What the doctor will do is conduct a series of test in order to determine what is causing you to experience chronic heartburn. One of the tests is called the upper GI endoscopy. You will be lightly sedated and a special camera will be used to take a look at your esophagus and your stomach. This way, the doctor conducting the procedure will be able to see how much damage has been done to the esophagus from stomach acid. You should also drink more water in order to neutralize stomach acid. You also need to remember that some exercise routines can cause heartburn. Some exercises can reverse the flow of digestion, which will force stomach acid back in to the esophagus, which will cause heartburn. These exercises include somersaults, forward rolls and other exercises that require you to be upside down. Frequent heartburn will prevent you from living normally. It will limit your daily activities and it can also lead to further complications, such as ulcers in your esophagus and Barrett s esophagus. You need to understand heartburn in order for you to treat it properly. Today, around 30 percent of the adult population in the country experiences occasional heartburn. The pain is accompanied by a bitter or sour taste and you feel as if food is reentering your mouth. What you just experienced is a severe case of heartburn. Although the name suggests that it may be related to the heart, you have to remember that heartburn has nothing to do with the heart. This is in fact a digestive problem where the stomach acid comes in to contact with the lining of the esophagus, which causes irritation. Heartburn: Lifestyle Changes That Can Help Prevent Heartburn Thanks to man s innovation and advancement in technology, we are now able to live comfortably and easily. However, it also brought us problems that we need to learn to deal with. Primarily, the comfort and convenience of modern life have increased the risk of heart related diseases, such as hypertension and stroke. Most people who experiences frequent heartburn says that this condition can really prevent you from doing your daily activities. In short, heartburn can prevent you from living a normal life. This is why a lot of people buy over the counter medicines to ease the pain caused by heartburn. You have to keep in mind that over the counter medicines can work for mild cases of heartburn but if you are suffering from a severe case of heartburn, then you may want to try consulting your doctor as this may already be a sign of a more serious illness.