The general ways that people use to treat heartburn do not entail a visit to the doctor as it happens commonly among us and there are easily available medication for treating the occasional acid refluxes. It is associated with excessive eating of spicy stuff and a pill of antacid should take care of it well enough. What makes a doctor prescribed heartburn treatment necessary is if the person is suffering from problems that occur each day after a meal even after taking all the precautions that are associated with it.
It may happen to some and does not happen to others. In fact, surveys have shown that almost 75% of the population gets heartburn weekly and out of them 10% are prone to it quite regularly. It is the later population that has to worry about getting a proper heartburn treatment plotted out for them as prolonged attacks can leave permanent scars on the esophagus and other tissues nearby.