When acid from the stomach backs up into the esophagus. It can happen when the opening from the stomach to the throat is weak, or when food takes longer to leave the stomach. Heartburn is the most common symptom of GERD.

Heartburn is the burning feeling in your chest and throat caused when stomach acid backs up into your throat. Some foods and habits can make heartburn and GERD worse.

Signs And Symptoms:

There are a few symptoms that can be matched with this severe condition and although they can also be common with the less severe type of acid reflux, they will be predominantly more obvious with the chronic version.

These are:

The most common symptom of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is regular heartburn, a painful, burning feeling in the middle of your chest, behind your breastbone, and in the middle of your abdomen. Not all adults with GERD have heartburn.

Other Common GERD Symptoms Include:

• Bad breath.
• Vomiting.
• Nausea.
• Pain in your chest or the upper part of your abdomen.
• Problems swallowing or painful swallowing.
• Respiratory problems.
• The wearing away of your teeth.

Some symptoms of GERD come from its complications, including those that affect your lungs.

Heart Burn, And Acid Reflux Causes:

Lots of people get heartburn from time to time. There’s often no obvious reason why. Sometimes it’s caused or made worse by:

• Certain food and drink – such as coffee, alcohol, chocolate, and fatty or spicy foods
• being overweight.
• Smoking, or inhaling secondhand smoke.
• Pregnancy.
• Stress and anxiety.
• A hiatus hernia – when part of your stomach moves up into your chest.
• Some medicines, such as anti-inflammatory painkillers (like ibuprofen).
• Certain medicines, including those that doctors use to treat asthma – a long-lasting disease in your lungs that makes you extra sensitive to things that you’re allergic to…,
• Calcium channel blockers-medicines that treat high blood pressure.
• Antihistamines-medicines that treat allergy symptoms.
• Painkillers.
• Sedatives-medicines that help put you to sleep.
• Antidepressants -medicines that treat depression.

When To See Your Health Provider?

Treatment of Acid Reflux:

Most acid reflux treatments follow a sensible, nutritious diet which produces less stomach acid. Such kind of treatment patterns has shown to be effective for a fast aid of acid reflux.

I. Positional Therapy:

Sleeping on the left side had shown less night time reflux occurrence in patients. A meta-analysis recommended that elevating the head of the bed is an effective therapy.

Elevation can be achieved by using plastic or wooden bed risers which support bed posts or legs or using a therapeutic bed wedge pillow, or a wedge or an inflatable mattress lifter which fits in-between mattress and box spring. The height of the elevation is critical thus, it should be set at least six to eight inches to avoid the backflow of gastric fluids.

Managing Acid Reflux Disease:

2. Lifestyle Tips:

Acid Reflux Gastroesophageal Reflux Diet:

Why Your Diet is Important in Curing Heartburn:

Most adults can say they have experienced heartburn sometime in their life. And many adults can say they experience it almost every day. If you experience acid reflux often, you most likely suffer from a damaged or weakened lower esophageal sphincter (LES) and/or esophagus.

The LES is a muscle flap that opens and closes to let food into your stomach and keep stomach acid down in your stomach. The esophagus is the tube that carries food to your stomach. Research everywhere is showing the GERD sufferers will often have damaged tissue on both the esophagus and sphincter. And researchers are showing simple ways you can heal and repair the damaged tissue on both the LES and sphincter.

If you Have Acid Reflux Disease,

You may want to try to use alternatives before you get into taking harsh medications. First, try making some lifestyle changes to see if they work for you. Your doctor can give you some information and help with that. A change in diet is the first thing that can help reduce your acid reflux symptoms. An acid reflux diet is usually simple to follow and easy for you to make the changes with.

A. Foods To Try:

1. Meat Products:

 Skinless chicken breast, extra-lean ground beef, London broil steak, egg whites and substitutes, no fat fish “Be sure to remove the fatty skin. Skip fried and instead choose baked, broiled, or grilled”.

2. Oatmeal:

Filling, hearty and healthy, this comforting breakfast standard also works for lunch. oatmeal-like other high-fiber foods, oatmeal may help avoid acid reflux symptoms. Fiber not only promotes intestinal health, but it also reduces constipation and makes you feel full a long while after eating it.

And, of course, when you feel full, you are less likely to overeat and therefore less likely to regurgitate what’s in your stomach into your esophagus. Enjoy your oatmeal with low-fat or almond milk, as both are low in fat and highly alkaline.

3. Bananas:

This low-acid fruit can help those with acid reflux by coating an irritated esophageal lining and thereby helping to combat discomfort. Due to their high-fiber content, bananas also can help strengthen your digestive system which can help ward off indigestion.

One soluble fiber found in bananas is pectin, which helps move stomach contents through your digestive tract. And that’s a good thing – because food that sticks around will only continue to generate acid.

4. Ginger:

Steep caffeine-free ginger tea or chew on low-sugar dried ginger for a natural tummy tamer.

5. Lettuce, Celery, and Sweet Peppers:

These mild green veggies are easy on the stomach – and won’t cause painful gas. If you like green vegetables and have acid reflux, you’re in luck. Asparagus, spinach, kale, and brussels sprouts all are highly alkaline, meaning they’re good for your stomach and digestive system. Being naturally low in fat and sugar, vegetables also help lessen stomach acid.

6. Dairies:

Fat-free cream cheese, goat cheese, low-fat soy cheese, fat-free sour cream. Dairies have a soothing effect that helps keep stomach discomfort at bay. It also contains probiotics, a type of good bacteria found in the digestive tract that gives a boost to your immune system. it also improves your ability to properly digest food.

7. Melons:

Like bananas, melons also are a highly alkaline fruit. Watermelon, cantaloupe, and honeydew are all low-acid fruits that are among the best foods for acid reflux.

B. Foods to Avoid, “Trigger Foods”:

C. Other Dietary Facts:

• It is a common misconception that drinking milk before going to sleep can prevent acid reflux. On the contrary, milk was found to have a rebound action and in fact, encourages more acid secretion.
• Others think that beverages will flow easily and be digested without affecting acid production. Studies show that it is actually the opposite. Beverages especially beer, have the ability to double stomach acid within an hour.
• An alkaline diet can help overcome the effects of acid reflux. This was explained by medical professionals as the need to maintain acidity and alkalinity balance within the body.

Easy Tips For Beating Acid Reflux:

Overcoming acid reflux can be a difficult task since the condition tends to be chronic for most that suffer from it. The most common symptom of heartburn can be a severely uncomfortable feeling for many especially after eating a meal. There is a wealth of information and advice on controlling acid reflux. So where to start? Here we give 5 quick and easy tips for beating acid reflux:

1. Watch Your Diet:

Eat less fatty foods, chocolate, dairy products, spicy foods, and citrus fruits. Eat more cereals, bread, beans, fresh vegetables, and legumes.

2. Eat More But Smaller Meals:

Large meals are harder to digest and cause the stomach to produce lots of acids. Therefore, eating more but smaller meals is better for acid reflux.

3. Wear Loose Clothing:

Tight clothing, especially around the waist, squeezes acid up through your chest to your esophagus causing heartburn.

4. Sleep With Your Head Elevated:

Acid reflux is common during the night because you are lying down and lose the effect of gravity in keeping the acid down. So use plenty of pillows.

5. Drink Less Alcohol:

Binge drinking is never advisable from a health point of view and it is also a chief aggravator of acid reflux conditions.

So,

There we have 5 tips that anyone who suffers from acid reflux should have no problem incorporating into their lifestyles. There are, of course, lots of other ways to treat and help you if you have acid reflux and you should generally seek the advice of your doctor before making any large changes in your lifestyle.

Conclusion: 

The best way to deal with chronic acid reflux is to get the appropriate treatment and to make the appropriate changes but before you can even think of doing this, you must get yourself diagnosed so making an appointment is the first thing that you will need to do.

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