Your heartburn is really just a symptom of a medical condition known as Acid Reflux Disease.
Heartburn is often described in this way;
“You’ve just enjoyed a large meal and are relaxing in front of your TV when it happens… A burning sensation starts to build in your chest. Soon your chest seems like it is on fire. The burning and chest pain travels from your chest clear up to your throat. The pain is followed by a sour taste and the sensation of your food re-entering your mouth”.
By the way, heartburn is also not actually related to your heart. Heartburn gets its name because the pain is often felt just behind the breast bone at the level of your heart.
Heartburn is caused when the acid from your stomach re-fluxes up into your esophagus, causing burning. Your Esophagus is the tube that connects your throat to your stomach.
Normally when you swallow the lower esophageal sphincter, a circular band of muscle located at the lower part of your esophagus, relaxes. This allows your food and liquid to go into your stomach. Then the sphincter closes again.
But, if this valve relaxes when it’s not supposed to, gastric acid re-fluxes up into your esophagus. This burns the lining of your lower esophagus because it doesn’t have the same protective layer as your stomach. With time, this can cause erosion. And, complications like bleeding, difficulty breathing and in some cases CANCER OF YOUR ESOPHAGUS.