"Heartburn is an increasingly common problem in our culture facing probably 50 percent of the population.
"Its clinical term these days is Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease. It occurs when there is a laxity of the valve, called the lower esophageal sphincter, at the base of the esophagus, which is the tube that carries food from the mouth in to the stomach.
"A number of our daily choices affect the tone of the lower esophageal sphincter. Eating high fat foods is one of the most common contributing factors. Some of the things you can do to reduce reflux is to begin by eating smaller more frequent meals. Another important thing you can do to reduce heartburn is to change your diet away from the fatty foods so common in today’s world, stop eating pizza and tacos and cheese laden fried foods. Another group of foods that contribute to heartburn are the overly acidic foods; tomatoes, citrus, vinegars all play a role Chocolate and mint are another couple of interesting foods that relax the lower esophageal sphincter and allow regurgitation to occur."
