reflux

February 25, 2011

Reflux Disorder

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.

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February 10, 2011

Home Treatment for Acid Reflux

Home treatment for acid reflux is easy to address and can be a very effective way to handle the problem.

Acid reflux can be debilitating and painful, especially if it occurs frequently. Obviously, don’t immediately turn to home treatment for acid reflux before consulting your physician. It’s best to work in tandem with your doctor and find a solution that works best for you.

Acid reflux occurs when too much acid builds in the stomach and some if it is allowed up into the esophagus. Once there, it wreaks havoc on sensitive esophageal tissues, and may even make its way all the way up to your mouth on the backs of hiccups or burps, making itself known by leaving a sour or bitter taste behind. Acid reflux can be a very uncomfortable and embarrassing condition in public situations, but is surprisingly easy to deal with if you know what steps to take.

Probably the most common cause of acid reflux is food: how much you eat, what you eat and when you eat all factor in to your acid reflux.

  • Keep tabs on how much you’re eating. Often smaller meals consumed more frequently across a longer period of time often help to prevent acid reflux from getting started. This is because smaller amounts of food prompt a proportionally appropriate amount of acid to be produced. Large meals spur an overproduction of acid which results in reflux.
  • Foods like garlic, caffeine, highly acidic fruits and alcohol are all known to cause reflux and should be avoided, or at least consumed in moderation. Be diligent about your food consumption and keep track of what you’re eating so that you can understand what specifically causes reflux for you, and then modify your diet accordingly.
  • You should also take care not to eat right before you go to bed. Eating before bed doesn’t allow the food to move out of your stomach, which means acid has free reign over your esophagus and upper digestive tract. That adds up to a painful night for you.

Stress is also a major instigator for acid reflux. Do you tend to pop a few Tums before that big presentation? Do you find that you’re hiccupping more after getting yelled at for missing a deadline? Burping excessively while pouring over your budget? The problem with constant stress is that the body doesn’t know how to respond. Sporadic stress is good, and helps us to stay focused and productive. But chronic stress causes health problems like high blood pressure, ulcers and reflux. To avoid or eliminate these problems take steps to better handle the stresses in your life. It’s nearly impossible to remove stress entirely. There will always be a deadline, a bill, a death in the family, a rowdy child, a disrespectful boss, or a guy that wasn’t paying attention on your way home from work. The key is to handle these scenarios without getting too worked up. Maintain a peaceful attitude by breathing deeply, meditating, exercising regularly, getting a massage, or taking up a hobby. That can do wonders when it comes to your battle against reflux.

Home treatment for acid reflux is a great way to battle the condition. For more tips and tricks to naturally be acid reflux free, visit refluxremedy.com today.

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January 21, 2011

Foods That Trigger Acid Reflux and Heartburn

There are a number of foods that trigger acid reflux and heartburn. Although everyone is different certain foods cause acid reflux more often, and more commonly, than others. Additionally, how much you eat, and when you eat can also trigger the effects of acid reflux.

Traditionally, onions, garlic, highly acidic fruits and juices (like citrus), caffeine and alcohol are all known to cause some type of heartburn (mild or severe) in a vast number of people. Additionally, foods that are difficult to digest like fatty foods (fast food), whole milk products, and ground beef can also cause some level of heart burn.

However, you may have your own triggers that upset your stomach a great deal, but don’t bother anyone else. To help you identify these causes, keep a food journal. That just means you should write down what you eat, when you eat, and how much you ate each time you sit down for a meal or a snack. That will help you to know exactly what you’ve eaten in the last few hours since your most recent bout of heartburn. If there are any trends, you’ll be able to easily point to them because you’ve been keeping track of your meals.

Regardless of what you’re eating, you can still get a mean case of heartburn if you eat too much of it. Have you ever heard of too much of a good thing? If you flood your stomach with food all at once, that sends it into acid production overdrive, and you may find that an upset stomach is the least of your problems. Keep this from happening by eating smaller meals more often. That way you’re still getting the same amount of nutrition, but you’re making it easier for your digestive system to process.

Additionally, when you eat can impact your heartburn pain. If you eat too close to bed time, or right before you lie down for a nap, that can be a sure fire way to trigger acid reflux, even if you just ate some whole grain toast, something that shouldn’t cause heartburn in the first place. This is because when you lay down, gravity can no longer help your body keep food down in the stomach. That allows acid and food to wander up into your esophagus, which results in pain and irritation. So, just try not to eat so close to bed time. Food should be consumed two hours or more prior to lying down to avoid an attack of acid indigestion. If this rule can’t be followed, then try propping yourself up with an extra pillow to provide your body with something resembling a more natural alignment of your digestive tracts, and attempt to keep foods down in your stomach where they belong.

If you’re looking for more information about foods that trigger acid reflux and heartburn, why they trigger those conditions, and how you can naturally relieve those symptoms, check out The Reflux Remedy Report. It contains a whole host of information about heartburn, as well as holistic tips and tricks for being heartburn free. Visit refluxremedy.com today to learn more.

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January 3, 2011

Where Does Your Heartburn Hurt?

If you are someone who hasn’t ever had heartburn, or are experiencing heartburn for the first time, you may be asking, where does heartburn hurt? Generally, heartburn sufferers feel pain in the upper chest area, which can radiate upwards toward the neck.

Heartburn happens when stomach acids are allowed to escape the stomach, and enter the esophagus, which causes pain, and a burning sensation. The lower esophageal sphincter is a sort of one way valve meant to let food into the stomach, and keep it there, along with all the acids and enzymes meant to aid in the digestion process. If this muscle relaxes too much, or is damaged in some way, those acids can make their way up into areas they were never meant to be in, resulting in heartburn.

Heartburn pain can vary from mild to severe, and can be accompanied by burping, reflux, which just means the acids made their way all the way up to the mouth, hiccups and general indigestion.

Heartburn has a wide range of causes, and targeting some of them can keep heartburn at bay for most people. First of all, a simple lifestyle change can help eliminate heartburn pain quickly. Eating large meals can cause heartburn by putting too much pressure on your stomach, which causes it to overproduce acid. So, rather than eating two big meals every day, try four or five smaller meals to help your body digest a little easier. Additionally, don’t eat too close to bed time. Laying down allows acids to easily migrate out of the stomach, so stay upright after eating for as long as possible to let gravity help your body keep digestive fluids where they belong. Also, try changing your fashion habits. Wearing clothes that are tight fitting can constrict your stomach, putting pressure on sensitive areas, which leads to heartburn.

Another habit that can lead to heartburn pain is smoking. The nicotine in tobacco is shown to cause the body to overproduce stomach acids. If you have too much acid in your stomach, it can easily escape into areas that will cause pain. Smoking also inhibits your body’s ability to heal, so any damage done by excess stomach acids won’t heal as quickly.

Stress can also lead to heartburn pain in the chest and neck areas. Similar to nicotine, stress causes an overproduction of stomach acids. To combat this, calm down. Try some deep breathing, take a meditation course, count to ten, put on some relaxing music, add some light exercise to your daily routine, whatever it takes to de-stress your life. If you feel yourself getting stressed out, something as simple as taking a deep breath can save you from pain later.

Food is another common cause of heartburn pain. Everyone has different triggers, but in general spicy foods, onion, garlic, caffeine, alcohol and citrus fruits are a few common ones. Try tracking what causes your pain and avoiding those foods if necessary.

Heartburn pain is an uncomfortable problem for millions of people. To find out more about where heartburn hurts and the causes of heartburn pain, visit www.refluxremedy.com today.

 

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