Hello,
Your pain in middle of chest (retrosternal)/
heartburn seems to be due to GERD(gastro-esophageal reflux disease) for which PPI(
proton pump inhibitor) like esomeprazole(
nexium),an effective inhibitor of
gastric acid secretion is drug of choice and it resolves your symptoms.
Lifestyle modifications are also routinely advocated as GERD therapy. Broadly speaking, these fall into three categories:
(1) avoidance of foods that reduce LES(Lower esophageal sphincter) pressure, making them “refluxogenic” (these commonly include fatty foods, alcohol, spearmint,peppermint, and possibly coffee and tea);
(2) avoidance of acidic foods that are inherently irritating (citrus fruits, tomato-based foods); and
(3) adoption of behaviors to minimize reflux and/or heartburn(elevation of the head of the bed and avoidance of eating before retiring ,loose attire during sleep and weight reduction,if
overweight or obese).
Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.
Take care
Regards,
Dr Tushar Kanti Biswas, Internal Medicine Specialist