Symptoms:

• Burning sensation behind the breastbone
• Sour belching
• Pains in the upper abdomen
• Feeling of fullness

Potential causes:

• Fatty foods
• Excessively hot or cold food or drinks
• Being overweight
• Alcohol, coffee, nicotine, chocolate
• Stress
• Pregnancy

What you can do yourself:

While the stomach can protect itself from its own gastric acids and digestive enzymes, the mucous membrane of the oesophagus can be damaged by the constant backflow of acidic stomach contents: this leads to heartburn. In order to avoid this backflow, large, fatty meals should be avoided, particularly in the evening. It is always a better idea to have a larger number of smaller meals throughout the day.

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