One of the most common complaints that people go to the doctor for these days is because they have terrible heartburn or indigestion on a regular basis. It can be mild to severe. It might take place at any time or mostly at night. It can affect the young or the old. Skinny people get it and heavy people get it. The reasons that people have that awful burning in the belly can be for many different reasons.

If you are one of the lucky ones, you may only get occasional burning in the stomach when you eat very spicy foods. Sometimes an unexpected stressful situation can cause temporary stomach disorders like heart burn. These are the times when you might take an antacid tablet and after a few minutes the burning will be gone and will not return.

If you are one of the unlucky individuals who experiences fire in the belly on a regular basis, then you might consider seeing your doctor. Usually there are specific reasons why heartburn and indigestion continues to return. It can become more than you can bear and more than occasional antacids can treat. The majority of the time the reason this occurs is because you need to make changes in your diet, your eating habits, or your stress level

Your doctor will be able to do certain tests to determine whether there is a physical problem such as stomach ulcers or cancer. These are serious conditions that definitely require medication and treatments and could be life threatening. They should not be ignored at all. When your doctor can not find either of these things wrong, then you still might need a stronger prescription, a diet change, and a lower stress level to make the burning stomach more manageable.

Sometimes making simple changes such as lower fat and non spicy foods in your diet will eliminate the problem. You might also need more exercise. Stress is one of the leading causes of heartburn and ulcers. When we are stressed out our stomach can produce more natural acids and this causes stomach irritation. When the stomach and esophagus are already irritated, it can make eating spicy foods, greasy foods, fatty foods, or eating late at night a bad thing.

People who experience these terrible fires in their stomachs and throat will do almost anything to get rid of it. It is very painful and can really disrupt your life. Making the necessary changes that your doctor prescribes is the best course of action to heal your stomach and keep it burn free.