GERD:Symptoms and Risks

• What Is GERD?

• Heartburn Symptoms

• 5 Health Conditions that Can Cause GERD

  Read more about heartburn

Some heartburn triggers are obvious: chili dogs, chocolate cake, Thanksgiving. But heartburn doesn’t stop and start with food alone. If you have constant heartburn, it's time to track down the real culprit. Click through this slideshow to find some sneaky—and often overlooked—causes of heartburn.   View slideshow

• Soothing Heartburn in Pregnancy

• Pregnancy, Heartburn, and the Hairy Baby

• Food Diary of a Very Pregnant Woman

  Read more about heartburn and pregnancy

A burning sensation in the chest and a sour taste in the mouth are the most common symptoms of GERD. If you experience these symptoms only occasionally, it's fine to treat them with antacids and other over-the-counter remedies. But if left untreated, chronic and prolonged acid reflux due to GERD can result in more serious complications, ranging from tooth decay to ulcers.  Read More

When stomach acid backs up into the esophagus (the narrow tube that connects the mouth and the stomach), it’s known as acid reflux. Acid reflux occurs when the valve separating the esophagus and the stomach, the lower esophageal sphincter (LES), relaxes. Alcohol, nicotine, and numerous foods can all cause this to happen. The painful, burning sensation that results is heartburn.  Read More

If you have horrible, persistent heartburn, relief can be as simple as popping a pill once or twice a day. But they don’t work for everyone. You can still have “breakthrough” symptoms from time to time, when heartburn flares into an agonizing episode. Find out why heartburn meds can let you down—and what to do about it.  Read More

If you have heartburn, you may want to think twice before taking a sleeping pill for insomnia. A prescription sedative at bedtime may lull you into dreamland, but it may also increase your nighttime exposure to stomach acid, possibly damaging the cells lining the esophagus.  Read More