Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is something that develops over time. It is also referred to as acid reflux disease. This is what happens when your digestive system is altered causing acid to move from the stomach to the esophagus and throat. The digestive system involves several parts of your body. This means that all parts have to be functioning properly to allow digestion to run smoothly. If there is one element of the digestive process that isn?t working, this can cause serious health problems. When you eat, the food is chewed in the mouth, swallowed at the throat, transitioned through the esophagus and passed through lower esophageal sphincter (LES).

The LES is a very crucial part of the digestive process. It acts as the passage to the stomach. When food reaches the end of the esophagus, the LES opens to let it pass. After the food goes through, the LES closes again. If the LES doesn’t close quickly or tightly enough, the food may have the opportunity to come out of the stomach and get back into the esophagus. Along with the food is gastric acid which can be extremely damaging and painful when in the esophagus or throat.

Passage through the LES permits food to enter the stomach for the next phases of digestion. In the stomach, food particles are further fragmented with the help of gastric acid. After the food has been broken down significantly, it moves to the large and small intestines so that nutrients that are useful for the body can be extracted and the waste can transition to the rectum.

Treating GERD doesn’t have to include prescriptions or surgical operations. You can do things at home to decrease symptoms and prevent it from occurring regularly. Certain lifestyle changes may be necessary to handle this problem.

• Don’t eat meals before going to bed. Allow at least a few hours.
• Try not to lie down after a meal. This keeps gastric acids in place.
• Eat smaller portions. Heavy meals increase acid production.
• Quit smoking. This weakens the LES.
• Cut down on alcohol consumption. This can further irritate the esophagus and throat.
• Monitor foods that trigger acid reflux. Remove these foods from your diet and replace with healthy options.
• Cut out fatty, greasy foods from your diet because they increase acid production.
• Drink a lot of water, ginger tea and aloe juice. This reduces acid reflux symptoms.
• Eating fennel seed and ginger root is also a great for GERD.

The best way to manage your GERD is to figure out what might be causing it. This can be done through logging your eating and lifestyle habits to find out what may be leading to your GERD. After you find out what may be causing the disease, you can address it naturally. For more information on home remedies and cures for GERD, review the Reflux Remedy Report or visit refluxremedy.com today.

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), also known as acid reflux, is something that affects many people in different ways. There are several causes and symptoms that are related to GERD. If the symptoms of GERD are not addressed, this may lead to long term problems that can include ulcers, cancer of the esophagus, inflammation, scarring of the esophagus lining, abdominal pain and irritation.

Symptoms

There are a number of symptoms that can result from having acid reflux or GERD. Symptoms may include heartburn, nausea, regurgitation, dysphasia, sore throat and hoarseness. The severity of these symptoms ranges from person to person. Heartburn is the most prevalent symptom of GERD. This can be identified as a burning sensation in the esophagus. The location of the esophagus in the chest area is what causes this to be called heartburn. The burning sensation is as a result of bringing up gastric acid from the stomach to the esophagus.

Causes

GERD isn’t developed because of one cause necessarily. Most of the causes are related to the lower esophageal sphincter (LES). The LES is a muscle that is located just below the esophagus and above the stomach. It is a part of the diaphragm. The LES is the passageway for food that is chewed, swallowed and in the esophagus. Once the food reaches diaphragm, the LES should open to grant entry to the stomach for digestion. When the LES doesn’t close properly or right after the food goes to the stomach, gastric acid may be permitted to go through the LES and into the esophagus. If this happens, this can cause GERD. A weakened or dysfunctional LES may be caused by a number of things.

• Hiatal Hernia: This is when the stomach shifts to an abnormal area.
• Pregnancy: This may cause the internal organs to shift to accommodate the growing fetus.
• Smoking and Alcohol Consumption: This can cause heartburn and irritation to the LES.

Natural Treatment

Treating GERD doesn’t have to include medications and prescriptions. Here are some natural ways to avoid and treat this disease:

• Papaya: Eat papaya enzymes to aid the stomach and intestines with natural digestions. This prevents the stomach from having to produce too much gastric acid.
• Ginger: Drinking ginger tea or eating ginger root will help to absorb excess stomach acid and sooth the organs in the digestive system.
• Fennel seed: This is an herb that can control stomach spasms. Stomach spasms contribute to GERD.
• Aloe Juice: Drinking aloe juice can settle your stomach and relieve heartburn.
• Apple Cider Vinegar: Even though vinegar tastes acidic, this substance can balance the pH of your stomach and make digestion easy.
• Water: This is the most accessible of all the natural remedies. It has a neutralizing effect on the stomach.

Getting your GERD/acid reflux under control can be a challenge if you don’t understand the causes, recognize the symptoms or become aware of the treatments. For more information on natural treatments for GERD, review the Reflux Remedy Report or visit refluxremedy.com today.

Acid reflux and GERD (gastro-esophageal reflux disease) are common ailments that cause the esophageal sphincter, which is responsible for stopping excess acid from coming up from your stomach, fails. It can be healed to work normally again with treatment, but until that happens, symptoms such as heartburn, pain in the chest, overactive salivary glands, acid regurgitation, sore throat, excessive burping and a burning sensation in the stomach may occur. Often, patients are advised to go on a course of prescription medication, with little or no further information given, especially in relation to natural alternatives to heal GERD.

Although doctors may be quick to prescribe a long-term solution to these symptoms, there are indeed many tried and true natural combatants against GERD. Giving your esophagus a break from acid will allow it to heal, and ensure its ability to perform its job within the digestive process. With a functioning esophageal sphincter you will no longer suffer from the very uncomfortable and disconcerting symptoms of GERD or acid reflux.

The list of natural alternatives to heal GERD includes several cheap, easy-to-follow changes in your diet and lifestyle; natural aids for helping the healing. Red apples are at the top of the recent list of possible aids. Numerous research studies have been published that indicate that one red apple a day can greatly reduce your stomach acid. Other natural healing avenues include drinking a glass of water after every meal to help keep the seal on your esophagus more firmly closed. This assists your esophageal sphincter in doing its job to keep acid in your stomach, and not in your throat. The gel from an Aloe Vera plant, either diluted or alone, has been shown to act as an effective soothing device to combat stomach acid. Also, honey has been related with esophageal sphincter repair and has been shown to be a natural alternative to heal GERD.

Stay away from caffeine, alcohol and nicotine while trying to heal GERD. Natural alternatives often work better when you abstain from these substances as well. Salt can aggravate the condition, as can many fatty foods. Also, try to limit your food intake to smaller portions at a time, eating several small meals over the course of the day instead two or three big meals. Your stomach does not have to work as hard at producing the acid needed to break down a big meal; therefore, your stomach acid pumps get a break if you throw smaller meals at it over a the course of a day. Consider ingesting stomach enzymes with each meal to help your stomach digest food without additional treatments.

Calcium carbonate is a natural, short-term remedy for heartburn, as is licorice, which can help soothe the mucous membranes in your stomach that protect it from acid. Try a cup of peppermint or chamomile tea after meals instead of coffee, as they are caffeine-free and can help soothe your stomach. Chewing gum can also be effective for soothing heartburn symptoms by stimulating saliva production, which can dilute your stomach acid. Try sleeping with your head slightly elevated at night to reduce the ability of stomach acid to creep up your esophagus and throat. These natural alternatives to heal GERD will reduce your cost of prescription medicines, and restore your body?s ability to digest foods without over-producing acid.