Monday, January 24, 2011

Natural Remedies for Acid Reflux


Have you been suffering for a long time from gastro esophageal reflux disorder and helplessly tried all the alternative drugs that just ended up to tolerance?  And you don’t even make yourself feel better at all? Then you become sluggish and lose your appetite to go out and meet with friends or any other activities?

Most probably you’re just making the drug companies wealthier by patronizing a product that doesn’t even heal you at all. When you become addicted to the prescribed drug, it seems that you can no longer live without   it. So put a stop to your suffering and heal yourself effectively. There are better natural remedies that can provide the cure that you actually need. No side effects. No addiction. And with steps so easy to follow. The only thing you have to do is to make it a part of your system.

Studies show that treatment of acid reflux disease does not only fall on attacking the GERD alone, but on treating the whole person. This means that the individual infected by the disease should inculcate a good living habit while taking medicines. The primary habit that must be corrected to outwit the acid reflux is the change of dietary habits. Since the disease involves abnormal stomach acid production, the person must stay away from certain foods that trigger or aggravate acid reflux. Fatty and acidic foods must be avoided in preparing meals for those who have excess acid production. The same case is true on alcohol, caffeine, and soft drinks. This will prevent the symptoms, such as heartburn, to occur.

A severe smoking habit must also be stopped. Paradoxical and scientific basis had proven how smoking could worsen the acid reflux disease plus the risk that it can give to those people who do not yet have the disease.  Those who smoke regularly are 70% vulnerable to get a gastro esophageal reflux disease compared to those who do not smoke.  And the symptoms of those who are suffering from the disease are doubled due to this bad habit. This spells out to doubling of the pain that they also have to suffer.

For almost any body disorder, the chief advice is exercise. Perhaps this universal cure could be so powerful that it covers a wide range of diseases. Exercise does not only keep the body parts functioning properly, more so, it uplifts the spirit. If you feel tired and sluggish and you still confine yourself in a corner, the sicker you will most likely get. Besides, the early morning sun is so soothing to strained body systems that it can easily transform it to an energetic one.

Modifying a lifestyle includes the avoidance of lying down right after a meal. Enough time must be given for the stomach to properly digest the food before slumber. Also, eating must be avoided two hours before sleeping. And when its time to sleep, there is also a system to be followed: the head must be elevated than the body. The altitude of the elevation must be about 6-8 inches. A great percentage of those who follow this method find a complete relief from the acid reflux disease.

These simple tips will work well in the combination of herbal products. And if you keep a good system of eating, exercising and avoiding things that pollutes you, you are healing yourself better than any drugs can.

Heartburn and Acid Reflux


The most common digestive system disorder people experience is heartburn, which is highly associated to acid reflux. Often, many people will encounter heartburn or acid reflux during night time. When this happens, a burning sensation in the chest will be felt. This particular pain is similar to heart attack symptoms. However, heartburn acid reflux is also a very serious disease that can affect many individuals including infants and young children as well as adults. Infants usually grow out from this condition after time while most young children will likely experience acid reflux in their lifetime. Meanwhile, many adults are likely to experience possible occurrences of this condition due to lifestyle factors and eating habits.

Understanding how heartburn occurs is essential to those diagnosed with acid reflux. Eating habits or lifestyle factors should be changed to prevent heartburn associated to acid reflux. As such, unhealthy eating or eating excessively in one time can cause improper movement of the gastric juices in the lower portion of the esophagus causing possible heartburn to occur that can result to acid reflux eventually.

These juices in the gastric area are highly acidic. When the gastric juice touches the lining of the esophagus, irritation and inflammation of the esophagus occur, causing heartburn. The abnormal gastric juice flow is due to either Lower Esophageal Sphincter, LES in short, caused by the relaxation of the muscle between the esophagus and the abdomen or other related factors such as structural defects or disorders like hiatial hernia or lifestyle factors.

Heartburn or acid reflux needs treatment especially when a night time attack happens. Night time attacks have similar daytime attack symptoms except that night time attacks include snoring, restlessness, fatigue and even abnormalities in breathing are all night time symptoms. Attacks during the night are more severe than attacks during daytime.

Many people with heartburn or acid reflux understand the cause of their condition. However, there are still many people lacking essential knowledge of how heartburn acid reflux can be triggered. The simplest answer is food. Many people experience acid reflux after having a large meal due to improper breakdown of foods causing acid reflux to occur. Foods such as spicy foods, chocolates, fried and fatty foods can trigger this condition. In fact, even citrus fruits have a tendency to flare up heartburn.

If you have been diagnosed with acid reflux, you should try preventive medication and treatments to help aid in its cure. One way that can help lessen the occurrences is by changing your lifestyle. A change in lifestyle can really help rid of acid reflux from recurring. Also, you should avoid eating aa heavy large meal at one time. Instead, eat small meals at intervals. Eating large meals can increase pressure in the esophageal sphincter and at the same time, expand your stomach. Other preventive measures include maintaining your weight, avoiding alcoholic beverages, and not wearing tightly fitted clothes around the waist because all these factors can cause acid reflux.

Acid reflux is a common condition that can lead to severe problems if left untreated. If you are diagnosed with this condition, always take necessary precautions when experiencing it to avoid further serious problems that could affect even the respiratory system. Because acid reflux is a serious problem, people with heartburn acid reflux should seek advice on how to prevent and treat this particular condition.

Acid Reflux Basics

 
Gastro Esophageal Reflux Disease (GERD), the medical term for “Acid Reflux” is defined as the product of abnormal reflux of gastric contents into the esophagus thus, creating a mucosal damage, likewise known as the chronic symptom.

This disease strikes adult primarily, while infants and children can also be affected. Normally spurred by eating certain foods, if not pregnancy, or taking a sleep right after eating a heavy meal, a large number of persons suffer from acid reflux at one time or another.

Heartburn or acid indigestion is another name that refers to acid reflux. Heartburn, the major symptom of Acid Reflux in the esophagus, is described to cause a burning uneasiness at the back of the sternum.

The symptoms may come as coughing, voice transformation, hoarseness, constant ear ache, or sinusitis. The complications brought upon by acid reflux may lead to esophageal ulcers or worse this can lead to esophageal cancer.

However, constant heartburn sensations do not necessarily mean that one has captured GERD already. The risk occurs when heartburn happened more than once a week, this occasion could possibly lead in developing GERD.

The usual cause of GERD is the increase in acidity or gastric acid production in the body, obesity, pregnancy, or tight-fitting apparels, these all can add to the problem. The yeast infections are also thought to be one of the causes of GERD-like symptoms.

An added ironical cause of the GERD is the insufficient production of stomach acid in the body. The explanation says that the valve, the hollow organ with a flap that insure the one-way course of fluid through the organ, once emptied triggers acidity in the intestines. If the valve fails to open, the contents of the stomach will be blended into the esophagus, and then irritation occurs.

Meanwhile, there are already several treatments for GERD today, one of which is the balance and healthy eating habits. Now if proper diet fails to work, one can shift to medication therapy or surgery as suggested by the doctors. Below are the lists of several selections of Acid Reflux treatment:

•    Proper Diet: the natural way to cure Acid Reflux is through change in their eating habits. A good number of people affected by GERD found success in following this method. Avoid the food ingredients which can intensify heart burn such as caffeine, soft drinks, and smoking. Avoid eating two hours before sleeping; likewise, avoid lying down after taking meal. These are the regular suggested change in lifestyle.

•    Another easy way to treat GERD is to elevate the head of the bed. The pharmacologic therapy, the combination of prevention of food two hours before sleeping and the rise of the head of the bed, there is a great chance for a patient to gain a 95 percent relief. The rise of the head of the bed is suggested to range for only 6 to 8 inches or 20 cm. Using this method the backflow of gastric fluids will be hampered.

•    Drug Treatment: Drugs reduce the secretion of the gastric acid, for instance and famotidine and omeprazole lessen the secretion of gastric acid and the Antacids counteract the acid.

•    Surgical treatment: the Nissen fundoplication, the standard surgical treatment for Acid Reflux, the medication process will only cover a short period of time. The function of this is to support the sphincter, a spherical bond of muscles that opens and closes to let the food or waste to pass, as well as stop Acid Reflux, and of course restore the hiatal hernia.