An alternative treatment for acid reflux should address more than the symptoms of acid indigestion, heartburn and acid reflux.

Nothing ever happens at the symptom level, change is ONLY possible at the causal level.

Before you go running off to your drugs store to get an Over-The -Counter (OTC) antacid, you may find it in your best interest to see a doctor.

I know heartburn doesn’t sound like something to see a physician or licensed health practitioner over . . . but it is.

Millions of acid reflux sufferers make the mistake of treating their acid reflux symptoms as if they were caused from too much stomach acid. When they do that, they risk the danger of simple heartburn symptoms escalating into life threatening health conditions like acid rebound, GERD and throat cancer.

Fact is most people actually suffer from acid reflux symptoms because of quite the opposite reason; they have too little stomach acid.

The best thing you can do is make sure you are treating your own acid reflux symptoms correctly.

When your acid reflux, heartburn and acid indigestion symptoms are really persistent you will want to request that you have a stomach acid test.

Acid indigestion, heartburn and acid reflux are some of the most mis-treated and mis-diagnosed health problems in America.

The drug companies depend on you and your doctor believing the Direct-to-Consumer advertising spiels you’ve been bombarded with all your life.

It’s vital you question everything, even if your doctor tells you something is true, verify it. Never be afraid to ask questions and if you don’t feel you got a good answer, then get 2 and 3 medical opinions. Learn to investigate acid reflux and other health issues yourself. If you do your due diligence, you’ll naturally ask better questions about how to best treat your acid reflux.

The treatment for increasing your stomach acid and your ability to properly digest foods is totally different then the treatment for acid reflux caused from lack of digestive acids and enzymes.

Your stomach as well as your entire enteric digestive system depends on you choosing a treatment that will provide adequate nutrition. The right eating habits can help, however if your ability to digest your food down into molecular sized nutrients is inhibited from lack of stomach acid and acid reflux symptoms . . . eating right may only be part of the right treatment for your acid reflux symptoms.

You were born to heal,

Todd M. Faass

Health Advocate

When the esophagus becomes inflamed and irritated due to contact with gastric acids, this is called reflux disorder. You may be wondering how gastric acids from the stomach end up in your esophagus. The esophagus spans from your throat to your abdomen. This is the method by which food travels from your mouth and into your stomach. When food makes it to the bottom of the esophagus it must pass through the lower esophageal sphincter, a ring-like muscle that acts as a gatekeeper for solid and liquid foods. Once food is in the stomach, acids are produced in order for digestion to continue. If you have a lower esophageal sphincter that keeps the gate open or leaves a crack in the gate, this can allow corrosive stomach acids to reflux to the esophagus. Reflux disorder is harmful to the body and disrupts the digestion process.

Causes

There are several contributing factors for reflux disorder.

• Routine has a lot to do with the onset of reflux disorder. Alcohol use, cigarette addiction, and eating habits play a major role. Eating foods then lying down or having extra large portions can aggravate stomach acid and cause reflux.
• Diet affects all mechanisms of the body. Foods that are laden with fat and fried in oil are not recommended as they may cause reflux disorder. Foods with caffeine, chocolate, garlic and onions can trigger acid reflux.
• Medications used to relieve pain and other problems can contribute to reflux disorder. Pain relievers like aspirin and ibuprofen are nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) that adversely affect you by irritating the gastrointestinal tract.
• Medical conditions like pregnancy, obesity, diabetes and hiatal hernia commonly cause reflux disorder.

Symptoms

Symptoms of reflux disorder are different for adults and children.

• Heartburn is the most widespread and universal symptom of reflux disorder. When gastric acid reaches the esophagus, there is a burning sensation at the chest. Since the heart rests above the esophagus, it is referred to as heartburn. Heartburn sometimes travels from the stomach to the throat.
• Regurgitating stomach acid into the mouth is the second most common symptom of reflux disorder.
• Other symptoms of reflux disorder include a chronic cough, sour or bitter taste in the mouth, sore throat, hoarseness, nausea and difficulty swallowing.

Treatment

Treatment for reflux disorder varies based on frequency and intensity. Some people may be able to modify their lifestyle and diet, while others may require more drastic methods. Trying to treat reflux disorder using natural remedies is highly recommended. To relieve symptoms of reflux disorder try the following:

• Elevate your head while sleeping. This helps gravity to keep stomach acid down.
• Eat small meals, reducing the quantity of acid produced for digestion.
• Eat lean meals, less caffeine, alcohol and garlic.
• Quit smoking to strengthen the lower esophageal sphincter.
• Eat a balanced meal to regulate weight and prevent obesity and diabetes.

Pick up a copy of The Reflux Remedy Report to find out more about reflux disorder and how you can treat it.

Digestive diseases run the gamut between appendicitis and liver failure. A digestive disease comprises any condition that is directly related to an organ in the digestive tract. These organs include the stomach, liver, esophagus, pancreas and the large and small intestine. Gastroesophageal reflux diseases (GERDs) are common types of digestive diseases. The esophagus is a long tube like organ located between your neck and stomach. Food goes down this organ and into the stomach. To reach the stomach, the muscle ring at the bottom of the esophagus must open. This ring is called the lower esophageal sphincter. A strong LES functions well, allowing food to access the stomach for digestion and blocking acid from spewing into the esophagus. A weakened LES does the opposite and allows stomach acid to come in contact with the esophagus. This causes GERD which is injurious to the body and uncomfortable.

Food

The cause of GERD is not standard for everyone. Specific foods can promote GERD so your diet is a main factor in treatment. Eating foods with large quantities of fat, garlic, onion and caffeine can contribute to acid reflux, when acid and food goes backwards up the esophagus. Eating large meals can promote GERD. When eating, make sure that you sit up and have good posture so that the acid in your stomach does not flow above the LES. You should never eat before bed because this puts your esophagus in a horizontal position that is perfect for letting stomach acid in.

Habits

Bad habits are unhealthy and help GERD to develop. When you smoke, this makes the LES weak and prone to dysfunction. A weakened LES will not stop acid from going to the esophagus. Drinking alcohol can also trigger acid reflux and GERD. If you eat while lying down, you may experience heartburn, one of the main symptoms of GERD.

Health Conditions

Being pregnant puts many women at risk for GERD. When you are pregnant your body undergoes considerable physical changes. The body instinctively will make space for the baby by condensing in other areas. When the stomach moves and condenses, this can cause acid to reflux. People who are significantly overweight increase their risk for GERD. The additional weight that is carried by an obese person inflicts pressure on the stomach and abdominal area, thus pushing acid where it does not belong.

Signs

The signs of GERD include regurgitation, heartburn, dysphagia or difficulty swallowing, nausea, chest pain, excessive burping, a bitter taste in the mouth, sore throat and hoarseness. Symptoms vary from person to person and are less severe in children. Heartburn is the most common of all the symptoms. If you have persistent heartburn, occurring more than twice per week, you may have GERD.

There are natural treatments for GERD. Changing your diet and lifestyle are the main ways you can control or reduce the symptoms of GERD. If you would like to learn more about the causes, symptoms and treatment of gastroesophageal reflux diseases, review the Reflux Remedy Report or visit www.refluxremedy.com for more information.

The natural treatment for GERD will be whatever takes away the root cause of your GERD.

Gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD) is basically heartburn gone wild.

Seriously millions of people who mistreat their simple heartburn become cash cows for the acid reflux and GERD industries.

No one would ever get GERD if they used a natural remedy for their heartburn instead of falling for antacid treatments.

For every antacid a heartburn sufferer pops there is a potential GERD patient in the making.

It’s NOT natural to use drugs to block symptoms of heartburn, this kind of MIS- treatment of heartburn encourages people to ignore and eventually forget about their heartburn and GERD symptoms and causes.

The better the antacid product blocks a person’s heartburn or GERD symptoms the more likely the acid indigestion issue will inflame into a progressively worse condition.

Let’s follow the trail to solve the crime.

You start thinking it’s natural to have heartburn after years of eating foods packed with chemicals and virtually empty of any significant nutritional value. Then you think it’s acceptable for you to self treat your condition with chemical products carelessly and conveniently marketed to make a profit off you.

These antacids you use as a treatment to cover up your heartburn symptoms allow you to go further and further down the road to illness, plus they are also contributing heavy metals into your body to weaken your immune system more.

Soon the antacid wears off and your heartburn flares up with a vengeance . . . so you see your doctor for a stronger antacid, not even thinking maybe the treatment is actually causing your heartburn to become more like advanced GERD.

Naturally your doctor signs your prescription for a Proton Pump Inhibitor (PPI) as a treatment to chemically stop the cells that make stomach acid from working at all. These PPIs are notorious for being addictive physiologically and after going through treatment for a while you need your doctor’s help getting off them, because your symptoms are getting louder.

Now IF your doctor tested you to see if you actually had any stomach acid in the first place, then you’re still in trouble because PPIs cause acid rebound.

Acid rebound doesn’t have a treatment, because the drug treatment causes it, so now you notice your heartburn pain is like the lake of fire, your own little personal Hell deep in your throat.

Next treatment you’ll need is for hiatal hernia, probably surgery and a protocol to force you to eat better . . . which is really all you needed to do in the first place before ever having sought drug treatment for heartburn.

The natural treatment for GERD according to most doctors and pharmacists is to block the signals of your body and upgrade medication when the health problem blossoms from heartburn to GERD and beyond to surgery.

Natural treatment is not an option for GERD, you want to be CURED . . . patient bewares!

You were born to heal,

Todd M. Faass

Health Advocate