Local Docs Warn of “Holiday Heartburn”
December 12, 2017Syracuse, NY (December 12, 2017) – The expert doctors from The Heartburn Center at St. Joseph’s Health are now advising the community about Holiday Heartburn.
“Heartburn affects one in five adults, and can make life miserable. The holidays can be a particularly difficult—and painful—time for people who suffer from heartburn,” said Dr. Atul Maini, Medical Director and Surgeon at The Heartburn Center. “It’s not just what types of food we tend to eat during the holiday season, but also how much food we eat and when we eat it. All of these behaviors have a negative impact on our digestive system, and often cause uncomfortable flare ups of heartburn.”
Did you know?
1. When you lean back in a chair or lay down after eating, you tilt your stomach and allow stomach acid to spill into the esophagus.
2. Alcohol, caffeine, and fatty foods are common around the holidays – but are some of the worst culprits for heartburn.
3. Taking over-the-counter (OTC) medications only treats the symptoms temporarily; these medications do not treat the actual problem that causes heartburn.
4. The only way to control heartburn is to eat smarter foods, in smaller portions. Try eating light-appetizers like shrimp and vegetables to “front-load” your meal, and avoid over-eating the fattier foods during the main course and dessert.
5. Plan ahead to identify substitutes like fruit and yogurt for dessert instead of cookies and cake. Choose light meats over dark meats. And whole grain or multigrain breads are good choices, too.
These specialists will be hosting a public education session about heartburn with free heartburn screenings and the opportunity for people to have free one-on-one conversations with the doctors on Wednesday, December 13th from 5-7 pm at the Embassy Suites at Destiny USA.
The Heartburn Center at St. Joseph’s Health is the first dedicated and comprehensive heartburn treatment center in the greater Syracuse region, providing patients with a central one-stop location for the treatment of heartburn.
The complete team of physicians and other experts diagnose and treat each patient’s condition together, as well as discuss and support patient decisions. This team includes a gastroenterologist, robotics surgeon, bariatric surgeon, pulmonologist, dietician, and psychology care provider. Everyone works together to address the disease, not just the symptoms.
The Heartburn Center at St. Joseph’s Health is also the only location in Central New York to offer the LINX implant procedure. More information about The Heartburn Center is available at www.sjhsyr.org/heartburn.
About St. Joseph’s Health
St. Joseph’s Health is a non-profit regional health care system based in Syracuse, N.Y., providing services to patients throughout Central New York and northern Pennsylvania. From primary to specialty to home care, to our Magnet-recognized hospital, and in collaboration with our community partners, St. Joseph's Health is advancing the health of the communities we serve through an expanding range of healthcare services to ensure our patients achieve optimum long-term health. Ranked by Consumer Reports among the top 15 heart surgery centers in the country, U.S. News “Best Regional Hospital” and a 15-time winner of the National Research Corporation Consumer Choice award, St. Joseph’s is widely recognized for quality, value and delivering the highest patient satisfaction. St. Joseph’s Health is affiliated with Franciscan Companies and St. Joseph’s Physicians and is a member of Trinity Health.