February 22, 2011
Holistic Remedies for Acid Reflux
Acid reflux is a condition that can cause severe discomfort and harm to your body. When the corrosive acid in your stomach gets into your esophagus and goes up towards your mouth, this can have damaging effects. Stomach acid is designed to chemically deconstruct foods to expose useful nutrients for your body. When stomach acid makes contact with your esophagus and throat, it can essentially break down these parts of your anatomy. A problem with your lower esophageal sphincter could be the reason that you are suffering from acid reflux. If you continuously experience acid reflux, it is likely that you could develop gastroesophageal reflux disease.
Modifying Your Lifestyle
There are certain activities that can encourage or suppress acid reflux. You should use holistic remedies for acid reflux as a first resort.
- Don’t eat right before bed. Eating before sleeping in a flat position makes it easier for food and acid to spill from the stomach. Each time you eat, your body naturally produces gastric acids to digest the foods. Lying down only allows the acid to escape.
- Eating smaller meals that are low in fat will help to treat your acid reflux. Larger meals promote the production of more stomach acid that can end up in your esophagus.
- Investigating your food choices is of utmost importance in remedying acid reflux. Everything that enters your body will have a positive or negative effect. Some foods may trigger your acid reflux more than others. Keep a daily food log to discover what foods may promote acid reflux and eliminate those foods from your diet.
- Leave bad habits behind if you want to reduce your risk of acid reflux. Smoking is unhealthy for your respiratory and digestive systems. When you smoke, the lower esophageal sphincter loses strength and will permit gastric acids to escape from the stomach to the esophagus.
Natural Treatment
You should use holistic remedies for acid reflux as a first resort in combating this disease.
- Aloe Juice can minimize the symptoms of acid reflux. Heartburn, a major symptom of acid reflux will decrease when aloe juice is incorporated in your diet. Aloe, in juice form only, acts as a neutralizer, and counteracts the effects of acid in the esophagus.
- Ginger, candied or in your tea, is great for relieving acid reflux and other digestive problems. Ginger can have a calming and settling effect on your stomach. Although ginger has a very strong flavor, it will not leave your mouth with an awful odor.
- Drinking water is one of the easiest and least expensive holistic remedies for acid reflux. When large amounts of water contact your stomach acid, it has a diluting effect that soothes the esophagus.
- Papaya in your diet will aid daily digestion and discourage the body from producing as much stomach acid. Papaya consists of an enzyme that is well suited for breaking down foods, preventing the presence of unneeded gastric acid.
There are many other options for treating acid reflux. Seeking out holistic remedies for acid reflux is the safest way to bring this disease under control. For more information on acid reflux and other natural remedies, visit reflexremedy.com.
Filed under Acid Reflux Remedy by admin
February 11, 2011
Gastrointestinal Reflux Disease
Developing a digestive disease can take a toll on your body. Since digestion is needed to sustain life, any problems in this area can have an overwhelming impact. Gastrointestinal reflux disease (GERD) is a common type of digestive disease. GERD should not be taken lightly. Contracting GERD directly correlates with the status of the lower esophageal sphincter. A malfunctioning LES greatly contributes to the development of GERD. The LES is an important part of the esophagus and can be found at the bottom near the stomach. The LES helps two digestive organs to link and work together, the stomach and esophagus. For food to get to the stomach for digestion, the LES has to open for passage. Normally, the LES will close tightly after the food has entered, but in some cases, it does not. This kind of LES can be classified as weak.
Having a weak LES is problematic because stomach acid has no barrier that stops it from getting into the esophagus. Stomach acid bounces around the stomach and is particularly mobile when you lie down and bend over. When you stand erect, the stomach acid will remain relatively in place even with a weakened LES. Once you become vertical or move about, this is when the acid can splash within the esophagus and even reach the mouth.
To prevent GERD, you should try to do three main things.
1) Regulate the development of gastric acids.
GERD may affect you because of the accumulation of a large quantity of gastric acid in your stomach. This makes it easier for acid to escape. There are things you can do to stop gastric acids from being excessively produced. To reduce production of acid, try to eat smaller meals more frequently. Larger meals require more acid. Papaya has an enzyme that is a natural digestive aid. Eating papaya can help the stomach to break down foods without need for as much acid. If you have diabetes, the way your body digests foods can complicate GERD. You may be able to rid yourself of diabetes with diet and exercise.
2) Keep the lower esophageal sphincter strong.
Lifestyle behaviors can weaken the LES. Smoking and drinking alcohol are not good for strengthening the LES. Smoking and drinking exposes the esophagus to toxins that make it weak. Don’t eat foods that trigger reflux. Fatty foods, garlic, onion and caffeine are common causes of reflux.
3) Help the lower esophageal sphincter.
Conditions like obesity and hiatal hernia contribute to GERD. Carrying abnormal fat deposits around the stomach puts pressure on this organ. The stomach may not be able to occupy its normal space because of obesity. A stomach under pressure will likely expel gastric acid to the esophagus. Do your part by eating right and working out. Hiatal hernia is what happens when the stomach and LES move above or beside the diaphragm. This awkward position makes GERD possible. Although hereditary for some, risk factors for hiatal hernia include lifting heavy items, smoking and drug use.
If you would like to learn more about GERD, visit www/refluxremedy.com for more information.
Filed under Gastrointestinal Disease by admin
September 21, 2010
Gastric Ulcer Causing Diarrhea
While the instances of a gastric ulcer causing diarrhea are few and far between, they do occur in a few individuals, most notably those suffering from Zollinger-Ellison syndrome or ZES. ZES is in fact one of the least common causes of ulcers, although one of the key symptoms is diarrhea. If diarrhea symptoms do appear, there may be a tumor in the pancreas and the duodenum. These tumors are known as gastrinomas, and they cause the production of excessive gastric levels. It is important to note that such tumors are often cancerous, so patients who notice that their gastric ulcer is causing diarrhea should seek diagnosis and treatment immediately. As part of the treatment, your doctor may prescribe anti acid medications in order to prevent the ulcers from recurring.
It is estimated that only 1 person in a million gets ZES each year. The figure is even lower in the category of ulcer sufferers, with only 0.1% to 1% ulcer patients being diagnosed with the condition. ZES generally occurs in people 45 to 50 years old, with men being more prone to the condition than women.
The diagnosis and treatment of ZES begins with the examination of patients suffering from gastric ulcer causing diarrhea. Once H. pylori and a history of NSAID use (both common causes of gastric ulcer related diarrhea) have been ruled out, the doctor will then look into the possibility that it is indeed ZES that the patient is suffering from. In almost all cases, the diarrhea occurs long before the characteristic ulcer symptoms appear. The ulcers related to the condition typically occur in the second, third, or fourth section of the duodenum or the jejunum.
Patients suffering from ZES are also a lot more likely to develop Gastro-esophageal reflux disease or GERD, and the effects of this condition may be more severe than in patients that do not have ZES. GERD itself may cause a number of complications aside from ulcers, including a narrowing of the esophagus.
Since the ulcers that result from the condition can be stubborn and hard to treat, treatment options for ZES tend to be quite involved. In most cases, the patient will have to undergo surgery so the tumors can be successfully removed. At the same time, the patient may also be injected with an intravenous proton pump inhibitor that will help reduce the production of gastric acids. This is a far better treatment option than what was available in the past, when the removal of the stomach was the only alternative.
Another option you may want to consider is the one presented by Refluxremedy.Com. The site offers a safe and effective alternative treatment to gastric ulcer causing diarrhea that will ease your symptoms quickly. And since the method relies on all natural means, you will be able to avoid the side effects and medication interactions that may occur even with over-the-counter medications. For this reason alone, Refluxremedy.Com is worth considering over traditional ulcer treatment methods.