There are a few fortunate people who have never experienced acid reflux pain, but others suffer constantly. When food is swallowed, it passes down through the esophagus and into the stomach. At the bottom of the esophagus there is a muscle known as a sphincter. This muscle allows food to pass into the stomach. The stomach contains acid and other chemicals that process the food. But if the sphincter happens to relax for whatever reason, the food and stomach acid can back up into the esophagus, and the result is acid reflux pain.

Acid reflux pain is commonly called heartburn but it has nothing to do with the heart. The pain is a burning feeling in the abdomen which extends up toward the neck. Other symptoms include nausea, bloating, and belching. Nearly everyone suffers a mild attack of acid reflux pain now and then, especially after a holiday dinner.

There are many methods of dealing with acid reflux pain. Antacids in liquid or tablet form are available over the counter. These all contain an alkali which acts to neutralize the stomach acids. There are other drugs that suppress the acid and are available on prescription. However these are not always a permanent solution for chronic sufferers as the drugs are not designed for long term use and soon become ineffective.? They can also be a costly solution that involves frequent trips to the doctor and? pharmacy.

Some people with acid reflux pain have found certain lifestyle changes to be effective in reducing or eliminating the pain. Chronic sufferers have been advised not to eat close to their bedtime. It is easier for the acid and food to back up when one is in a prone position than when one is sitting or standing. And because of that, the majority of people suffering from acid reflux pain experience their symptoms during the night. They are also advised to consume mini meals. That is, eat more often during the day but consume smaller meals.

However, everyone is unique and acid reflux pain doesn’t affect everybody in the same way. While some foods do trigger acid reflux pain, there are different food triggers for different people. So they need to observe how their bodies react to the various foods and learn to avoid those that stimulate an attack.? Common triggers include garlic, caffeine, alcohol, citrus and onions.

What many people find most effective for dealing with acid reflux pain are natural remedies. Natural remedies are not likely to interact with other medications a person may need as drugs may. And since natural remedies do not contain harmful chemicals, they are not likely to cause allergic reactions in people who are prone to various allergies. Also, pregnant women are very prone to acid reflux pain and they can’t take many pain relievers, either over-the-counter or prescribed because of the adverse effect on the unborn fetus. For pregnant women, natural remedies and lifestyle changes are the only alternative.

Some natural alternatives include eating an apple to help neutralize the acid.? Also, ginger has been found to help with all kinds of stomach acids, including heart burn.? Even something as simple as drinking a glass of water can help flush acid out of your digestive system.

For people seeking natural remedies for acid reflux pain, Bob Barton has published a guide entitled Reflux Remedy Report that is available at www.refluxremedy.com.

What in the world could gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and acidophilus bacteria have to do with each other?

Truth is acidophilus bacteria and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) has a lot to do with each other and that’s what this article is all about.

First off I have to mention one of my favorite two-time Nobel Prize winners, Linus Pauling. Linus Pauling is one of those unsung heroes few people are aware of that helped make our world a better place.

He strongly believed that all degenerative diseases could be linked back to a mineral deficiency.

Now you might ask yourself, “What do mineral deficiencies have to do with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and acidophilus?”

In the course of tracking down the root cause of gastroesophageal disease (GERD) I found an interesting, yet hidden connection, between minerals, healthy flora and the cause of gastroesophageal acid reflux diseases (GERD).

You see a healthy flora is necessary for a healthy gut and the gut, or gastro intestinal tract, is the core of all life and vitality.

Of course with a holistic view point, everything is ultimately interconnected, yet the gut is essentially the place where all nutrition is extracted from the foods we eat and then delivered to each of your 50 trillion cells in order to sustain life.

Truth is healthy flora, like acidophilus, cannot thrive in an acid pH environment very long. Your gut is where food goes after your stomach acid has broken it down into small food molecules. It is in the gut where acidophilus and other beneficial microorganisms thrive to help break your food down into even smaller molecules, like vitamins, minerals and their many co-factors.

According to leading doctors and researchers on the subject, if you suffer from even the beginning stages of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), like heartburn and acid reflux, the worst thing you can do is start popping antacids.

First off, you may not really be suffering from producing too much acid, secondly antacids were proven many years ago to have absolutely no medical benefit and in fact often increase symptoms of heartburn, acid indigestion and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

So instead of taking harmful GERD causing antacids, try taking a supplement of live-cultured acidophilus instead. Many GERD suffers experience almost instant relief of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), plus they’re essentially addressing the “root cause” of their acid reflux problems, whether from over, or under production of stomach acid.

Neutralizing stomach acid in either case can be a serious mistake on you or your doctor’s part. Make sure you don’t end up taking any drug that covers symptoms for any extended period of time and if you are, ask your doctor to work with you to get you free of the drugs, symptoms and root cause of GERD.

Finding the right mineral rich diet combined with a good probiotic blend of acidophilus and a healthy active lifestyle are they master keys to naturally eliminating the root cause of your gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) concerns.

You were born to heal,

Todd M. Faass?

Health Ecologist

Most corn these days is full of pesticides and herbicides and it?s not beyond the possibility your cornmeal is from a genetic modified source (GMO). Most people think cornmeal is good for them, thinking it?s just another yellow vegetable, but don?t forget corn is not a vegetable, it?s a grain.

Grains can trigger allergies, asthma and acid reflux disease symptoms.

Funny thing about grains, their seeds that have built in plant-made herbicides and pesticides called phytotoxins. One of the most common of these plant-made toxins is called phytic acid.

Phytates are toxins that are designed to protect the seed.

You see Mother Nature designed the seeds of fruits and vegetables to be spread around by those that eat them, often discarding the pit or passing the seeds in their body waste.

The problem with grain/seeds is if they get eaten, they can?t grow knew plants and would become extinct. That?s where phytotoxins come in–they help ensure the future propagation of the species.

Acid reflux can have many causes, but one of the most common causes of acid reflux is a mineral deficiency.

Phytates are found in very high quantities in all the processed cereals, especially cornmeal. These phytates, or phytic acid, actually keeps the corn kernel, or seed, in a hardened, dormant state. Phytates ward of mold, fungus and are designed to absorb certain minerals.

This way, when the corn falls upon fertile ground rich with the perfect growing conditions, the phytates will dissolve and allow the corn seed to sprout and grow. What happens when people eat unsprouted seed or in this case cornmeal flour, is that all their minerals are inhibited or blocked from being absorbed into the body.

Acid reflux is triggered from a ?lack? of stomach acid, in most cases. Your body requires specific minerals to make bile ?salts? and other digestive acids. Once these mineral salts are depleted from your body?s store house of nutrients, it causes a chain reaction of other deficiencies.

Your enzymes, hormones and stomach acids depend on minerals and their cofactors to help run and regulate all your metabolic processes.

I like cornbread as much as the next guy; however, if you are older, your minerals, nutrients and cofactors are usually on the low side.

So if cornmeal triggers heartburn, acid reflux or indigestion, better not eat it until you get your body?s nutritional storehouse restocked with viable essentials.

Always go into any subject, whether it?s acid reflux or anything else, do your due diligence. Don?t just take my word or anyone else?s word for it . . . look into the matter yourself. I apologize if I?m preaching to the choir.

Obviously you know what you?re doing or you wouldn?t be here now reading this article, right?

Anyway, keep searching, the root cause of your acid reflux exists and perhaps it?s even from eating too many unsprouted grains like cornmeal and not enough enzyme rich fruits and vegetables, who knows?

Truth is YOU are the last authority of your own health . . . read on and live well!

You were born to heal,

Todd M. Faass?

Health Ecologist

Many people suffer needlessly from a condition that keeps them awake at night?just from eating. That condition is referred to by many as heartburn, because it sort of feels like the area around your heart is burning. In reality, the stomach acid that digests your food is washing back up your esophagus in a movement called reflux. The medical name for this is called Gastro Esophogeal Reflux Disease?if it occurs more than a couple of times a week.

Often, people will refer to Gastro Esophogeal Reflux Disease as GERD, to simplify things. Others can become confused because GERD is also called Acid Reflux Disease, although the two are in fact the same. GERD is a big problem for many people and for good reason.

Stomach acid is very strong?it has to be in order to break down food and aid in the processes of your digestive system. When the stomach acid washes back up your throat, the acid eats at your esophagus, causing a little bit of damage each time. Your teeth also face damaging effects of this condition, as the enamel will slowly corrode over time.

One problem that GERD sufferers face is bronchitis. At first, the correlation between GERD and bronchitis does not seem obvious, but it is there. Each time that the stomach acid comes back up into the esophagus, the GERD sufferer faces the opportunity of choking. When someone chokes, they can inadvertently swallow the acid that they have just brought up. Aspiration of stomach acid makes for a good deal of pain coming up and an equal amount going down into your lungs.

There is much danger when stomach acid gets into your lungs?bronchitis. Due to the acid?s powerful nature, it can affect the inside of the lungs badly enough to inflame the bronchia, which can lead to bronchitis.

The tie between GERD and bronchitis can be limited with proper management and proactive effort. However, there has to be work done from both the patient and the doctor?although most of the work will be the patient.

Doctors of course, will have prescription medications available to give patients for management of their GERD, and the possible resulting bronchitis. There are some doctors that are beginning to push their patients towards using something other than medication to solve their problems with GERD.

Resolving issues within a patient?s diet will help limit the instances that GERD occurs. Doctors?and registered dieticians, if needed?can lead patients down the correct path to change their diets appropriately. Eating foods that don?t cause reflux will obviously limit the acid that comes up, and in turn limit the opportunities for aspiration of acid into the lungs, causing bronchitis.

Some of the changes in a patient?s diet and eating pattern might be as simple as eating a slice of apple for dessert, or not lying down after eating. The key to success in avoiding GERD and bronchitis rests almost entirely on the shoulders of the patient, with a bit of guidance from the doctor and their staff.

Pay attention to what your body tells you while you eat and digest. Your eating routine will help you figure your problems out?perhaps without a prescription.