Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)
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Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a condition where food and liquid from the stomach goes back to the esophagus and eventually irritates it resulting to heartburn and other symptoms. Lying down often contributes to reflux or backing up of stomach acid.
When you have GERD you would feel that food may be left trapped behind the breastbone, or you may feel a burning pain in the chest called heartburn, and often feel nausea after eating. Heartburns tend to aggravate while bending, stooping, lying down, or eating and more likely to worsen at night. This can be however relieved by taking some antacids. Other less common symptoms of GERD could be coughing or wheezing, difficulty of swallowing, hiccups, change in voice, regurgitation of food and sore throat.
What could be the possible cause of GERD?
Food that you eat passes through the esophagus. Once the food is in the stomach, a ring of muscle fibers called lower esophageal sphincter (LES) prevents the food from leaking back into the esophagus. If this LES does not close well, stomach acid, food and liquid may leak back into the esophagus. This is called gastroesophageal reflux or acid reflux. This reflux cause symptoms or can even damage your esophagus. New studies reveal that chronic reflux may disrupt your sleep.
Acid reflux can be worsened by pregnancy and by many different drugs like:
- Anticholinergics (e.g., for seasickness)
- Beta-blockers for high blood pressure or heart disease
- Bronchodilators for asthma
- Calcium channel blockers for high blood pressure
- Dopamine-active drugs for Parkinson’s disease
- Progestin for abnormal menstrual bleeding or birth control
- Sedatives for insomnia or anxiety
- Tricyclic antidepressants
To prevent heartburn, avoid the following as it may trigger the symptoms:
- Alcohol
- Caffeine
- Carbonated beverages
- Chocolate
- Citrus fruits and juices
- Tomatoes and tomato sauces
- spicy and fatty foods
- full-fat dairy products
Also, try the following changes to your eating habits and lifestyle:
- Avoid bending over or exercising just after eating
- Avoid garments or belts that fit tightly around your waist
- Do not lie down with a full stomach. For example, avoid eating within 2 -3 hours of bedtime.
- Do not smoke.
- Eat smaller meals.
- Lose weight if you are overweight.
- Avoid stress.
- Sleep with your head raised about 6 inches. Do this by tilting your entire bed, or by using a wedge under your body, not just with normal pillows.
You may take in over-the-counter antacids after meals or before bedtime to reduce the symptoms.
- Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are the most potent acid inhibitors: omeprazole (Prilosec), esomeprazole (Nexium), iansoprazole (Prevacid), rabeprazle (AcipHex), and pantoprazole (Protonix)
- H2 antagonists: famotidine (Pepsid), cimetidine (Tagamet), ranitidine (Zantac), and nizatidine (Axid)
- Promotility agents: metoclopramide (Reglan)
For GERD patients whose symptoms do not go away with the abovementioned remedies, anti-reflux operations (Nissen fundoplication and others) may be an option. Heartburn and other symptoms should improve after surgery, but you may still need to take drugs for your heartburn. There are also new therapies for reflux that can be performed through an endoscope (a flexible tube passed through the mouth into the stomach). SOURCE: http://health.yahoo.net/channel/reflux-disease.html
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Comments (5)
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Isn’t it interesting that the FDA put out a press release on the 25 May 2010 advising against high doses or long term use of acid reflux medications.
Makes sense because acid reflux medications either block stomach acid production or neutralize stomach acid. We need stomach acid to break down our food so that our body can absorb vital nutrients and minerals like calcium.
Without enough stomach acid we don’t absorb enough calcium (and lots of other vital minerals) and we end up with brittle bones.
Makes it worth the effort searching for a natural alternative.