Tuesday, May 3, 2011

There A Link Between Gastric Reflux and Fibromyalgia

There are many people who suffer with Fibromyalgia, though there are still some doctors who refuse to say that this is a real condition. This is something that is closely related to chronic fatigue syndrome, and can leave a person feeling sore, sick, and tired all of the time with some people wondering if gastric reflux and fibromyalgia are related.
The root cause of Fibromyalgia seems to be the lack of deep sleep cycles. Without these deep sleep periods, the body can not do what it is supposed to do while it is sleeping. This is when the mind reorganizes itself, and also, the body heals from the rigors of your day. If that can’t happen, you can surely imagine why someone with Fibromyalgia might have a host of problems.
Gastric reflux (or GERD) is something that seems to be more and more common. The stomach produces acids meant to help digest foods. If this acid gets into places in the body where it should not be, pain and burning result. A person with gastric reflux knows this all too well.
There is a ring of muscles at the top of the stomach. When this ring cannot close properly, acid can move up into the esophagus and into the throat and mouth. Though you can’t say that this is the cause of Fibromyalgia, you can certainly see how this would make things worse for someone who has the condition.
Because a person with Fibromyalgia already wakes up multiple times a night, gastric reflux is going to cause this to happen even more. If a person was getting any amount of deep sleep at all, the reflux has probably eliminated that altogether. It would stand to reason that getting the gastric reflux under control can help with getting more sleep, though it certainly won’t give someone total relief from Fibromyalgia. It can improve things a little though.
If you are having bouts of heartburn, you should talk to your doctor about getting it under control to see if that helps with your sleeping patterns or not. There are different medications you can try, and also some natural remedies that your doctor might say you can try if they are safe for you.
There are also some things you can do at home if you think that gastric reflux and Fibromyalgia are keeping you up at night. You can modify your sleeping position to see if that stops the stomach acid from leaking from your stomach. You should also avoid things that are known to cause flare ups of reflux. These things might be citrus fruits, alcohol, spicy foods, and some other items that you may have noticed bother you.
Ask your doctor about what over -the-counter medications might make your gastric reflux worse, and remember to take your prescriptions as recommended. Though this will not solve your problem, it might offer you some small measure of relief. Anyone with gastric reflux and Fibromyalgia will tell you that every little bit helps.

View the original article here
 
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