Acid Reducers in the Treatment of Acid Reflux

 Acid Reflux (gastro-esophageal reflux disease) is a very common disorder that involves the regurgitation of the stomach inside the esophagus. The disorder produces symptoms such as heartburn, throat inflammation and pain, difficulty swallowing and difficulty breathing.

Some people experience sporadic symptoms of acid reflux, which tend to intensify after meals and during the night. However, most acid reflux disease sufferers may experience ongoing, persistent symptoms. People who are confronted with acid reflux on a frequent time basis are very exposed to the development of serious complications such as Barrett's esophagus and even esophageal cancer. In order to keep the disorder under control and to avoid further complications, people with chronic forms of acid reflux need an appropriate medication treatment.

Treatment of Acid Reflux

The treatment of acid reflux includes medications that normalize the stomach's production of gastric acid. Considering the fact that most cases of acid reflux involve overproduction of digestive fluids and pepsin at the level of the stomach, the treatment of gastro-esophageal reflux disease is very similar to the treatment of ulcer or gastritis.
 
The most common medications used in the treatment of acid reflux are antacids. Although they provide rapid symptomatic relief for acid reflux sufferers, these medications also have some minuses. Antacids have limited action and they can only act to temporarily control the acidity of the stomach. Also, they are not strong enough to ameliorate acid reflux symptoms in more serious forms of the disorder.

Unlike other acid reflux medications, acid reducers (also known as H2 receptor antagonists or H2 blockers) have proved to be more effective in decreasing the intensity and the frequency of heartburn and other specific manifestations of gastro-esophageal disease. Strong acid reducers can only be purchased with medical prescription, while less strong types of acid reducers are also available in nonprescription forms. While the effects of antacids are diminished after only 2-3 hours, a single dose of acid reducers can prevent the occurrence of acid reflux during the entire day.

Acid reducers can be used either in short-term or long-term medical treatments. The most commonly prescribed acid reducer is ranitidine. This medication is effective in overcoming non-complicated forms of acid reflux disease. A 6-week course of ranitidine can completely eliminate the symptoms of acid reflux for most people with the disorder. For people with more serious forms of gastro-esophageal disease, doctors may prescribe cimetidine or famotidine. Acid reducers have mild side-effects that are usually perceived by people who follow ongoing treatment with such medications. Long-term use of acid reducers can produce headache, fatigue, vomiting, nausea, constipation or diarrhea. These side-effects disappear after reducing the dose of medications or after temporarily interrupting the treatment.

It is important to note that acid reducers aren't appropriate for all acid reflux sufferers. Patients with esophagitis or Barrett's esophagus don't usually respond to treatments with acid reducers. For this category of people, doctors may prescribe proton pump inhibitors, medications that temporarily block the stomach's production of gastric acid.

Acid Reflux Diet And Breakfast

 Acid reflux diet and breakfast is a dilemma for a number of reasons. With the frequency that people have reflux problems through the night while they are sleeping, chances are they are waking up with heartburn. And in that case, they are more likely to go eat antacids for breakfast, than they are food that is going to make them feel worse.

However, breakfast is also the most important meal of the day. Breakfast helps stabilize your blood sugar levels after sleeping, and provides energy to start the day. It has also been shown that people who skip breakfast will eat more throughout the day. And what is one of the biggest problems for acid reflux and heartburn - eating fewer and larger meals, as that is shown to cause and/or make your problems worse. Deleting breakfast from your acid reflux diet is not a heartburn remedy.

Acid Reflux And Life Style
Preventing acid reflux and heartburn is going to entail making lifestyle changes. You eat breakfast, and then what happens? That overnight heartburn that you may have already had, coupled with the food that you just ate for breakfast [you just couldn't resist 'wolfing' down that Egg McMuffin while you were driving] get together and give you more reflux and worse heartburn. Start your day with more energy, not hardly; you are starting your day in pain, and just want to go turn around and go home. But instead, there goes another round of antacids to try to keep you going.

How is that for breakfast and an acid reflux diet - acid reflux trigger foods 'washed' down with antacids to get rid of the heartburn pain. Lunch and dinner tend to be easier meals for heartburn sufferers. You have a wider range of food choices that are more appealing later in the day than they are for breakfast. And you also aren't in such a rush, giving you more time to prepare a good meal - and not having to eat it so fast, which of course is one of the heartburn don'ts.

Yes, acid reflux diet and breakfast is quite a problem, because so many of the breakfast food choices cause heartburn. Your fried eggs, with toast and butter, and orange juice and coffee - or that rush through the fast food restaurant, are of the worst foods that can be eaten. These can be expected to cause heartburn, certainly negating the benefits that eating breakfast are supposed to give you.

Breakfast Food Choices For Acid Reflux
So what are you going to do - you need to eat breakfast, but you aren't going to do so if it is only going to make you feel worse. To begin with, how about getting up 15 minutes earlier so you aren't in such a rush and fast food becomes your only breakfast alternative. And then, how about if you quit brain washing yourself into thinking that you need caffeine to get going? I remember my old routine, get up and skip breakfast except for 2-3 cups of coffee, have a diet coke at my desk, and then eat Tums throughout the morning - I have chipped teeth from Tums.

There are many acid reflux diet food choices for breakfast that don't take much time to prepare, and that can actually help to reduce reflux and heartburn instead of causing it. And you can adapt to some changes in food choices that will help you even more - you really don't need to eat that last piece of cold pizza for breakfast to keep it from going to waste.

Good food choices will include whole-grains, fruits and vegetables, and protein - just like any well balance healthy meal. In fact, that is one of the major benefits of an acid reflux diet, besides helping prevent or getting rid of heartburn, it is also a diet that promotes good health.

Whole grain breakfast food choices can be found in oatmeal, whole grain cereals, or whole grain breads. These are important for your acid reflux diet. They have fiber which makes them easier to digest, they don't require as much acid during digestion, and actually they break down during digestion in a way that can absorb excess acid. Additionally, whole grains include the antioxidant selenium, which has been shown to help protect the cell lining in the esophagus.

Fruits and vegetables are great for breakfast - what could be better than starting the day with an apple, or eating some fruit on your whole grain cereal. Just remember to stay away from the citrus fruits or juices, and especially no tomato juice as it is very highly acidic. Drink natural apple or grape juice as something that helps reduce acid. And if you can eat pizza and drink coke for breakfast, then you sure could get used to eating some broccoli - or how about some steamed broccoli with some egg whites.

Protein is an important food choice. It makes you feel more full and thus can help prevent overeating. And protein is the food source that helps build and repair muscles - this could include strengthening the muscles associated with your esophagus. As in all acid reflux diets, make sure that your proteins are low in fat content, because fat takes longer to digest and needs more acid to do so, thus increasing the likelihood of reflux heart burn. This means skim milk instead of whole milk, egg whites instead of the whole egg - and no more of that bacon or the fatty meats and fried foods in those breakfast sandwiches.

Breakfast And Lifestyle Changes
My lifestyle has changed the last few years; I was gaining weight as I was getting older, and I had heartburn that became acid reflux disease. Besides making some very big acid reflux diet changes, it now includes going to the gym in the morning before starting work. So, breakfast is very important to me after working out, but I also lose some extra time that I could have had for eating.

I eat a banana on the way to the gym, which helps settle my stomach. And then for breakfast I want a lot of protein, and to be sure that I have a relatively high protein to carbohydrate ratio; I want energy and not a spike in my blood sugar level. I usually drink a vanilla protein powder shake, and eat a cup of Greek yogurt [it is low-fat and has extra protein], and an apple - delicious.

I feel very good throughout the morning, and with no more coffee and diet coke to 'help' me through - if I want something else to eat, I have another apple. Breakfast is very important to our health, and you have lots of food choices that not only won't cause heartburn, but can actually help control it.

 But like in the case of all acid reflux diet choices, there are tradeoffs and lifestyle changes to be made to get rid of heartburn, and to get health benefits from what we eat -vs- eating in a way that makes heartburn become worse, and lead to acid reflux disease.

Effects On Health - Apple Cider Vinegar

Effects on the health, Apple Cider vinegar
To date, few studies have tested the effects of Apple Cider vinegar health:

(1) Diabetes
Some preliminary research suggests that the vinegar (vinegar of cider from Apple and other types) can benefit people with diabetes. For example, in a 2007 study published in Diabetes Care, researchers found that type 2 diabetes patients taking two tablespoons of cider vinegar bedtime shown favorable changes in blood sugar levels in the morning. And in a study based on animal published in the journal of biological sciences in Pakistan, scientists found that diabetic rats fed a diet of improved apple cider vinegar for four weeks experienced an increase in HDL ("good") cholesterol (as well as a reduction in their levels of triglycerides, a type of blood fat harmful).

(2) Weight Loss
There is a scientific limited support with regard to the claim that Apple Cider vinegar can promote weight loss. However, one small study (published in biochemistry, Bioscience and biotechnology in 2009) found that obese people who consume acetic acid daily for 12 weeks experienced significant decreases in body weight, abdominal fat, circumference of waist and triglycerides.

 In tests on mice, another 2009 study (published in the journal of agriculture and food chemistry) found that acetic acid may help to prevent the accumulation of body fat and certain fatty liver.

It is unknown if these studies tested the use of acetic acid derived from other types of vinegar or Apple Cider vinegar.

(3) Blood pressure
Acetic acid can help lower blood pressure, according to a study based on animal published in biochemistry, Bioscience and biotechnology in 2001. Once again, it is unknown if this study tested the use of acetic acid derived from other types of vinegar or Apple Cider vinegar.

(4) Cholesterol
Published in the British Journal of Nutrition, a 2006 study found that acetic acid fed rats for 19 days had a significant reduction in total cholesterol and triglyceride levels.