If you constantly have a burning sensation in your chest, hiccup or belch frequently, particularly after a heavy, fatty meal, you may be experiencing heartburn, an ordinary symptom of GERD. Gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERD, is a condition that stems from frequent acid reflux caused when the lower esophageal sphincter operates outside of the ordinary. Instead of tightening to restrict the influx of stomach acid and food that once passed through the esophagus, the loose sphincter or muscular ring allows acid to enter up the esophagus and cause inflammation. When the acid makes contact with the esophagus, a burning feeling begins, and is commonly referred to as heartburn.

Main Symptoms

Heartburn, sometimes referred to as acid indigestion, is primarily felt behind the breast bone but may spread to other nearby areas including the throat and neck. This pain is usually paired with belching. Heartburn is widespread and affects about 40% of the population. Although heartburn alone does not reflect that GERD is present, people that suffer from heartburn several times per week probably have GERD or acid reflux disease.

Gastric acid regurgitation is often associated with heartburn and is a chief symptom of GERD. Regurgitation can be uncomfortable because the acidic content of the stomach has the ability to burn and irritate the esophagus. When this occurs, the esophagus may become inflamed and limit the access of food to the stomach and create pain with swallowing.

Less Obvious Symptoms

Some symptoms of GERD are less-common and may go accidentally unnoticed as a sign of gastroesophageal reflux disease. Chest pain, abdominal discomfort and nausea are among the symptoms that are often misinterpreted as symptoms for other medical conditions and diseases such as a heart attack. The simultaneous onset of these symptoms may be signs of Dyspepsia, where a general stomach ache occurs. Other symptoms for GERD are not typical at all but can serve as a warning sign. These atypical symptoms include but are not limited to asthma, sinusitis, a persistent cough, laryngitis and dentine hypersensitivity.

Defensive Treatment

Regulating the symptoms of GERD can be done through diet and habit. Eating meals that are less acidic a few hours before bed is a great way to reduce heartburn. Refraining from alcohol, fattening meals and chocolate can limit the frequency and intensity of heartburn and GERD. Over the counter medications like ibuprofen found in Advil and other pain relievers can exacerbate the symptoms of GERD. Drinking large amounts of water can neutralize the acidity of the stomach’s natural juices. Preventing GERD may be easier than treating it.

If you are not incorporated in your daily lifestyle and gastroesophageal reflux disease goes untreated, this may lead to gastritis and other complications of the esophagus. This can eventually cause difficulty with breathing and swallowing, essential everyday functions.

The Reflux Remedy Report contains more information on the symptoms for GERD and can assist you in determining your risk level. Go go to refluxremedy.com to view additional tips and methods of treating these symptoms.

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.

You have muscles that protect you from one of the most dangerous caustic acids in the world?your stomach acid.

Gastric acid, or stomach acid, is so dangerous it can actually burn glass, so imagine what gastric acid is doing to millions of people who suffer from gastric reflux.

Another word for gastric reflux is Laryngopharyngeal reflux.

People, who suffer from acid indigestion, heartburn or gastroesophageal reflux (GERD) in fact, usually suffer from a mineral deficiency which leads to a gastric acid shortage. The ironic thing is that people who suffer from a gastric acid deficiency are hard to tell from people who suffer from an over production of gastric acid. The root causes are different; however the damaging effects remain pretty much the same.

Before gastric reflux can fully develop, a build-up of gastric acid eventually weakens the muscles that protect the throat and vocal cords from the gastric acid reflux.

The gastric reflux happens because as a result of a gastric acid deficiency the food in the stomach becomes stagnant and piles up to the roof of your rib cage where the muscles of the Lower Esophageal Sphincter (LES) are trying to protect you.

Because of the lack of stomach acid, food remains undigested and goes through a toxic form of fermentation. As these toxins build-up the starving body desperately strives to produce random spurts of corrosive gastric juices. These gastric juices are released at the top of your stomach lining and sit there bubbling and churning away at a massive amount of fatty foods and all the rest of it.

Unfortunately the gastric reflux builds-up in the LES muscles, weakens them and is forced upward. Gradually the same thing happens to your larynx, or voice box, this is the stage defined as gastric reflux.

Basically the flow of gastric acid and powerful digestive enzymes becomes reversed as gastric acids are allowed to reflux upward . . . chemically basting the once sensitive lining, tissue and muscles of your throat, voice box and mouth area.

This degenerative process is also called GERD, or gastro-esophageal reflux disease. It is from the build-up of gastric acid in your larynx which causes Laryngopharyngeal reflux disease (LPR).

When LPR is persistent enough it can cause a non-cancerous growth on the back of your vocal cords, called a granuloma.

Symptoms of LPR can include:

• A choking sensation
• Sore throat
• Voice changes
• A sensation of something caught in the throat
• Frequent coughing and throat clearing
• A sour or bitter taste in the mouth

Those symptoms of acid reflux, acid indigestion and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), such as heartburn, burping and chest pressure are not always experienced as symptoms of gastric reflux, or LPR.

To avoid build-up of gastric reflux on your vocal muscles don?t start treating just the symptoms, learn how to address the root cause.

You were born to heal,

Todd M. Faass?

Health Ecologist

If you have heartburn more than twice a week, you may have Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease, or GERD.? The chronic heartburn condition is caused when the lower esophageal sphincter malfunctions.? When operating normally, the sphincter only allows food and liquids to flow one direction – into the stomach.? GERD occurs when stomach acid is allowed to flow the opposite way, and up into the lower esophagus. ?This results in pain and irritation of the esophagus.

What causes GERD?

GERD has several causes ranging from health and hormonal abnormalities, to daily habits.

• Medicines: Certain medications can be pointed to as causes for, and irritants of, GERD. Over the counter pain medicines called NSAIDS like aspirin and ibuprofen, as well as vitamin supplements like iron, potassium and calcium.
• Health: Hormones help control the contractions of the lower esophageal sphincter, so pregnant women often find they suffer from frequent heartburn. Additionally, a small percentage of people with Type 1 Diabetes have a digestive disorder (called gastroparesis). It delays food passage out of the stomach, causing pressure to build and leading to GERD. There is also a condition called Hiatal Hernia that is thought to worsen the symptoms of GERD. This happens when a part of the stomach is displaced and either forced into the lower esophagus, or beside it.
• Foods: It’s difficult to point to one certain food that causes heartburn, but some foods can cause it more frequently than others. Things like garlic, citrus, caffeine, alcohol and onions can make heartburn worse. But, everyone has their own triggers – something that may cause heartburn in one person, someone else with GERD may not react to at all.
• Habits: Daily routines can also cause GERD. Things like wearing clothes that are too tight and smoking can cause acid build up. Even if you’re just a little overweight, that added pressure on your abdomen can trigger heartburn.

What are the symptoms?

GERD presents with a few symptoms.? They include:

• Frequent heartburn
• Regurgitation
• Difficulty swallowing

These symptoms can be exacerbated if you lay down to soon after eating, eat a large meal, or even bend down to lift something heavy.

What can you do?

If you have GERD, there are many options for treatment.? If you’re a smoker, quit.? If you’re overweight, loose a few pounds.? You should also use caution with medicines known to aggravate GERD.

Even a change in diet can have a profound effect.? Try keeping a food journal and track what foods set off your heartburn, then avoid them.? Also, wait 2 to 3 hours after eating to go to bed, and eat smaller, more frequent meals to avoid pressure build up in the stomach.

Over the counter antacids or prescription medications can also be helpful.

If all else fails, your doctor may recommend surgery.? The procedure involves attaching the stomach around the lower esophagus, tightening the muscles there and blocking acid from making its way up.? However, this is generally a last resort.

For more on this condition and coping with its symptoms without surgery, read our Reflux Remedy Report.