Beat The Burn

Tips for getting through the holidays heartburn-free.

This weekend is your office holiday party, and next weekend you'll stop by your neighbor's open house for her decadent eggnog. And every time you walk by the kitchen at work, there's another sweet treat on the table.

The holidays offer plenty of opportunities to overindulge.It's overeating frequently, rather than what you actually eat-that's a leading cause of heartburn.

"First of all, you don't want to overeat," says Catherine Yaussy, M.D., a gastroenterologist on the medical staff at Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas. "Also, so many holiday parties are late at night, and you want to be careful about eating too late."

Heartburn occurs when food and acid from the stomach back up into the sensitive esophagus. Overeating is a trigger because the stomach becomes full, and fatty foods cause trouble because the fat is digested more slowly, so the foods stay in the stomach longer.

Putting out the fire
To cope with heartburn that occurs twice a week or less frequently, the American Gastroenterological Association offers these tips:

• Don't lie down within two to three hours of eating-let gravity help with digestion.
• When sleeping, use pillows to elevate your head 4 to 6 inches.
• Lose weight if needed.
• Stop smoking.
• Eat smaller meals more frequently.
• You also can try over-the-counter antacids such as Rolaids® or Tums®, or acid-reducing medications, such as Pepcid® or Zantac®.

Talk to your doctor if:

• your heartburn strikes more than twice a week.
• over-the-counter remedies don't help.
• you're prone to ulcers or other related problems.
• you have trouble swallowing.
• you have chest pain.

Enjoy your heartburn-free holiday season!

By Stephanie Thurrott