For most people, heartburn is just a minor irritation. We eat something that’s too spicy, we take an antacid, and we feel better.

Then there are people with gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD. This is a chronic form of heartburn that affects 19 million people. And if left untreated, GERD symptoms can lead to some more serious health complications.

In this week’s blog post, we’re going to look at why you shouldn’t ignore GERD symptoms.

The terms “heartburn,” “acid reflux” and “GERD” tend to get used interchangeably, but they all refer to very different conditions.

In this week’s blog post, we’ll look at the differences between heartburn, acid reflux and GERD, along with some things you can do to bring relief if you’re suffering from these digestive ailments.