The Secret to Preventing GERD and Acid Reflux Symptoms

Still swigging gallons of milk and popping antacids by default? Chances are you are your heartburn is not getting any cooler. But the good news is that, no matter how worse your acid reflux symptoms are, there is that one GERD treatment that can really put off that burn.

Medications
One of the very first things any heartburn sufferer will immediately reach is his bottle of antacids. But how effective can this method be? Not as much as we want it to. If you want a more lasting relief — one that can save you from the grueling discomfort even before it starts — here is a quick rundown of acid reflux disease treatments that you can discuss with your doctor.

H2 blockers. These items come as OTC and prescription meds. While H2 blockers, such as Pepcid and, of course, Zantac, used to be the standard treatment for heartburn and GERD, they are no longer prescribed as often now. Yes, they may be the very first meds a doctor will recommend for mild cases, but proton pump inhibitors are so much better in getting rid of painful heartburn and GERD symptoms.

H2 blockers are essentially less expensive than proton pump inhibitors, which makes it the perfec choice for those who are in a budget.

Proton pump inhibitors (PPI). If you have a bad case of GERD, chances are your doctor has prescribed you one of these. These meds, which include Nexium, Prilosec, and Prevacid, is really the new standard when it comes to treating GERD. PPIs are key to better managing heartburn and GERD: One, by blocking the production of acid in the stomach and, two, by protecting the esophagus and, therefore, allowing it to recover from damages caused by acid reflux.

PPIs are safe and effective and even used by millions of health experts in diagnosis. It is often difficult to distinguish GERD from heartburn. But one effective way to do it is to simply administer PPIs. If they work, a patient probably has GERD. If they don’t, the patient may have something else.

Prokinetics. Your doctor would have prescribed one of the prescription drugs, such as Urecholine and Reglan, if he thinks that speeding up the emptying of the stomach can help your condition. While prokinetics are often prescribed alongside other GERD treatments, more and more experts are starting to agree that they are rarely helpful.

While it may be tempting to permanently get rid of your heartburn or GERD using any of these treatments, it is important that you ask your doctor if you really need it. Do you really need to sign up with a GERD treatment? Most importantly, does your doctor think so?

There are many reasons to treat GERD and heartburn. And good ones at that. GERD and heartburn has proven to be time and again an inconvenience to many people. When left unattended, heartburn and GERD can be debilitating.

But how will you know if you need and even qualify to any of these available GERD treatments. It is not really about severity but more of frequency. If you have been popping antacids like the manufacturer’s closing down the production later and you are still having symptoms, you may want to check with your doctor and ask for a stronger, more effective med.

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Keeping a Food Journal is Important In Controlling Heartburn

Coping with acid reflux and even GERD is one thing; living with it is another. Everyday, there are at least 7 million people in the United States alone suffering from heartburn who live with hesitation and limit that they decided to put spontaneity in the back seat. No more trip to the nearest eat-all-you-can snack bar; gone are the days when a quick spree to the bar seems to be the perfect the way to cap the night. In fact, even a glass or two’ may lead to a night of gas, bloating, and burping.

But, really, having acid reflux is not as bad as you think. And with your doctor telling you that you can, indeed, have a piece of everything that you have enjoyed then — from a can of soda to, yes, even booze, you know that a life with heartburn can’t be that hard after all.

You can’t expect your doctor to hand you a magic pill when you start complaining about your heartburn symptoms. In fact, heartburn is not something you expect to get “fixed” after taking your meds. Yes, the symptoms may be reduced, but the reality is you have to live by with heartburn, unless you start making real changes in your lifestyle. Aside from all the adjustments that you have to make when preparing a meal, acid reflux may also mean introducing changes with how you live your life everyday.

Anyone who suffers from heartburn symptoms and acid reflux will tell you that their schedules and to-do lists are partly determined by their doctor’s advice. From the time you hit the gym to planning your next vacation, managing and controlling heartburn is something that you should start to live with.

If you have been living a carefree and relaxed lifestyle before your doctor confirmed that you have been suffering from heartburn, it is important that you start your journey by accepting that fact that managing your condition will take a lot of work. Changing the way you live your life is undeniably one of the hardest things that people need to accept when managing heartburn. But with patience and determination, slowly seeing how these changes will fit into the bigger and definitely better future will make you realize that all these efforts are worth it.

To each his own – a truth that speaks not only about one’s preferences but also of heartburn. You know what heartburn feels like, but what triggers your symptoms are quite unique and, in fact, different from one person to another. This is why it is almost impossible for any doctor to have a Black Book that details what food to avoid and what menu to permanently erase off your idea of a perfect dinner.

In managing your heartburn symptoms and condition, you are your doctor’s best aid: You. Aside from the fact that you don’t have a personal dietician whom your doctor can coordinate with about your diet (except, of course, if you do have one), you are the only person your doctor can rely on in remembering what food and beverages you enjoyed before your symptoms kick in. Managing heartburn requires being a mindful eater: Knowing what to eat, what to avoid, how to eat, and having the determination to stick to a heartburn-free menu. If you are new to all these, take small baby steps; start by keeping a food journal to help you and your doctor to pin down what items to avoid.

If for some people heartburn may come after gulping a soda or indulging in a plate of perfectly fried fries, your symptoms may kick in after you had that after-dinner mint. But what makes heartburn difficult to diagnose is that it can be caused by one thing today and another thing tomorrow.

Knowing which triggered the burn may be difficult if you rely on memory alone. If you are to manage heartburn and really pin down the culprit, you need to do more than just asking someone you are having dinner what you just ate before you felt the burn. It takes precision and accuracy, and for that you need to have your log book always with you. Work with your doctor and help him determine what caused and may trigger your symptoms. You need to be specific, not just I’ve-been-to-that-greasy-joint-downtown type. Write a detailed picture of your meal time: From the time you ate to what was featured in your plate to what you did after.

After a month or two, your log should be able to paint a vivid and more visible picture of your lifestyle’s relationship with your symptoms. The next step for you should be heading towards your doctor and not towards the trashcan. Your log contains everything that your doctor needs to make recommendations that go beyond antacids. Use this information to make the necessary changes with your schedule — from sleeping to travelling.


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Acid Reflux Symptoms in Women

 All women know how it feels like when acid reflux kicks in: The burning sensation that starts from your belly and reaches your throat, that pain right in the middle of your chest, and that pungent taste that won’t leave your mouth.

In reality, acid reflux symptoms in women hardly differ from what men feel when heartburn and acid reflux set in.



Though acid reflux symptoms in women can be easily mitigated with antacids, heartburn and acid reflux are essentially two conditions that women have to endure for a lifetime.

Once women have confirmed that what they have is heartburn, most of them stop to think and even care about their condition and symptoms simply because heartburn is not that serious like, well, heart attack. And, since there is really nothing to be worried about heartburn and acid reflux, knowing its symptoms is already irrelevant, right? Wrong. In fact, you one of the at least 6 million heartburn sufferers got it all wrong.
 
It is important for women to know that heartburn and acid reflux are conditions that they should just ignore. Though both acid reflux and heartburn are conditions that are shared by many, it is important that you should listen to your body well. Why? Because acid reflux symptoms in women may just be a good cover up of other conditions like cancer. In fact, the symptoms of acid reflux in women may just be the signals their body is sending them to tell them that they really need to see their doctors — fast.

Symptoms of acid reflux in women are non-exclusive. In fact, many of these symptoms are shared by many of life-threatening conditions such as ulcer in the duodenum, esophagitis, and ulcer in the stomach. Persistent acid reflux is not just something a pain that you would have to live with. Having acid reflux and heartburn symptoms everyday maybe isn’t caused because of what you ate but by what you really have. So when should you get checked?

 Here’s a one good rule of thumb: If symptoms persist, pay your doctor a visit.
It is important that all heartburn and acid reflux sufferers know the universal symptoms of their condition. In fact, they cannot afford to miss it at all. First, the most common of all symptoms of acid reflux in women: Heartburn. A medical misnomer, heartburn, as compared to the pain caused by a heart attack, is felt right in the middle of the chest, a pressure-like or sharp pain similar to angina, or heart pain. As most women confuse heartburn with angina, it is important that you ask your doctor to teach you how to detect the difference between the two conditions.

Nausea is another symptom common to acid reflux and heartburn sufferers; in fact, those with severe cases of acid reflux experience nausea, dizziness, and vomiting all at the same time. If you felt dizzy and nauseous after a meal, you may want to reconsider to treat your symptoms as whole. It maybe tempting to reach for an ibuprofen, but it is more practical for you to reach for your antacids and wait for it to act on your symptoms. Ever wonder what is causing unexplained bout with nausea, dizziness, and tightening in the stomach area? Your doctor may just confirm what you know all along; in fact, most doctors have acid reflux on top of their list when they diagnose nausea, dizziness, and vomiting.

Regurgitation is another symptom that will fit the picture. Essentially a condition caused by the inability of the upper esophageal sphincter (UES) to block the refluxed liquid or food to reach the throat, regurgitation can be described as a lingering acid taste in the mouth. In some cases, patients will just find their mouths filled by food or liquid refluxed from their stomach.

But don’t feel safe because all these symptoms fit into the picture. It is important that you visit your doctor so you should know about ways on how you can better manage a life with acid reflux and heartburn.
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