In rare cases, you may vomit blood or have small amounts of blood in your stool. However, these are uncommon but you still have to be on the lookout for the signs and symptoms. These are basically the symptoms that you have to watch out for. Heartburn is not really that serious if you only experience it once a month. The specialist may also conduct a diagnosis where they will test the strength of your LES muscle, which is basically a valve that separates the stomach acid from your esophagus. This test is called esophageal manometry. You may also be subjected to a procedure called the 24 hours pH monitoring. This measures the strength of your stomach acid and a thin tube will be passed through your nose and in to your esophagus. The Causes of Heartburn and Why You Should Take It Seriously Have you ever experienced feeling a burning sensation that starts in your upper abdomen and builds up just behind your breastbone and that the pain and burning sensation is often accompanied by a sour taste in your mouth? If you have, then you are suffering from a condition called heartburn. By knowing about the common causes of heartburn, you will be able to have an idea on how you can prevent it from happening to you or at least reduce its occurrence. First of all, you need to know that heartburn, despite its name, is in no way related to any heart condition. Heartburn is primarily a digestive condition where stomach acid comes in contact with the esophagus. If you suffer from extremely painful heartburn more than twice a week, then you are suffering from chronic heartburn. It is also a sign of a much more serious illness. Heartburn is also called acid reflux, pyrosis, and even acid indigestion just to name a few. Basically, the root cause for heartburn is lifestyle or diet. You have to keep in mind that heartburn is a condition that existed for thousands of years and modern medicine have yet to find a cure for this condition. You also have to understand that heartburn is in no way related to the heart. It s simply called heartburn because you will feel a burning sensation on your chest.