Causes of Acid Reflux

There are many different factors that can contribute to the development of acid reflux disease. If you have this disease, it was probably caused by a combination of issues surrounding your digestive system. Digestion is one of the most important processes of the body. Whenever you eat food, the process begins. Food that is swallowed goes down your esophagus, past the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) and into the stomach. The LES opens and closes to allow food to enter the stomach. If you have a LES that is weak, you may develop acid reflux. A weakened or dysfunctional LES will not close normally. If it remains open, this can permit stomach or gastric acids to go up the esophagus. Other causes of acid reflux disease include pregnancy, hiatal hernia, obesity, diet, behaviors and certain medications like diabetes. Respiratory diseases can also contribute to acid reflux.

Symptoms of Acid Reflux

Heartburn is the major symptom of acid reflux. When stomach acid reaches the esophagus and throat, this causes irritation. Stomach acid is used to break down foods for the extraction of nutrients. This acid is too corrosive for other parts of the body. When stomach acid travels to other areas, this can cause you to feel a painful, burning sensation in your chest area.

Dysphagia is another symptom of acid reflux. This is when you have the feeling that food is stuck in your throat. You may also have difficulty with swallowing.

Regurgitation is also a sign of acid reflux. Food can also escape from the stomach through the LES and into the esophagus, causing discomfort. People with acid reflux disease may feel nauseated and uncomfortable. Nausea is related to another symptom which is excessive burping and vomiting. Wet burps also allow gastric acid to reach the esophagus and throat.

Bloating is yet another symptom. Bloating will cause you to feel pain and fullness in your abdomen. Bloating can trigger chest pain and hiccups as well.

Treatment for Acid Reflux

There are several treatment options for acid reflux. Some treatments are preventative while others offer a solution for acid reflux that is already present. These measures can help to prevent you from developing acid reflux or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). The easiest ways to combat acid reflux is to have lifestyle changes. You should try not to eat meals right before you go to bed because this increases gastric acid production at a time when your body will be horizontal. In this position, the acid can easily escape through a weak LES and get into the esophagus. Eating smaller meals is best for preventing acid reflux. Larger meals encourage acid production. You should also be careful about the kinds of food you eat. Fattening foods are not ideal. Stay away from caffeine, garlic, onions and alcohol. Aloe juice, water, ginger and papaya enzymes have been known to neutralize stomach acid, promote digestion and reduce the discomfort caused by acid reflux disease.

Acid reflux disease is a condition that occurs when the enzymes and acids in the stomach are hyperactive and escape the stomach making their way to the esophagus causing the esophagus and the chest and even the abdominal region to burn. This is what is known as heartburn. There is a ring shaped valve that is located at the bottom of the esophagus, top of the stomach. This valve is known as the lower esophageal sphincter (LES). The job of the LES is to allow food to pass through the esophagus to the stomach. Immediately after food passes through the esophagus, the valve is to close quickly and tightly allowing for the stomach acids to work at digesting the food that has been passed to it. When this valve neglects to close, or if this valve opens too frequently there is a possibility for acid to escape the stomach and reach the esophagus causing acid reflux.

When the upper part of the stomach and the LES move above the diaphragm, this can cause acid reflux, as well. This is known as a hiatal hernia. The diaphragm helps to keep acids in the stomach. If you are suffering from a hiatal hernia, stomach acids can move into your esophagus causing acid reflux symptoms.

Symptoms for acid reflux can vary from person to person. Out of the thousands of people that suffer from acid reflux every day, there are those who refer to the symptoms they experience as mild or a little uncomfortable while others report a debilitating pain.

Symptoms for acid reflux include, but are not limited to:

• Heartburn: Heartburn is the most common acid reflux disease symptom. When the nerve fibers of the esophagus are stimulated by the stomach acids that have reached the esophagus there is a burning sensation that we refer to as heartburn. Heartburn may start as high as the throat and can make its way down into the lower abdomen. Though most sufferers experience heartburn as a burning sensation, there are those who have reported a sharp, stabbing or pressure-like pain in the chest that can often be confused with experiencing a heart attack. There are rare instances where heartburn may be felt in the back.
• Regurgitation: Regurgitation happens when consumed foods and liquids are expulsed from the mouth via the stomach and esophagus. In this instance, the acids, liquids and sometimes food, travels from the stomach through the LES to the upper esophageal sphincter (USE) and enters the throat. There may be a sour of bitter taste in the mouth followed by heavy salivation which inevitably leads to regurgitation. If this happens often, the acids that reach the mouth may cause erosion of the teeth and gums.
• Nausea: Nausea is a symptom that is less common but when experienced can result in vomiting. There is no known reason why there are some acid reflux sufferers that experience heartburn while others are nauseated. These two symptoms rarely occur together.

These are the most common acid reflux disease symptoms. For more symptoms of treatments be sure to visit www.refluxremedy.com

Acid reflux disease, more often than not, is directly related to your diet. The foods you eat and the drinks you consume can be triggers for acid reflux and you may be unaware. Try keeping a food journal. You may notice that after you eat certain foods your body reacts in a way that clearly indicates that these foods aren’t the foods for you. Why foods serve as triggers for some when they are completely harmless for others has yet to be determined. In the meantime, however, you should do your part at eliminating the foods from your diet that may be personal triggers.

The first aspect of your diet that you may want to tackle is the amount of food you eat, the time of day you eat these foods and how often these foods are eaten. Let’s start by examining the amount of food you eat. Acid reflux has been known to be more active if there is a heavy consumption of food taking place. What happens when there is a large portion of food taken in at one time is that the body (namely the stomach acids) feels that it must do whatever is necessary to break down this large portion of food so that it may be properly digested. The stomach acids kick into overdrive when there is a lot of work to do. The hyperactivity of your stomach acids may ultimately cause these acids to escape the stomach and make way to the esophagus resulting in heartburn or other acid reflux symptoms. Try eating smaller meals several times a day. This not only helps with acid reflux disease, it also aids in weight loss. Also, you may want to try eating at least two hours before bedtime. When we are awake after eating we allow our bodies sufficient positioning for adequately digesting food.

Now that how to eat has been established lets tackle what to eat. In discussing what to eat it is also imperative to discuss what foods to avoid.

In terms of fruit and beverage, try avoiding tomatoes, lemons, carbonated drinks, caffeinated drinks and alcoholic beverages. Try to drinking water in place of the drinks that are listed as ones to avoid. Water is a great digestive aid and works wonders for soothing the esophagus in the instance that there may be irritation or burn. The perfect fruit for those that may suffer from acid reflux is an apple. Try apples in any form whether they are dried, fresh or juiced. Bananas may be a great choice as well.

Stay away from fried and fatty foods. Meats such as chicken nuggets, ground beef, buffalo wings and sirloin aren’t the best for you in terms of acid reflux and overall health. If you are a meat lover try skinless chicken breast, broil steak and if you simply must have ground beef be sure that the meat is extra lean.

A few minor adjustments can take you a long way. Changing your diet may ultimately change your life. For more diet suggestions visit refluxremedy.com today!

Acid reflux disease, also known as Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD), is a disease plaguing thousands of people every day. Acid reflux, simply stated, is what happens when the acids from the stomach that are used to breakdown and digest foods escape the stomach and leak into the esophagus causing what is commonly known as heartburn.

How does acid reflux happen?

Acid reflux happens when the circular ring, which is also a muscle, located at the entrance of your stomach and the lower part of your esophagus called the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) doesn’t adequately serve its purpose. The purpose of the ring is to allow for the passing of food from the esophagus to the stomach. As soon as the food passes through, the LES is suppose to close, only opening if there is more food that needs access. If the LES neglects to close all the way or if it opens too often, the acid that is produced by your stomach to break down food can escape your stomach and make its way into the esophagus resulting in heartburn and other acid reflux symptoms. If this happens rarely, you should not be alarmed. However, if this occurrence happens two or more times a week you may be suffering from acid reflux disease.

Another cause of acid reflux disease is an abnormality of the stomach known as a hiatal hernia. This type of hernia occurs when the LES and the upper part of the stomach move above the diaphragm which is suppose to separate the stomach from the chest. The muscle that is the diaphragm serves as a sort of blockade helping to keep stomach acids in the stomach. With a hiatal hernia, acids may travel to the esophagus causing acid reflux disease.

Symptoms of acid reflux disease vary from person to person. While there are those who may experience acid reflux symptoms mildly, there are others that find acid reflux disease symptoms to be quite debilitating. The most common symptom of acid reflux disease is heartburn. Heartburn may be described as a burning or discomfort in the chest. This burning and discomfort has also been known to travel to the throat and lower abdomen. In rare instances, there have been reports of heartburn making its way to the back.

Regurgitation is also a symptom. Regurgitation happens when acids and undigested, recently consumed food and drinks travels up from the stomach into the esophagus and exits the body from the mouth. This symptom has been known to be accompanied by a sour or bitter taste in the mouth as well. Bloating, burping, hiccups, dysphagia (a narrowing of the throat), and in some cases nausea are also known symptoms.

There are ways to lessen the likelihood of acid reflux. The best way to rid acid reflux would be to change how and what you eat. Try eating smaller meals several times a day as opposed to large meals that may overwork stomach acids during digestion. Drink water instead of carbonated, caffeinated and alcoholic beverages. Eat at least two hours before bedtime, and if you are a smoker, quit. Also keep a food log. If you notice that some foods are triggers for acid reflux, eliminate these foods from your diet.

These are just a few suggestions. For more information on acid reflux disease feel free to visit refluxremedy.com.