For whatever reason, green apples give me heartburn. I still eat them from time to time, but without fail, I feel a little bit of acid reflux after I do. Many people also suffer from occasional heartburn, though their respective food or foods that cause it can be quite different. However, when heartburn is a frequent problem, it might be something known as GERD.

Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (let's stick with GERD, shall we?) happens when stomach acid makes its way back into the esophagus, resulting in that slight burning sensation in your chest. What makes GERD different than the occasional instance of heartburn is that it is due to a slight bodily malfunction: the muscular valve where the esophagus meets up with the stomach is weak and/or does not close properly.

Left untreated, GERD can lead to many esophageal disorders, such as bleeding, damage to the tissue lining of the esophagus, and inflammation. In more extreme cases, it may even be a precursor to esophageal cancer. Signs of GERD, beyond those already stated, include chest pain, raspy or sore voice, bad breath, and difficulty swallowing.

If you have any of these symptoms, you may want to schedule an appointment with your physician or a GI specialist very soon.

The incidence of throat cancer -- also known as esophageal adenocarcinoma -- is on the rise. So is obesity. And it seems the two are linked. Actually, it's the increasing intake of total and refined carbohydrates and the subsequent climb of obesity rates that are connected with the disease.

While these measures do not necessarily reflect individual risk for throat cancer, researchers say that overall, this cancer is "strongly correlated" with high carbohydrate consumption. This cancer is also associated with gastoesophageal relflux (GERD) which happens to also be linked with obesity and high carb intake.

Interestingly, researchers found a decrease in rates of squamous cell cancer of the esophagus which is more affected by smoking. Does that mean people are smoking less. Could be.

How good are you doing at avoiding cancer? Take this AOL Body cancer quiz and find out.

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My allergist recently put me on a heartburn medication to see if it helps my asthma stay in control. GERD and asthma are connected, though health experts aren't exactly sure what that connection is.

I'm hopeful that it works, because asthma affects my ability to exercise, yet I'd like to avoid another long-term medication if I can. So when this trial period is over, if my asthma symptoms have improved, I'm going to be working very hard to avoid acid reflux naturally.

I have a few bad habits that may be making things worse. One -- I snack late at night, sometimes right before bed. I also like spicy foods, chocolate, and tea, all of which can exacerbate the issue. Other lifestyle changes that you can make to improve heartburn symptoms include:

• Wear clothing that is not too tight in the waist or neck.
• Lose weight or maintain a healthy weight.
• Eat smaller meals.
• Avoid fatty or acidic foods.
• Stay away from caffiene, nicotine, and alcohol.

If lifestyle change doesn't beat your heartburn, let your doctor know!

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GERD, or gastroesophogeal reflux disease, affects 5%-7% of the population. In a nutshell, for people with GERD, the muscles where the esophagus and stomach meet don't function properly. Instead of blocking the reflux of stomach acids back into the esophagus, the muscle waves it through like the green flag at the start of a car race. Saying GERD is an uncomfortable condition would be an understatement. It results in chronic heartburn with side orders of belching, excess saliva, sore throat, and wearing down of tooth enamel (just to name a few symptoms).

Kids aren't immune from GERD. Nexium, a commonly prescribed medication for the condition, is now approved for short-term use in children ages 1-11. (The drug was already given the OK for kids 12-17.) The dosage is cut in half for the younger kids and is available in both liquid and capsule form. Nexium, manufactured by AstraZeneca, reduces the amount of acid produced in the stomach and helps to heal the lining of the esophagus.

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A new study reveals antireflux medications are being overprescribed in infants. Researchers measured reflux acid from the stomachs of 44 infants in a New Orleans medical center. Only eight babies had abnormal pH levels indicative of gastroesophageal reflux disease, but a whopping 42 of 44 infants were on antireflux meds. Taking away the reflux meds from the babies without GERD did not cause reflux to get worse. Let alone a safe dose for children has not been established, and high doses of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) long-term are associated with hip fracture. Experts are concerned as kids are in the midst of growing bones.

Grrrr! What is going on here? Pediatric gastroenterologist Vikram Khoshoo explained parents think the meds will decrease regurgitation, however PPIs shut down acid production, but do not lessen spit-ups. So upset parents head to the doctor in a state of high anxiety and the doctor willingly prescribes to "get mom off his back."

Khoshoo explained regurgitation is usually a maturational issue, and will disappear by 18 months. During my infant playgroup years of 2001-2005, I met many playgroup moms with spitters. While highly annoyed, they simply carried around a dozen burp cloths and wore old clothes until the worst was over. Not one of them fed their kids antireflux meds. I must have just missed this trainwreck. Check out this earlier post about the astronomical off-label prescriptions being written for children without empirical evidence on safe dosages or efficacy.

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If you get heartburn more than twice a week, you ought to embrace the basic tenets of a healthy lifestyle. Not only will they keep you in fighting shape, they'll solve that indigestion problem too.

Heartburn, sometimes a sign of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), can be minimized, even cured, with the right kind of exercise. Try walking, biking, swimming, yoga, and gentle weight training. Steer clear of high-impact aerobic activity -- this can make reflux more intense. And try to wait two hours after eating before exercising.

Gaining weight can also make GERD worse. A rise in your body mass index can bring on or worsen symptoms, especially if the pounds land in the abdominal region. Eating smaller portions works too by decreasing acid. Make sure to eat meals three hours prior to bedtime since symptoms are often worse at night.

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Do you suffer from exercise-induced heartburn? It can really be miserable, not to mention put a serious kink in your efforts and sap your motivation to work your hardest. So in order to stave it off completely, or deal with it most effectively when it does strike, try these tips:

• Pay attention to your diet, and do some problem-solving
• Eat something small that you know helps reduce your chances of heartburn right before you workout.
• Experiment and find the ideal time to eat before working out -- whether it's 30 minutes or 2 hours, everybody is different.
• Pay attention and experiment to see if all exercise, or only certain kinds, trigger heartburn attacks.
• Don't be afraid to treat heartburn symptoms, for example taking a small sip of vinegar can neutralize the acid.
• Try commercial over-the-counter treatments like TUMS or some other calcium-based antacid. Experts say it certainly can't hurt to try.

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Although summer holidays bring thoughts of sun and fun, for many people they also bring the dread of miserable heartburn symptoms and discomfort. If you're one of those unfortunate souls then review these 5 ways to avoid heartburn this summer, and anytime:

• Avoid trigger foods. Heartburn triggering foods differ for everybody, but generally speaking some of the worst ones are ice cream, mac & cheese, French fries, raw onions, cranberry juice, wine, and chocolate. Also download a free brochure from the National Heartburn Alliance for more information.
• Avoid eating too much in one sitting. Eating smaller amounts more frequently will help keep the stomach from becoming too full, which can increase the risk for heartburn.
• Avoid eating before going to bed or lying down, or if you must then raise the head of the bed a few inches with books or cinder blocks.
• Lose weight. Having excess fat around and in the midsection puts extra pressure on the stomach, increasing the risk for and severity of heartburn symptoms.
• Adopting all-around healthy lifestyle habits, such as quitting smoking and reducing stress can help reduce heartburn by association.

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Acid reflux affects millions of people in the United States, and the sale of antacids and acid reducers is a billion dollar industry. Though there are popular and effective drugs out there, there are simpler and safer (and cheaper!) ways to ease the symptoms without taking long-term medication and suffering its possible side effects:

• Eat smaller meals.
• Skip the high fat foods (which will improve your health in other ways as well!)
• Quit smoking.
• Go to bed on an empty stomach (put at least 3 hours between your last meal and bedtime.)
• Exercise before you eat.
• Know your trigger foods and avoid them.

If you practice all of those GERD-reducing habits and are still having trouble, experts say that there's some evidence that calcium citrate powder and powdered digestive enzymes may help reduce symptoms as well. For more information, and to learn how to treat another common stomach ailment -- gastritis -- read the full article here.

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Obese caucasians are at higher risk for developing acid reflux disease than obese individuals of other races. In a group of 80,000 patients obesity was found to increase risk by a fairly significant amount for Caucasians, while it seemed to have little or no effect on acid reflux for African-Americans or Asians.

I'm interested to know why this is, but unfortunately experts have no idea. What they do know is that Caucasians with the largest waists are as much as 85% more likely to get heartburn -- that's a big number! Seems unfair, but what ya gonna do? Try to slim down, that's what.

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People who experience heartburn in the evenings or overnight can experience severe side-effects beyond just the usual culprits associated with GERD. As many as 4 out of 5 people who get heartburn get it at night, which obviously disturbs sleep, which then in turn causes fatigue and lowered productivity the next day.

So if you suffer from heartburn at night, or anytime really, read through these 28 tips for beating nighttime heartburn and see if there are any new suggestions you haven't tried yet. I'm sure many of them you already have tried, but even just one little thing that works could mean so much!

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Do you awaken on some nights with that awful feeling of heartburn? The causes if nighttime heartburn can be traced back to being overweight, drinking quote a few carbonated beverages, snoring, experiencing daytime sleepiness or insomnia, having high blood pressure or asthma, or using anti-anxiety medications can all have an impact on nighttime heartburn, according to Johns Hopkins University.

Additionally, eating a diet high in saturated fat can cause more instances of nighttime heartburn or daytime heartburn. It's often been said that if you put the wrong kinds of things in your body, some of the more unpleasant things will happen. The human body is remarkable about being able to handle unexpected and non-nutritional objects, but eating and drinking a correct diet can --in many cases -- rid you of some of the things that are not worth dealing with in the first place if you can avoid it.

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Whether Dunkin' Donuts, McDonald's, or the infamous giant Starbucks serves up your favorite cup-o-joe, the war of the coffee brands isn't over yet. Folgers, who has been quietly but steadily selling on supermarket shelves for years, has introduced a new "stomach friendly" decaffeinated coffee.

Simply Smooth came out last spring and is geared for those people who suffer heartburn or other stomach problems when they drink coffee.

Some experts seem to think it's all just myth when it comes to coffee causing stomach issues, and there seems to be conflicting data (as always, of course!) on where the truth really lies -- guess you'll just have to decide for yourself.

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In a recent poll, 8 out of 10 people suffering from heartburn stated that they're kept up at night at least once a week by their symptoms. This is a problem not only because of the obvious sleep deprivation, but also because when you're lying down your stomach acid can do more damage and increase your risk of getting cancer.

If you suffer from nighttime heartburn read this article for ideas you can start this evening to reduce your chances of suffering through symptoms tonight. It includes tips on everything from when to workout, how much and when to eat, and how to position yourself when you do finally hit the sack.

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