Holiday party time

I was at a party last week. It was great, got caught up with people I hadn’t seen in a while. Food was good too. Of course at these holiday bashes there is everything and more. Once you get through sampling it all, your stomach can feel like it’s on spin cycle. The head too. I was doing OK but there was one dish there, which I found out later, was sausage homemade from a ram shot in the mountains of West Virginia - spicy but very good. That may have been what put me over the top. Thank you, Tums. Looking back, well, the word moderation comes to mind. If your OK with a hangover and heartburn playing a double header then you can tune this out. But for me, a day or even a half day of being on the injured reserved list is no good.

Eat, drink and be merry

Holiday parties are great. Get hooked up with old acquaintances, meet new people, lots of fun finger food.
But once home there’s no sleep until you break out the Tums. Especially at this time of year there are certain triggers in our lifestyles and eating habits that cause heartburn. The triggers vary from person to person, and from lifestyles and dietary habits. However there are some common factors.

Eating foods such as citrus fruits and drinks, chocolate, peppermint, tomatoes or tomato-based products and fatty or spicy foods. Drinking beverages such as coffee, tea, and sodas that have caffeine substances in them. Also drinking carbonated fizzy drinks and alcoholic beverages can lead to discomfort.

Lots of people are affected with heartburn. If there are times when you experience a burning and painful discomfort just behind the breastbone you are one of them. Heartburn doesn’t have anything to do with your heart but it‘s a pretty apt term. Rather heartburn is what occurs when digested food juices go back into the esophagus. If over indulgence is forcing you to pay the piper rather a good night’s sleep, an antacid will probably do the trick. But don’t put it off, if the problem is reoccurring it’s time give serious thought to a solution.