Over indulgence in food extends from Ramadan to the Eid Al-Fitr feast, taking a toll on the stomach and leaving many suffering from digestive problems, one of which is the extremely annoying predicament of heartburn.

Ahram Online talked to Dr. Fawzy El-Shobaki, Professor of Nutrition at the National Research Centre, and Dr Mohamed Salah, family medicine consultant, who summed up in a nutshell all that needs to be known about the problem.

Inside the stomach, a certain secretion which is mainly composed of acid and enzymes is released to help in the process of digestion. This fluid is highly acidic. For many reasons – some of which are purely genetic -- this fluid escapes from the stomach to the esophagus, causing the disturbing feeling of a burning chest.

Risk factors -- you are more prone to the occurrence of heartburn if:

You are pregnant
You are a middle-aged male
You are obese
It runs in the family

Four treatments:

For those who opt for quick relief by popping a pill, heartburn treatment medication comes in a wide variety that can be summed up in one of these four kinds:

Medicines that work on neutralising the fluids in the stomach. These are temporary solutions because the emptied acids pile up again after about an hour.

Medicines, such as Zantac, that affect the activity of the cells responsible for secreting acids.

Medicines that completely stop the efficiency of those acid-producing cells. Although it appears more effective, using this kind of medication on a regular basis for a long time can generate serious side effects.

Treatments that contain a foaming agent, such as Gaviscon, that form a layer of foam to top the contents of the stomach, preventing the acid from leaking upwards.

Six tips to counter heartburn:

• Adjust your sleeping pattern: sleep on your left side rather than the right side, and elevate the upper part of your body during sleep using extra pillows. Do not eat two hours before retiring to bed.

• Avoid mint! Mint is one of the triggers of heatburn, to be avoided it in all its forms.

• Use gums: gum-chewing helps with digestion, clears the breath, and burns some extra calories. Add to that the fact that it counters heartburn as it increases the rate of saliva secretion, which, when swallowed, reduces the acidity of the stomach secretions.

• Watch what you eat: avoid citrus fruits, caffeinated drinks, fizzy drinks, fatty food, tomato sauce, spicy food, whole-fat dairy products.

• Ditch the cigarette: the problem with smoking when it comes to heartburn is dual. First, it decreases the rate of saliva secretion; second, it affects the pressure force of the valve that connects the stomach with the esophagus, thus leading to an easier elevation of the acidic fluid upwards.

• Opt for reduced meals: eating more frequent but smaller meals can help prevent the problem