What is heartburn?

A common problem for Americans, heartburn is the opposite of correctly digesting food. "The stomach, instead of pushing food down, pushes it back up into the esophagus," Dr. Oz says.

Heartburn is technically known as gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD.

Watch a video demonstration of what happens with GERD.

"When you lie on your back, a lot of the acid material in your stomach goes into the swallowing tube called the esophagus," Dr Oz. explains. "Here it actually burns that lining, that's what causes the irritation. It's literally a sunburn of the inside of your esophagus."

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