What Is Acid Reflux?

 Are you having a painful burning sensation in your chest or your upper abdomen? Do you feel like this pain sometimes radiate into your back? Does it almost feel like you can’t catch your breath? It is often the reason that thousands of people show up in emergency rooms every year with them, only to find out these symptoms are related to acid reflux even though these general symptoms may sound like a heart attack.

There are as many as 20 – 30 million Americans suffer from acid reflux or as it’s becoming known – gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERD, and this has been estimated by medical professionals.

There are a lot of us who have experienced it especially after that spicy Italian sausage and pepper sub or even that piece of dense chocolate torte. Some experience it while they are drinking iced tea. This means that it is easy to know what foods to avoid so we don’t have a problem if we are like those people with food related acid reflux. If we take an over the counter antacid, then we can obtain relief.

However, for some of us, acid reflux becomes a chronic condition that over time can cause damage to the esophagus. When the damage to the esophagus occurs this is when acid reflux can cause serious medical problems.

The stomach acids that back flow from up into the esophagus actually damage the lining of the esophagus and this is what happens with chronic acid reflux. With this back up of acid, ulcers can be formed along the esophagus and can cause what is called Barrett’s esophagus which is when the normal esophageal cells are replaced with abnormal cells. These abnormal cells have in fact been associated with cancer of the esophagus.

The question is what to do? First, you can try the easiest path. If you have occasional acid reflux you can try observing what foods bring on the acid reflux. For some medical professionals, they do not see any link between acid reflux and food at all. What they do believe is that acid reflux occurs no matter what type of food you eat. This has not been my personal experience. I have found that avoiding combinations of foods does prevent my acid reflux from occurring.

 Try keeping a diary of what you have eaten when your acid reflux acts up. By doing this, you will know what types of food you should avoid. Another suggestion is that you do not lie down right after any meal. You should also avoid bending over right after a meal.

Avoid wearing any tight fitting clothing. Do not smoke! Smoking can trigger acid reflux symptoms. If periodic acid reflux is what you tend to have then you can seek relief from over the counter antacids. For more severe and chronic acid reflux it is suggested that you seek advice from your medical professional. A prescription antacid is what you may need for relief.