Thanksgiving is a time when many Americans choose to eat more than they would normally allow themselves, feasting on several courses of rich and filling food.

According to Baylor University Medical Center, people who find themselves suffering from painful symptoms after a big meal are often uncertain about the identity of their particular malady – heartburn or heart attack?

Dr. Nick Zenarosa of the medical center advised people who are not sure about their condition to determine whether they are experiencing symptoms such as a cold sweat, pain moving from the chest into other areas of the body, increased pain during exertion and shortness of breath.

These symptoms are more likely to indicate a heart attack than heartburn. Additionally, if the body is not responsive to antacids, there may be cause to seek additional health resources, he said.

“We see people in the emergency room who think they are only having severe heartburn or experiencing the flu when they are actually having a heart attack,” Zenarosa commented.

According to the American Heart Association, coronary heart disease is the number one cause of death in the country.