The relief and treatment of heartburn, acid reflux, and GERD is a huge billion-dollar-a-year market, according to Tamas Bartfai, director of the Harold L. Dorris Neurological Research Center. Bartfai has had decades of experience as a consultant and executive in the Pharmaceutical industry, and has consulted with companies that are developing costly treatments for this common ailment.
With so much money being spent on medications to relieve heartburn and its companions, you would think at least one medication would be a cure. Sadly, this does not appear to be so. Heartburn medications seem to do nothing more than relieve symptoms. Some attempt to neutralize stomach acids. Others “turn off the pumps” that manufacture stomach acids.
The pharmaceutical community seems to offer nothing that will cure heartburn. Glutamine for Heartburn
Glutamine for heartburn may be the answer. More specifically, L-glutamine for heartburn. L-glutamine for heartburn may not only be a cure, but be far less costly than other medications.
For example, In the U.S., L-glutamine can be purchased for about 5 cents per capsule. The prescription medication that “turns off the pumps” costs about $5.44 per capsule – at discount prices.
Why might glutamine be good for heartburn?Cause of Heartburn
Heartburn appears to be a muscular problem.
Despite the pharmaceutical community’s emphasis on acids, the real cause of heartburn is a weakness in the lower esophageal sphincter (LES).
A sphincter is a circular band of muscle like a ring around a body passageway or opening. If you were teaching children about a sphincter, you might place a ring around one finger to illustrate.
The task of every sphincter is to relax or tighten as needed to open or close a natural body opening or passageway. If you made your illustrative ring of elastic, you would tighten and relax the elastic to show sphincter action.
1. A cow’s teat has a sphincter at the lower end. It relaxes to allow milk to flow, and tightens to stop the flow.
2. The human bladder has an involuntary sphincter at its neck. It relaxes to allow urine to flow, and tightens to stop the flow. A voluntary sphincter at the end of the urethra does the same.
3. An anal sphincter tightens to hold back waste, and relaxes to pass waste.
4. The lower esophageal sphincter (LES) relaxes to allow food to enter the stomach, and tightens to keep food and acid from flowing backward into the esophagus. It should prevent heartburn.Weak Sphincter Problems
If the sphincter in any of the above becomes weak, problems can occur.
1. A milking machine can make a cow’s sphincter remain relaxed for two hours. This allows bacteria to enter the teat, and can result in mastitis.
2. A weakness in the bladder sphincter can cause urine to leak against your will.
3. When the anal sphincter weakens, fecal incontinence can occur.
4. A weakness in the LES allows stomach acids to reflux, flow backward into the esophagus. This causes heartburn.
When sphincters other than the LES weaken and cause problems, attention is turned to strengthening the weak sphincter. The cow’s sphincter is often subjected to cold after milking to tighten the muscle band. Exercise can tighten both weak bladder sphincters and weak anal sphincters. Biofeedback, electrical stimulation, and certain drugs also can be used to tighten these two sphincters.
Interestingly, none of these approaches seems to be used for the LES. Heartburn treatments address the symptoms, but neglect the weakened sphincter, which is the real problem. Can Glutamine for Heartburn Help?
Glutamine for heartburn may be a solution.
Glutamine is an amino acid. Just as other amino acids are important constituents of proteins, so is glutamine. Glutamine occurs naturally in foods that are high in protein: beans, dairy products, fish, and red meat.
Glutamine as a supplement is used by weight lifters, body builders, and other athletes who want strong muscles. Glutamine as a supplement is also used to alleviate muscle cramps and pain, especially in older people. By replenishing the amino acids in the body, muscles are strengthened and pain relieved.
Glutamine has been shown to increase the body’s ability to dispose of damaged cells, and produce new cells. Glutamine is a powerful antioxidant, too. As such, it helps protect body cells from free radicals. Glutamine heals mucous membranes, including the lining of the esophagus that is being damaged by heartburn.
It is thought by some that glutamine for heartburn might strengthen the LES, improving its ability to tighten properly. This might completely prevent heartburn, acid reflux, and even GERD.
Glutamine for heartburn could possibly be a partial, if not a total cure.
Until heartburn, acid reflux, and GERD are understood and treated as the muscular problems they seem to be, physicians will continue to prescribe relief and treatments that address only the symptoms.Disclaimer: The author does not sell glutamine in any form, nor will she profit from sales of glutamine for heartburn. The author is not a medical professional and offers this information for educational purposes only.

Although acid reflux is quite common, the range of symptoms heartburn can produce is surprisingly broad, with some symptoms that are easily recognizable, and others that are more unusual and can therefore be difficult to recognize as symptoms caused by heartburn.
If you suspect you may be suffering from symptoms heartburn may have triggered – whether they are common or unusual – it is important that you speak to your doctor for a formal diagnosis. This is to rule out any other underlying condition and to prevent any serious or long-term consequences that may result from the disorder.
GERD can cause you to suffer from reactions that can range from quite mild – almost unnoticeable – to ones that are actually life threatening. Keep in mind, the more dramatic symptoms heartburn causes are typically those that have developed over time, so if you do feel a bit of discomfort you shouldn’t panic. However, make a doctor’s appointment anyway to ensure you know the degree and type of GERD you are suffering from and what your options are.
Aside from typical symptoms heartburn presents, you may also want to watch for these less common symptoms, which can include:
Pain – though pain is one of the more common symptoms heartburn has to offer, there are forms of pain that are considered to be quite unusual. For example, the typical pain felt from GERD includes a burning sensation in the mid to upper chest region, or a burning sensation in the esophagus or lower throat area. However, more rare are pains that migrate to the shoulder blade or overall shoulder area.
Vomiting – among the more unpleasant symptoms heartburn presents is varying degrees of vomiting. This can include wet or sour burps, wet hiccups, or food coming up a bit within an hour of eating. Less common versions of this potential symptom of GERD include feelings of nausea during or soon after eating or sometimes projectile vomiting. Though not common, there have been cases where this has occurred and should be checked if you experience these symptoms and suspect GERD.
Respiratory – the respiratory system is easily impacted by GERD and therefore frequently presents with symptoms caused by heartburn. These commonly include a runny nose, bad breath, recurrent sore throat, sinus infections, upper respiratory infections, wheezing, bronchitis, asthma, a nagging dry cough, coughing at night, frequent throat clearing, labored or noisy breathing, a hoarse or deepened voice, or nodules on the vocal cords. More rarely however, GERD can develop into sleep apnea, aspiration (inhalation of stomach acids into the lungs), pneumonia, and laryngospasm (a brief spasm of the vocal cords that temporarily interrupts breathing, usually lasting up to 30 seconds).
Due to so many different kinds of symptoms – and a range of uncommon symptoms that can easily be mistaken for other illnesses, diseases, and conditions – acid reflux may not be the obvious choice as a diagnosis. Only a doctor can help you know for certain if your symptoms heartburn may be causing are indeed a result of GERD. When in doubt, it is always best to seek the advice of a medical professional. This is especially true in the case of children, who may need different remedy options than adults.

Most people think of heartburn as a normal part of life – uncomfortable, but normal. Everyone they know gets heartburn at one time or another. They know the television ads by heart – the ones that show people thumping or rubbing their chests to indicate they have heartburn. Typically, people take an antacid and suffer until the burning sensation passes.
Heartburn symptoms are indeed common, but that is no reason to treat them too lightly. Heartburn symptoms do not happen by accident. They are a warning issued by your digestive system.
Heartburn symptoms must be considered in the context of their closely-related concerns: acid indigestion, acid reflux, acid regurgitation, non-cardiac chest pain, and sour stomach. Heartburn symptoms should also be considered in relation to GERD symptoms.
Heartburn symptoms closely resemble the symptoms of all the above, especially symptoms of acid. Frequently-described Heartburn Symptoms
Heartburn symptoms are most frequently described as a burning sensation. Some may say they feel heat or warmth in the upper abdomen. Others describe heartburn symptoms as pain in the lower chest.
Heartburn symptoms occur behind the sternum – the central breastbone. The location, near the heart, is the reason for the name “heartburn,” but the heart is not involved. Some have described their heartburn symptoms as a feeling that the heart is on fire.
In addition to the burning pain, heartburn symptoms can include trouble swallowing, nausea, gas, and bloating.
Heartburn symptoms last as long as 2 hours for some. Some people have difficulty sleeping due to heartburn symptoms.Why Heartburn Symptoms Need Attention
Heartburn symptoms, whether mild or serious, occasional or frequent, need attention. Let’s look at some of the reasons, beginning with one of the most serious.
1. Heartburn symptoms can feel much like heart attack symptoms. If you have heart disease, or are at risk for heart disease, seek medical attention immediately, even though you believe it may be heartburn. It is not worth risking serious or fatal results.
2. Heartburn symptoms, if frequent, can lead to serious medical concerns such as cancer of the esophagus. The acid that washes back into the esophagus can damage the sensitive linings of the esophagus, and lead to GERD. As it worsens, cancer can develop.
3. Heartburn symptoms are not isolated pain. They occur because something is not right in your digestive system. Heartburn symptoms are warnings. Just as you should not ignore warning lights on you car’s dashboard, you should not ignore the warning provided by heartburn symptoms.Cause of Heartburn Symptoms
Heartburn symptoms are caused by a malfunction of the sphincter muscle at the bottom of the esophagus. This ring of muscle, the lower esophageal sphincter, is known in shorthand as the LES.
The first job of the LES is to open so that swallowed food can enter the stomach. Its second job is to close quickly to keep stomach food and juices from washing back into the esophagus.
When the LES is weakened, pressured, or relaxes inappropriately, it malfunctions. Stomach juices, and even bits of food, reflux (wash back) into the esophagus. Since the linings of the esophagus are not meant to handle the strong stomach acids, the nerves react with a sensation of burning.Listen to Heartburn Symptoms
Since heartburn symptoms are the result of a malfunctioning LES, it makes sense to learn why the muscle is malfunctioning.
1. Does it need more oxygen?
2. Does it need more potassium or other electrolyte?
3. Is it dehydrated?
4. Would exercise strengthen it?
When another muscle malfunctions, we treat the muscle to strengthen it. Ask your physician how to strengthen your lower esophageal sphincter (LES).Disclaimer: The author is not a professional health care provider, and intends the above for educational purposes only.