Can Minor Heart Burn Be A Major Problem?

Heart burn (the ten-dollar word is reflux disease) is sneaky.

Sometimes the symptoms are severe. And sometimes the symptoms are minor. But here’s the thing. Just because your symptoms may be minor in no way means that your problem is minor. And likewise, just because your symptoms are bad doesn’t mean your condition is. A new study shows just how unreliable heart burn symptoms can be.

The authors looked at 76 patients complaining of heartburn and other symptoms from gastric reflux. Besides heart burn, reflux can also cause sore throat, cough, and throat congestion. Each patient rated their symptoms before the researchers scoped their digestive tract to find out how severe their condition was and whether or not they had a hiatal hernia. Here’s what the researchers found out.

Of the 76 participants, 10 patients had no hiatal hernia even though they had those symptoms. Another 15 had a small hiatal hernia, 20 had a medium-sized hiatal hernia, and 31 patients had a large hiatal hernia. And what about the degree of reflux? According to the authors, the severity of the symptoms or the kind of symptoms was unable to accurately predict how bad the reflux or the hiatal hernia was. So here’s the point.

Millions of people have heart burn or reflux. Sometimes there is a hernia causing the problem. So, if you are trying all of the diet recommendations and still have symptoms, even if they are relatively minor, you might need some treatment. Fortunately, I was taught an amazing treatment many years ago by a brilliant chiropractor which has done a great job of eliminating or reducing the reflux symptoms effectively. And it gets done without drugs or surgery!

Yours for better health

Dr. Jack Belitz

PS We are still in the mist of Cold and Flu Season. So if you haven’t been in for an adjustment in a while, it would be a good idea to come in and see if your nervous system and immune system are working at peak potential so you can avoid getting sick like so many other people. Call 402-333-4848 to schedule your appointment today!