Acid Reflux

Welcome
to
Acid Reflux Heartburn Cure

Well you have done it now. You have just finished a
great meal, you know you should have finished sooner
and like many of us at one time or another
experiencing heartburn. While heartburn can be mild
for a great many of us, for others it is extremely painful.
Heartburn is the generic term for gastroesophageal
reflux disease, GERD, “reflux” and acid reflux.

Acid reflux is also called gastroesophageal reflux. It is
considered as, a disorder where the acidic juices of
the stomach flows back (reflux) into the esophagus.
The stomach walls are made to withstand the acids that
are produced by digesting foods. The esophagus,
which is the tube that passes food from the throat to
the stomach, has a very thin lining to it. This lining does
not have the protective strength of the stomach
intestines. Thus when stomach acid reflux into the
esophagus it makes the lower section of the
esophagus painful and irritated. This painful
inflammation is called reflux esophagitis.

The esophagus is usually sealed from the stomach by a
valve known as the Lower Esophageal Sphincter, also
called LES. This valve only opens when food passes
into the stomach from the esophagus. There are a few
conditions that make the valve work incorrectly. These
factors range from eating large meals, drinking caffeine
based drinks, eating acid causing foods to taking drugs
like morphine, meperidine, nitrate heart medications
and adrenergic drugs. The LES also becomes relaxes
when foods like peppermint and chocolate are eaten.

The symptoms of acid reflux are varied. They range
from your typical heartburn to cramping, excess
salivation, shortness of breath, difficult or painful
swallowing, fluid or vomit being inhaled into the lungs
and other conditions. While acid reflux is painful,
frequently occurring gastroesophageal reflux can lead
to more serious conditions known as reflux
esophagitis, esophageal narrowing and esophageal
ulcer. The most serious acid reflux condition is Barrett’
s syndrome. With Barrett’s syndrome a change in the
lining of the esophagus leads to esophageal cancer.

Acid reflux can occur in anyone. The main sufferers of
acid reflux are those who are obese, experience
repeated vomiting, have nasogastric tubes, and have a
history of hiatal hernia or scleroderma. Pregnant
women may also experience acid reflux.

Acid reflux can be diagnosed and treated so that the
symptoms are relived. A gastroenterologist will take x-
rays of the patient. The patient will drink a barium
solution and lie down so that their head is lower that
their feet. An esophagoscopy examination is taken.
Here a flexible viewing tube is inserted into the patient’
s esophagus for a close look.

For suffers of acid reflux there are some simple things
that you can do to alleviate the pain. Simple things like
eating several small meals a day, not eating fatty and
fried foods, maintaining a healthy diet and lifestyle. And
these are only a few things that can help you to ease
the acid reflux that you suffer from. There are
countless other simple and easy ways for you to steer
clear of acid reflux, and there’s no time like the
present to start trying them.

Probably the worst thing you can do is ignore this
serious health problem. Its up to you.

Acid Reflux

Heartburn
Cure
Resources