Cinco De Mayo and Heartburn

Ole! Manana is Cinco de Mayo! Lots of folks will be heading to bars and restaurants around town to enjoy this Mexican holiday. But will a healthy dose of fun come with a hefty dose of heartburn? A one time episode of heartburn on Cinco de Mayo may not be much to worry about. And there are plenty of Mexican foods you can enjoy and not worry about worsening your symptoms. But if you get heartburn frequently, that is a cause for concern. Christy Searl chooses to enjoy a glass of wine at a Mexican restaurant rather than margaritas. “These margaritas at this place are lethal,” she exclaims.

Well, the booze in the blender can be a big trigger for heartburn--a symptom of a condition called acid reflux that can over time eat away at the esophagus--the food pipe--and even lead to esophageal cancer. “Ya know, that burning sensation. When I eat certain foods it definitely reacts badly,” says Jill Sheehy, a margarita-lover.

Dr. Michelle Kang Kim, a gastroenterologist at Mt. Sinai Medical Center, says, “There are many different ways that it can present, for instance some patients have a chronic cough particularly at night when lying down you can trouble swallowing and even weight loss and nausea. There are some symptoms that are actually called alarm symptoms: trouble swallowing, painful swallowing, weight loss, any signs of bleeding and these are symptoms to report to a physician.”

Not to be a party pooper, but you need to pay attention if you have the symptoms. So if you have heartburn, acid reflux, you shouldn’t really be drinking alcohol at all. But if you do, because it’s Cinco de Mayo, don’t drink without eating. And don’t eat or drink anything within two to three hours before bedtime. “I do occasionally suffer from heartburn. Not generally from alcohol, more from spicy food,” says Christy.

Some debate whether spicy foods…like hot peppers…cause heartburn. But some foods are definite triggers. “It’s fatty foods, it’s fat. I offer regional Mexican food. Tex-Mex food is the one with the burritos the cheese the gloppy beans, that is really Tex-Mex that is not really Mexican,” says Zarela Martinez, owner of the Mexican restaurant Zarela.

Other big triggers are chocolate, coffee, mints, citrus juices and tomatoes; so the salsa can be a problem. Those suffering from heartburn certainly do have plenty of options, including over the counter antacids which work fastest, the so called h-2 blockers like pepcid and zantac, and the acid blockers like prilosec. Again, though, if the symptoms persist, you should see the doctor for the best treatment and follow up, but not worry needlessly.

“I want to emphasize a very small risk and patients should not be alarmed if they have heart burn that they necessarily would develop cancer,” says Dr. Kim. So have fun on Cinco de Mayo, maybe enjoy a margarita, but not to excess. Although Zarela would disagree. “They’re worth it. There are certain things that are worth getting heartburn for,” she argues.

Try to eat smaller, more frequent meals throughout the day because big meals trigger acid reflux. And two other big health problems which worsen heartburn and reflux: being overweight or obese, and smoking. Smoking weakens that sphincter that keeps the acid in the stomach, and allows it to back up into the esophagus.