Almost everyone gets heartburn once in a while. That burning sensation in the middle of your chest is most commonly caused by acid reflux, the overflow of acidic stomach contents into the esophagus. And it’s especially common around the holidays, since overeating, eating rich foods and drinking alcohol can all trigger the condition.
Dr. R. Tomás DaVee, a gastroenterologist with UTHealth Houston and Memorial Hermann, sees the number of patients reporting heartburn symptoms spike around this time every year. “From Thanksgiving through New Year’s Day, I see people having a lot more issues with reflux,” Dr. DaVee says. “Many of them are people who have had issues for a while, but it gets worse during the holidays, and someone in their family says, ‘Hey, you’re not doing great; you need to get this checked out.’”