Heartburn can be the unwelcome conclusion to a meal. It's irritating and uncomfortable, but is it putting you at risk for more serious health problems?

"I got heartburn during my second pregnancy," Marcy tells dailyRx.com. "It felt like fire in my throat. My doctor told me that the baby was pushing up on my stomach." Some years later, Marcy said it returned. "I quit smoking in 2006 and gained a lot of weight, and it kicked in for real - like every night or when I lay down - here it came. In the middle of the night, this vile bitter vomit would come up, wake me up and go into my nose. It was awful." What she's talking about is a serious form of heartburn.