What If Acid Reflux Symptoms Persist?

If your Acid Reflux symptoms do not improve because you did not take necessary lifestyle changes or the doct

or recommended drugs you took were ineffective, you may need additional testing. Here are some acid reflux treatments that you may need to ask your doctor about. A barium swallow radiograph uses x rays to help spot abnormalities such as a hiatal hernia and severe inflammation of the esophagus. With this test, you drink a solution and then X-rays are taken. Mild irritation will not appear on this test, although narrowing of the esophagus?called stricture?ulcers, hiatal hernia, and other problems will. Upper endoscopy is more accurate than a barium swallow radiograph and may be performed in a

hospital or a doctor”s office. The doctor will spray your throat to numb it and slide down a thin, flexible plastic tube called an endoscope. A tiny camera in the endoscope allows the doctor to see the surface of the esophagus and to search for abnormalities. If you have had moderate to severe symptoms and this procedure reveals injury to the esophagus, usually no other tests are needed to confirm GERD, or acid reflux. The doctor may use tiny tweezers (forceps) in the endoscope to remove a small piece of tissue for biopsy. A biopsy viewed under a microscope can reveal damage caused by acid reflux and rule out

other problems if no infecting organisms or abnormal growths are found. In an ambulatory pH monitoring examination, the doctor puts a tiny tube into the esophagus

that will stay there for 24 hours. While you go about your normal activities, it measures when and how much acid comes up into your esophagus. This test is useful in people with GERD symptoms but no esophageal damage. The procedure is also helpful in detecting whether respiratory symptoms, including wheezing and coughing, are triggered by

reflux.

Surgery

Surgery is also an alternative to acid reflux medications when the medicines and lifestyle changes do not work, or the acid reflux is beyond repair. Surgery may also be a reasonable alternative to a life time of drugs and discomfort.

Fundoplication, usually a specific variation called Nissen fundoplication, is the standard surgical treatment for GERD, or

acid reflux. The upper part of the stomach is wrapped around the LES to strengthen the sphincter and prevent acid reflux and to repair a hiatal hernia. This fundoplication procedure may be done using a laparoscope and requires only tiny incisions in the abdomen. To perform the fundoplication, surgeons use small instruments that hold a tiny camera. Laparoscopic fundoplication has been used safely and effectively in people of all ages, even babies. When performed by experienced surgeons, the procedure is reported to be as good as standard fundoplication. Furthermore, people

can leave the hospital in 1 to 3 days and return to work in 2 to 3 weeks. In 2000, the

U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved

two endoscopic devices to treat chronic heartburn. The Bard EndoCinch system puts stitches in the LES to create little pleats that help strengthen the muscle. The Stretta system uses electrodes to create tiny cuts on the LES. When the cuts heal, the scar tissue helps toughen the muscle. The long-term effects of these two procedures are unknown.

Implant

Recently the FDA approved an implant that may help people with GERD who wish to avoid surgery. Enteryx is a solution that becomes spongy and reinforces the LES to keep stomach acid from flowing into the esophagus. It is injected during endoscopy. The implant is approved for people who have GERD and who require and respond

to proton pump inhibitors. *The long-term effects of the implants are unknown*. Solution These options are “of course” the last resort treatment (or used for extreme cases). It is best to take a natural approach to ending your acid reflux suffering. The treatments available in the “Reflux Remedy Report” will not only stop your acid reflux, but it will also help you get on track to a healthier you. Get your copy today!