Acid Reflux Syndroms
If you are concerned that you may be suffering from acid reflux or GERD, then before going to see your doctor, it helps if you have some understanding of acid reflux syndroms.
What is acid reflux disease? If you are suffering from heartburn for two or more than two days in a week in spite of taking medicines and making diet changes then you probably have acid reflux disease.
Acid reflux disease is also called as GERD. GERD is short for Gastro Esophageal Reflux Disease (pronounced gas-tro-eh-sof-uh-JEE-ul RE-fluks disease).
How does acid reflux or GERD happen? Acid reflux disease happens when a valve between the esophagus and the stomach does not close properly. The Esophagus is the tube that connects your mouth to your stomach. The medical name for this valve is the lower esophageal sphincter. When you eat or drink, this is the valve which opens to let the food and liquids into your stomach for digestion. This valve then closes to keep the digestive acid and the food in the stomach. Sometimes this valve does not close properly. This allows re-entry of stomach acid into the esophagus again and again. While the stomach is able to contain the stomach acid that digests the food we eat, the esophagus is not. Repeated exposure of the esophagus to stomach acid may lead to damage of esophagus. This condition leads to the sensation known as heartburn to many people. If the heartburn lasts more than two days even after diet changes then you are suffering from Acid reflux disease or GERD.
What are the acid reflux symdroms ? The sensation of Heartburn is the common symptom of acid reflux. Acid regurgitation is also seen in the patients of GERD. Chest pain , morning hoarseness and trouble swallowing are also experinced by people who have acid reflux
Acid Reflux or GERD syndroms without heartburn. Sometimes you may suffer from dry cough and bad breath in GERD. You may feel a sour taste in the mouth, throat burn or experince disturbance in your sleep. These can also be acid reflux symptoms.
What are the acid reflux symptoms in children? GERD is common in children. It can even happen among one year old kids. Typically you can see repeated vomiting, coughing and other respiratory problems in children suffering from acid reflux.
What are the causes of acid reflux syndromes? In one of the previous paragraphs we discussed how acid reflux disease happens. There are some other causes of GERD that you should know about. It can happen because of being overweight, due to pregnancy, smoking and drinking alcohol. Other things to avoid include eating foods like chocolate, citrus fruits, drinks with caffeine, heavy and fried foods, onions and garlic, flavors of mint, spicy foods and foods containing tomatoes. You can either avoid these things, or only consume them in small quantities or infrequently if you want to reduce or avoid GERD.
How to treat acid reflux disease? The best thing to do when you suffer from acid reflux disease is to visit your doctor who is expert in problems of the stomach and intestines. Go to a gastroenterologist. He will prescribe medicines to reduce the symptoms and help you feel better. In extreme cases your doctor will recommend surgery. Make some changes in your daily routine. If you currently smoke and drink alcoholic drinks then stop doing that. In this way you will get relief.
Visit your child's doctor if your child is suffering from the same problem. In infants, a doctor will suggest you burp while feeding or keep the infant in vertical position for half an hour after feeding. Avoid giving your child food like chocolate, spicy and fatty foods and follow your doctor's suggestions on which food to give your child.
I hope this article provided you with the information and understanding you were looking for.
Brian Waybridge, the author of this article, suffered for many years with the pain of acid reflux before he found welcome relief.