. Thacker, MD:Some people feel like they just have chronic sore throat or like a lump in their throat. Asthma can be flared and gastroesophageal reflux disease can trigger asthma-like symptoms, including chronic coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath. And if acid particles get in your airway it can make them contract and go into spasm. Reflex symptoms certainly may be worse while doing certain activities. They can get worse at night after laying down, especially if you've had a big meal or a fatty meal which slows down your stomach emptying. In fact, you know, a helpful trick for people trying to lose weight is to ingest higher fat, higher protein and minimal carbs. There are no simple carbs in their meal because the carbs drive the insulin which drive your hunger. Carbs are digested faster and then your stomach empties faster, certainly bending over.
Holly L. Thacker, MD:I usually get an inversion chair every day to start my day to stretch out, and I always do it before I eat or drink anything, because I want my stomach empty and you really ideally, as an adult, want your stomach empty before you lay down to go to sleep and unfortunately in America it's a common habit to not eat all that much during the day, to be busy running around and then eat a big dinner and then just keep constantly snacking until bedtime. That is not good in general for your health, for your gut and if you have a lot of food in your stomach it's not good because that can predispose to this reflux. With age, especially over age 37, the muscles become a little bit weaker, so with age there can be more reflux. With weight gain, the belly's bigger With pregnancy. Pregnancy has high hormone levels, including high progesterone levels. That further relaxes the esophageal sphincter.
Holly L. Thacker, MD:A lot of women on menopausal hormones who have a uterus need progesterone or progestins and the natural progesterone is a natural relaxant of the gastroesophageal muscles. And since progesterone can be converted into allopregnenolone, which is a natural sedative hypnotic, can be converted into allopregnenolone, which is a natural sedative hypnotic, we always tell women to take the progesterone with some food after dinner, food to protect the delicate hormone and help with absorption, not because it hurts your stomach. But there are women who get worsening reflux and so natural progesterone or bioidentical of all types of hormones isn't for everyone and is not necessarily better. And if you haven't heard my podcast, I think it was in season one on bioidentical hormones. Are they better or not? What's all the hype about? That's a good one to go back to listen to. So on the other spectrum of age, babies.
Holly L. Thacker, MD:Babies can get acid reflux or GERD, and I've certainly had a lot of babies in my life, expecting my fifth grandchild any day now, and it's normal for babies to spit up or regurgitate. There might be some acid in it, but usually not enough to bother the baby. Gerd is a more significant and severe condition that can cause complications with feeding or more distress. Babies are more likely to have GERD if they're born prematurely or with any kind of condition that affects their esophagus, the swallowing tube, and so a pediatrician or family medicine doctor may check for GERD if your baby seems to be struggling. And some symptoms of GERD in babies or small children can include fussiness although babies do fuss, especially when tired or hungry. Colic is excessive. Fussiness, difficulty sleeping, refusing to feed can be concerning small, recurrent vomiting episodes, wheezing or hoarseness, and potentially bad breath. So why does this happen?
Holly L. Thacker, MD:What causes acid reflux? Well, for acid to get into your esophagus, it has to get past that valve at the bottom of your esophagus that usually keeps things from coming up, the so-called lower esophageal sphincter, the one that weakens with age and weakens or gets more relaxed with natural progesterone. And your LES is a circular muscle that opens when you swallow and then closes after you're done. It can open up to let a little gas bubbles up if you're burping or if you're having hiccups. Acid reflux happens when your LES weakens or relaxes enough to let that acid pass up. So don't lie down after eating a large meal. Many things can contribute to weakening your LES, either temporarily or permanently, and sometimes occasional acid reflux does turn into chronic GERD if these symptoms overlap. If you have a hiatal hernia, that's when the top of your stomach pushes up through the hole in the muscular diaphragm where your esophagus passes through, it moves your LES above your diaphragm, so then it loses further muscular support.
Holly L. Thacker, MD:Heidel hernias are more common with age. They can occur gradually or happen all of a sudden. Pregnancy, pregnant women and we've had a whole nice group of pregnant women at work and in our family and certainly pregnant women have a higher incidence of reflux, in part due to more progesterone, also carrying that extra weight and having more pressure in the abdomen. That puts a lot more pressure on the abdomen Obesity, which unfortunately is continuing to increase in all age groups, can affect the lower esophageal sphincter tone and unfortunately obesity lasts usually a lot longer than the nine months of pregnancy, of which only really five months are women visibly generally bigger. So obesity is a common contributing factor to getting a hiatal hernia. And since fat tissue may help or may affect your hormones and being higher in body weight can inhibit appropriate ovulation, which can reduce progesterone excretion, that can increase hormonal imbalance and uterine hyperplasia and even uterine cancer Smoking well you know tobacco is pretty much bad for most all things.
Holly L. Thacker, MD:For the most part, certainly for your lungs. There are nicotine receptors in the body and you know there are some research studies looking into nicotine for ulcerative colitis and COVID, chronic long COVID, but for the most part tobacco smoke, any type of tobacco products which are very addictive, have so much more risk than benefit and tobacco does really relax your lower esophageal sphincter and whether you're smoking yourself or just breathing it in second hand, smoking can trigger coughing which opens up. When you cough, it opens up your lower esophageal sphincter. So if you smoke and you chronically cough, have weaker diaphragm muscles so therefore you're more likely you guessed it to get a hiatal hernia and smoking slows down your digestion and it causes your stomach to make more acid. It's, unfortunately, one reason why I've heard women tell me they want to keep smoking because it takes away their appetite and helps keep their weight down, but there's a lot of other things you can do to tame that appetite. So if weight is your concern, go back and listen to some of our great podcasts where I've interviewed weight loss experts or covered this huge topic no pun intended in great detail, because that's women's really greatest concern with age is weight. A lot of women think that's a menopausal symptom, which it actually isn't. It's an age and lifestyle related symptom. And if you're a smoker and you want to be smoke-free, go back and listen to the edition we had on smoking cessation done by our executive producer, lee Kleckar, which was fabulous. Other causes of gastroesophageal reflux birth defects like congenital defects, like esophageal atresia and hernias can affect a baby's lower esophageal sphincter. Connective tissue disease like scleroderma. Prior surgery in the chest or upper abdomen.
Holly L. Thacker, MD:Lots of medications can have a relaxing effect on muscles Sometimes that's needed for muscle spasm, and benzodiazepines are used for anxiety and muscle spasm and insomnia, and sometimes used preoperatively. They can be very addictive, though, and they can lower your LES. Calcium channel blockers, which are used to help prevent migraine headache, to treat high blood pressure, can do that. Tricyclic antidepressants, which in low doses can be used for sleep, for pain, and higher doses for depression. The big category of NSAIDs non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents like aspirin and ibuprofen definitely can irritate both the stomach and the LES. Theophylline, which is kind of an older medicine not used as much because of other medications supplanting it and side effects. It's a common asthma medication that can make heartburn worse. And the progesterone, the natural progesterone which is in Prometrium, which is mixed in peanut oil so you can't be allergic to peanuts. It's in BiJuva, the bioidentical estradiol, with 100 milligrams of progesterone in coconut oil, and that comes in two doses a standard 1 milligram 100 dose or a 50 milligram, 100 milligram, same dose of progesterone.
Holly L. Thacker, MD:Do foods cause acid reflux? Well, generally speaking alone they're usually not enough, but they certainly can contribute to it and some people are a lot more sensitive to some foods and substances than others. And then if you mix it all together you could have an issue. And some of them are favorites, like chocolate. If you didn't listen to my podcast on why women crave chocolate and the different neurotransmitters that affect the brain, that's a fun one to go back to. Neurotransmitters that affect the brain, that's a fun one to go back to. And chocolate dark chocolate has antioxidants, has magnesium and a little bit of iron too. So it's not a junk food unless it's mixed with a bunch of extra sugar and other artificial flavors and sweeteners and additives.
Holly L. Thacker, MD:Coffee, coffee, tea or me, black coffee, green tea help reduce fatty liver and we're having an epidemic of fatty liver. Non-alcoholic liver disease Diado hepatitis, can lead to cirrhosis in one in six women who don't even drink alcohol. So coffee has a lot of health benefits. It's probably primarily the caffeine. I have this disagreement with my PhD son Stetson. He it's probably primarily the caffeine. I have this disagreement with my PhD son Stetson. He thinks it's just the caffeine. But there are some other antioxidants in the coffee bean. And so when I tell patients if they're not overly sensitive to caffeine or slow metabolizers, that from a metabolic and anti-aging perspective and some evidence to suggest less Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease, that a cup or two of black coffee a day. And or if you don't like coffee and I really don't like the taste of coffee, but it's kind of a habit I just drink black coffee in the morning because it's easy, it smells good, but I don't really like the coffee breath.
Holly L. Thacker, MD:But green tea. So a lot of times I do green tea and I wrote a really nice column on green teas and it took me years. I knew it was good for me but I always thought green tea tasted like dirty gym socks. But then I found the Republic of Tea and they had some really great flavors A lean one that has a little cinnamon in it, pomegranate green tea, blueberry green tea I've gotten a ginseng green tea which is a little bit of perk me up, and then a double matcha green tea and there are a lot of anti-cancer benefits. And of course, no added sugar. Just plain has a little bit of caffeine too. But green tea and coffee, just like chocolate, can also increase heartburn in some people.
Holly L. Thacker, MD:Alcohol and really alcohol is not essential. It is a neurotoxin, it is bad for the liver. It does increase cancer of the mouth and throat. Don't even use alcohol mouthwash, but many people do socially drink. Unfortunately there are people that do get addicted to alcohol and up to 20% of people can, and hopefully in the future we can have some more information on our Speaking of Women's Health podcast on this and really any topic that you want us to see covering. On the Speaking of Women's Health podcast, which you're listening to, and I'm your host, dr Holly Thacker, we're in the Sunflower House talking about all things GERD, but anything that you listeners are interested in. If you go on speakingofwomenshealthcom and touch the contact part and send us an email, that will let us know what topics you listeners are interested in. And for our listeners that are subscribing and donating, which this podcast is completely free all of our social media is free. We certainly really appreciate you for helping to support us getting this good, unbiased health information out to women.
Holly L. Thacker, MD:Garlic and garlic has a lot of health benefits and onions my husband likes to say that garlic and onion is my favorite perfume. He's not as much of a fan as I am, but these things in high doses can have an effect on your LES. Now, fatty foods do increase stomach acid and they take much longer to digest, so there's a lot more opportunity for acid to escape, and if you're having a heavier meal for dinner, which isn't as good, you should have your bigger meal earlier. You may not clear out all the food by the time it's time to lay down, and that's especially true if you're pregnant or on these GLP antagonists. What are the possible complications of chronic acid reflux? Or on these GLP antagonists? What are the possible complications of chronic acid reflux? Well, there's a few that are concerning, and a little bit of acid may momentarily not feel so good, but a lot of acid does injure it.
Holly L. Thacker, MD:Your organs, like your esophagus, can cause esophagitis, which is inflammation in the lining of the esophagus. Chronic esophagitis can cause pain, ulcers, scarring and over time it can cause intestinal metaplasia, a precancerous condition. Barrett's esophagus is the name for intestinal metaplasia of your esophagus and it means that the lining of your esophagus has changed to look more like intestinal lining. This change happens after long exposure and it's a risk factor for esophageal cancer, which can be deadly. Esophageal stricture If your esophagus gets injured, it can develop scar tissue to prevent it from chronic inflammation. Scar tissue can cause your esophagus to narrow, causing a stricture making it hard to swallow. Some people have to go in and have the Schatzky ring dilated.
Holly L. Thacker, MD:Laryngeal reflux is called LPR and that's when reflux travels to your throat when you're sleeping. It can cause swelling and hoarseness and vocal cord growth and it's not good to aspirate stuff that belongs in your stomach into your lungs. It can make asthma worse, breathing problems worse. Sometimes can even lead to reflux, can lead to pneumonia and persons that have neuromuscular disorders like parkinson's disease, potentially disease, potentially myasthenia gravis, although less likely, any kind of neurocognitive problems, als, so-called Lou Gehrig's disease, anything that can impair swallowing stroke. We have to be even more vigilant about the whole chewing and swallowing mechanism.
Holly L. Thacker, MD:So how is acid reflux and GERD diagnosed? Well, your primary care physician or your gastroenterologist, if you're referred to one, might want to do an esophagram x-ray to see how your esophagus moves when swallowing. You drink this chalky liquid white material called barium. You may have an upper endoscopy, a little lighted scope, very small, with a camera drop down to your swallowing tube when you're asleep under light sedation and when I see patients that are due for their colon cancer screening, which we push down to the average age not high risk, but average age to 45. If you have a family history of it you have to undergo it sooner. But if you've had stomach upset, some GERD, you've been taking anti-acid medicine, even if it's not been on a long-term basis, it may be good to schedule your upper endoscopy at the same time you get your lower endoscopy. You may need an esophageal pH test which actually measures how much acid is in your esophagus through a little small wireless receiver. Esophageal manometry actually tests your muscle activity and how. There's little pressure sensors that are inserted through a nasogastric tube. There's little pressure sensors that are inserted through a nasogastric tube.
Holly L. Thacker, MD:So what do you do if you have reflux? Well, first is food, and of course many of us, including me, love spicy tacos and chocolate desserts. In fact, stetson, who's been a guest, my son, no relation to me the PhD, who many of the listeners have asked for me to bring him back, so I guess I'll have to bring him back again in upcoming season four we're in season three right now. He tells me that you don't have to have tacos every Tuesday. You know he likes to come over and eat, sometimes by himself and most of the time nowadays with his family. And then he said he just has to remind me because I might forget. I don't, I don't know why he thinks I'm. I'm forgetting gnome, his father, who's my husband, and I like Mexican food, oh, and I, how stuffed jalapenos are my favorite and of course, I love chocolate.
Holly L. Thacker, MD:Um, and I like a lot of rich, tasty foods, but for some people they can really be triggers and I like to put hot sauce on a lot of foods. I remember taking my nephew Keaton who's now all grown with a son, my nephew Samuel Gray out at a barbecue joint and he was, you know, daring me to get the, to get the 101 fire alarm hot sauce which I took and ate without a problem. But some people can't even take even the tiniest spice. So there's a lot of genetic susceptibility and some of it gets worse or changes with age. So if you can't tolerate all that spice, try to do something blander, more gentler, like lean meats, bananas, oatmeal.
Holly L. Thacker, MD:Some people find they can really reduce their acid reflux just with lifestyle changes like getting rid of the alcohol and tobacco, elevating the head of the bed so that your stomach is lower than your chest, and whenever I suggest this to patients they say, oh, don't worry, doc, I have two pillows, but that actually scrunches up your stomach and makes it worse. So having a bed electronic that kind of tilts you so your stomach is less lower than your chest is the best. Pillows are not enough. You can get a six inch cinder block and put it, you know, equally under the head of your bed. Um, losing weight. Even five or 10 pounds can make a big difference on the stomach and apparently 13 pounds is the magic number to really take some of the pressure off, uh, your lower joints if you're having a lot of joint pain, some of the pressure off your lower joints if you're having a lot of joint pain. But if you have chronic GERD or reflux you may need medications.
Holly L. Thacker, MD:Now there are over-the-counter so-called antacids like Tums and Rolaids. Those are really actually just calcium carbonate and some people feel better with that. But you don't want to take too much calcium. They're not a long-term solution and sometimes calcium can actually stimulate acid secretion. If you do need to take calcium and you don't have very much stomach acid because maybe you're taking a proton pump inhibitor, then you have to take calcium citrate, which does not require acid to be absorbed. And if you've ever had kidney stones and you're not a big dairy ingester and you have to take a calcium supplement, then calcium citrate usually the citrate salt, is best at helping to reduce kidney stones.
Holly L. Thacker, MD:Alginates Alginates are naturally occurring sugars derived from seaweed and they help block acid reflux by floating on top of the acid, kind of creating a physical barrier between the acid and your esophagus and you can get alginates by themselves or you can get over-the-counter antacids with these alginates. Now there is a whole slew of prescription medications that can be used. Some of the H2 histamine receptor blockers reduce stomach acid by just directly reducing acid that's made in the stomach. It tells your body what they do is they reduce acid in the stomach by blocking the chemical that tells your body to make stomach acid, which is histamine, and you can take them a little more frequently than antacids. Your body can adapt to their side effects and don't always work long term.
Holly L. Thacker, MD:Tagamet was one of the first ones and that's now over the counter. It has a lot of drug-drug interactions. Renetadine or Zantac was a popular one and that went over the counter. Then it was pulled from the market because how it was being manufactured apparently was contaminated with carcinogens Yikes. You can certainly get Pepsid, famotidine, pepsid AC. They make a chewable one that can help transient acid reflux problems.
Holly L. Thacker, MD:Now PPIs are much stronger. They're PPIs. They're generally prescription. There may be a lower dose now over the counter prescription. There may be a lower dose now over the counter and your clinician may prescribe them first line if there's signs of damage to your esophagus and they're about 90% effective. So PPIs like Prilosec and Prevacid definitely reduce B12 absorption and we're not happy about that. So you also do need acid to help digest food and also ward off infection. So I don't think it's a good idea to take the PPIs for more than two weeks unless you've really been evaluated and you've done a lot of lifestyle issues.
Holly L. Thacker, MD:A lot of times they're given in the hospital when people are in intensive care unit and they may increase certain types of pneumonia. Because, again, stomach acid is very important in your general health, just like your gut microbiome. So prebiotics and probiotics can be very important for your gut health. Baclofen is a muscle relaxant and it's also prescribed to reduce muscle spasms. Sometimes it might help reduce that frequency of LES relaxation, but it's certainly not first line treatment by any means and it can be sedating. So medicines can reduce the symptoms. It doesn't totally stop it.
Holly L. Thacker, MD:You might need more definitive treatment. Sometimes it can be a procedure to tighten the lower esophageal sphincter. It could be more involved surgery like nissen fundoplication, which is the most common surgery for GERD. Now it's done laparoscopically, which means smaller incisions and usually a shorter recovery time. A surgeon actually takes the top of your stomach to wrap it around that lower esophageal area to help secure it and stitch it to keep a tighter junction. This is also the same process that's used to fix a hiatal hernia. There's a LINX device L-I-N-X it's a newer procedure implant that's a tiny ring of magnets that help keep that junction closed.
Holly L. Thacker, MD:Certainly, take home tips for you and your family. Eat smaller meals. Get smaller plates. You don't want to overstimulate your stomach, you don't want to overeat. Eat dinner earlier. Be a blue hair.
Holly L. Thacker, MD:I have a good friend, she and her husband. They want to go out to eat with us at 4 pm. So that only means the weekends because I am not home from the office by then. But eating dinner is better and a lot of times if you go out to restaurants you get a cheaper price. In fact I was telling a friend the other day who was going to New Orleans that you know they have great restaurants there, lots of rich food and very expensive food, and when my husband and I visited there we went for lunch. You get the same great food, but it's usually slightly smaller portions and much less expensive. And then if you're having a big heavy meal, just have that at lunch and then you can just have a late snack for dinner. Gravity plays a very important role in keeping the food down, so you don't want to be doing handstands and backflips and going on your reversion table after eating a big meal, sleeping on your left side, because that keeps your stomach position lower.
Holly L. Thacker, MD:Raising the head of the bed upwards is very helpful. Reducing abdominal pressure by weight loss, delivering that baby wearing loose, fitting clothing don't wear any tight corsets and not smoking. And getting rid of alcohol that really can be very, very helpful. Try those over-the-counter antacids with the alginates on hand A lot of times. These small tweaks can really, really make a big difference.
Holly L. Thacker, MD:And if you're having symptoms that persist or you've been taking a medicine for more than two weeks straight, it's time to make an appointment. You might need to see a gastroenterologist that specializes in the digestive system. So I hope this podcast didn't give you heartburn. I hope it helped alleviate your symptoms or at least educate you in case one of your loved ones in the future is suffering with these symptoms. All right, folks, that's a wrap for today's episode. Remember this is a common problem. There's lots of ways to feel better. Thanks for tuning in. Don't forget to subscribe to our podcast. Follow us, it's free. Thanks again for listening and give us a five-star rating. Share this podcast with your friends and family and I'll see you next time in the Sunflower House. Remember be strong, be healthy and be in charge.
