The problem is that the esophagus is so inconveniently close to the sphincter that opens and closes to allow food into the stomach. Every one in four people in the world experience this symptom at least once in a month. You can run to the drug store for something chewable or to the medicine cabinet for something awful-tasting or to the list of grandma’s favorite home remedies. Those who suffer from chronic heartburn will tell you what a terrible affliction this could be.

Heartburn is a common annoyance. The busy lifestyle, quick meals, fatty or spicy foods all contribute to the occasional need of a chewable pain reliever. The acceptance of heartburn as an inconvenient, but natural, part of the daily grind can blind you to the warning that a severe heartburn symptom can bring.

Heartburn as a Disorder

Heartburn can be a symptom as well as a disorder. Simple heartburn can be controlled and dealt with. However, heartburn can signal the presence of a much more serious problem. If it’s heartburn, you will have a burning sensation in the chest usually after eating. There may be a spread of the burning to the throat, sometimes accompanied by a bad taste, difficulty in swallowing, belching, coughing, hoarseness and/or wheezing.

It can become worse by lying down or bending over or by eating. Relief can come from an antacid. While the more severe heartburn symptoms may be mistaken for a heart attack, simple heartburn is usually not made worse by exercise. If there is any concern that the pain may signal a heart attack, get help quickly.

Heartburn as a Symptom

When the severe heartburn symptom is persistent and is accompanied by chest pain, morning hoarseness, trouble swallowing, a feeling of something stuck in the throat, a choking sensation, bad breath and/or a persistent dry cough, you may have gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERD.

If the severe heartburn symptom is accompanied by a backflow of stomach contents into the back of the throat or esophagus, vomiting, a bad taste, frequent belching or hiccups, chest pain or pressure, a bloated feeling, abdominal discomfort or pressure after eating, gas, discomfort in the stomach or esophagus, coughing and/or difficulty swallowing, then you may be getting warnings of a hiatal hernia.

There is absolutely nothing wrong experiencing occasional heartburn. However, if the occasional heartburn becomes a constant feature, then it can become a very serious problem. When eating too fast, eating too much, eating the wrong foods or just plain eating has resulted in that familiar burning sensation, you know it’s time for help. The cause of a malfunctioning sphincter is largely unknown.

As you can see many of these disorders have symptoms in common. The severe heartburn symptom can also be a sign of peptic ulcers, gastritis, gastroparesis (especially for diabetics) or the rare Zollinger-Ellison Syndrome. If your severe heartburn symptom has other, more worrisome symptoms with it, see your doctor. Worrying about it can make your heartburn worse.

Of course, you could just relax and take a little baking soda for heartburn. Food is an essential part of our lives, without which we cannot survive and which brings us together, for example, at Christmas time everyone gathers and enjoys a specific meal. Heartburn occurs when stomach acids back up into the esophagus, causing pain in the middle of your chest. There is a muscle located at the base of the esophagus, called the sphincter, which normally will prohibit acids from coming back up. The busy lifestyle, quick meals, fatty or spicy foods all contribute to the occasional need of a chewable pain reliever. A pairing like heartburn and nausea can mean something far more sinister.