Of all the stomach problems I see in my surgery, heartburn is probably the commonest.

This is in fact the commonest cause of indigestion in the UK and is more correctly called gastro-oesophageal reflux disease or GORD.

This occurs when the muscular ring at the bottom of the gullet relaxes and allows acid to flow back (‘reflux’) into the gullet and so cause symptoms.

This burning discomfort behind the breastbone is familiar to most of us when we have rushed a meal or eaten too much of a particular food, and other symptoms include irritation and soreness of the throat, excessive belching and occasional hoarseness of the voice.

There are many possible reasons why reflux occurs, and most of them are self-inflicted.

By this I mean it is commoner in people who smoke, eat rich or fatty foods and drink more alcohol than is good for them (a typical party!)

Other possible causes include obesity, pregnancy and the presence of a hiatus hernia – a condition where the stomach pokes through the diaphragm and so prevents the bottom of the gullet to close and seal off properly.

Old-fashioned gravity may make things worse and so many people with reflux find their symptoms are worse when they lie down.

They may also notice certain foods dramatically worsening the problem and the usual ones quoted to me include chocolate, peppermints, coffee, fruit juices or citrus fruits and spicy foods in general.

It can be seen that for most people, treatment is very simple.

Losing weight if you are too fat, avoiding bedtime snacks and large high-fat meals will not only help with this weight loss but is also good advice with reflux in general.

Limit the intake of coffee, cut down on alcohol and – you guessed it – stop smoking. If symptoms are infrequent (by which I mean less than once a week) the simple antacids from the chemist can be taken to relieve them.

However, if symptoms are more common than this, or if they worsen then it is probably sensible to see your doctor.

They may decide that stronger medication is needed if simple treatment does not work, and my usual pattern of prescribing here is to first try a histamine antagonist (such as Tagamet or Zantac), moving up to a proton pump inhibitor (such as omeprazole or lansoprazole) if these are unsuccessful.

Because these drugs are usually so good at reducing symptoms, surgery is now a rare event but if it is needed then keyhole surgery to strengthen the lower end of the gullet appears to be very effective.

As with all of medicine, technology continues to move treatments forward at speed and a new development that is showing promise in the treatment of severe GORD is called LINX.

In this, a small, flexible band of interlinked titanium beads with magnetic cores is placed around the oesophagus just above the stomach using keyhole surgery.

This helps create a barrier to the reflux of acid and bile.

Swallowing forces temporarily break the magnetic bond to allow food and drink to pass normally through the sphincter at the bottom of the gullet but the magnets then close this immediately after swallowing to restore the body’s natural barrier to the reflux of acid and bile.

Patients can usually resume a normal diet within a few hours of surgery and can usually return to normal activities in less than a week.

Although not routinely available on the NHS yet, it’s an exciting development in the future treatment of GORD.

As I keep reminding my patients, common things are common and the vast majority of people with heartburn have little seriously wrong with them.

However there are certain danger signs that must never be ignored here.

Any problem with swallowing food or liquid – where it appears to ‘stick’ in the gullet – must always be investigated as should repeated vomiting or weight loss with loss of appetite, especially if any of these symptoms are accompanied by a feeling of fullness after only a mouthful or two of food.