What Options Are Available For Acid Reflux Treatment?

Acid reflux, also known as gastro esophageal reflux disease (GERD), occurs when the sphincter that is positioned at the bottom of the esophagus stops functioning properly. This will allow food in the stomach to come back up through the sphincter into the esophagus and sometimes even into the mouth, resulting in a painful heartburn (a burning sensation in the chest and throat) or even permanent damage to the esophagus if no proper acid reflux treatment is sought.
Acid reflux treatment varies among individual upon diagnosis. To some, lifestyle changes will be necessary to reduce the pain and discomfort of the disease. One such change is to avoid foods that trigger the symptoms. Foods that give rise to Acid Reflux are aplenty and obtaining a list of them is a good place to start. Yet, a food that cause problem for one may be perfectly fine for another. Therefore, patients are regularly advised to keep their own diet diary, so that offensive foods can be identified and avoided.
Those diagnosed with Acid Reflux should also avoid overeating, alcohol, coffee and smoking. A person who is obese may be advised to loss some weight as part of an acid reflux treatment plan. Since symptoms can get worse after a night of lying flat, one might find relief in the morning by elevating the upper body by about eight inches during sleep.
Acid Reflux Drugs Are Very Effective
If lifestyle changes are not able to provide the desired relief, one can then consider taking Acid Reflux drugs. Sometimes readily available antacids will do. In other cases, a prescription drug might be required. A point to note is that this form of treatment will have to be taken regularly and continued indefinitely
The good news is that the treatment is not difficult to administer for acid reflux in adults and children. It is rather excellent and extremely fast in relieving most, if not all of the symptoms of the person suffering for quite some time.
Are The Acid Reflux Drugs Good Or Bad To Treat The Acid Reflux
The acid reflux drugs are highly capable of getting rid of all the symptoms within a day or two from the start of the treatment. They will be free of chest pain, heartburn, and etc. These treatments are simple and direct which include one of two main acid reflux drugs.
If you do not like too many drugs, you can consider using herbs and other alternatives which can be just as effectively.
Understanding Acid Reflux Surgery
For those who do not wish to continue with medication forever or the medication is ineffective, they can consider surgery.
It is important to understand the surgical process and the complications involved if you are considering it as an option for your suffering. This is a grave matter that deserves serious consideration in terms of your options. Unless all your natural options are unsuccessful and you cannot find effective relief in either a dietary or a lifestyle change, then you can consider surgery as a solution for your recovery. You will thus have to consider the plus and minus of the surgery before deciding.
The Surgical Procedure
One procedural option for acid reflux surgery is called laparoscopy. This is a technique that is similar to tying the Fallopian tubes in females. The same principle applies and the surgeon would fold the upper stomach. It is wrapped and sutured to the esophagus from this point, wrapped around both sides of the food tube. This technique aims to restore the typical amount of pressure on the sphincter and, thus, creates a normal operation procedure that allows the correct quantity of acid to flow to the right places.
An alternative to the surgical procedure is to reduce the amount of stomach acid through medication. This is preferred to acid reflux surgery only if the surgery is deemed too dangerous for the patient or if it is not thought to work with the patient's biochemical reactions.
The choice of treatment lies with the individual whether surgical or non-surgical procedure is used to eliminate the pervasive problem of acid reflux.
The Cure And The Suffering
The cure for acid reflux actually lies in your hands. It is not about the medicine, drugs and surgery available to cure Acid Reflux. It is about having the right diet to combat the symptoms. For someone suffering from acute acidity and acid reflux, their diet should be specially designed and they should make sure that they are never caught hungry.
People who skip breakfast or spend two hours eating lunch/dinner would never get their health back. When the stomach stays hungry for prolong period, a lot of acid is created, and it is possible for the stomach to 'fight back' and force it up towards the mouth. This is when you get a sour taste in the mouth.
Visit a doctor if you suspect that you are suffering from acidity. If treatment is delayed, the danger of getting esophageal ulcers will be greater. This might lead to cancer at a later stage. Always remember, "Prevention is always better than cure."



Cindy Heller is a professional writer. Visit acid reflux relief to learn more about natural cure for acid reflux and other acid reflux disease treatments.

Acid Reflux Disease Symptoms And Treatment Options

What is acid reflux? Acid reflux is the backflow of stomach's acidic contents into the esophagus or food pipe. The symptoms of acid reflux can be very irritating and are often confused as heart attack. Acid reflux, if left untreated can give serious esophageal damages and can be fatal. They can lead to development of ulcers and even cancer of the esophagus. Hence, one must consult his physician or family doctor for more information on acid reflux symptoms and treatment options.

What Are The Symptoms To Look For?

As stated earlier, some of the symptoms of acid reflux so similarity with heart attack that it can create panic in people. The frequency of the acid reflux can vary from one individual to the other. Even the symptoms can range from mild to severe.

The most common of the various symptoms that signal acid reflux disease, is heartburn. Heartburn does not bear any connection with the heart of the person. In fact it is a burning sensation that occurs in the food pipe and the chest area. Heartburn can be extremely uncomfortable and can often be accompanied by regurgitation of the undigested food in the mouth area, leaving a sour taste. Heartburn can worsen when one lies down.

Heartburn also engulfs the larynx or the throat area and the person can develop severe coughing and a hoarse throat. Sometimes, the coughing gets so bad that it make it difficult to sleep. The symptoms of coughing can eventually turn into asthmatic conditions. In addition to these, there can be difficulties in swallowing.

Chest pain is also very common in cases of acid reflux. At times, the chest pain leaves the person in panic of heart attack. The easy way to distinguish is that the acid reflux chest pain normally is reduced or gone after taking an antacid. In case of heart attack there is heaviness in the chest which does not seem to subside.

What Can You Do?

The foremost thing to do in case of acid reflux attacks is to calm down and retrospect the quality of life that one is leading. Having nutritious diet including enough vegetables and fruits combined with an active lifestyle with morning exercise or even walks can reduce the problems of heartburn to a great extent.

Apart from the lifestyle changes, one must get thorough diagnosis of the problem by a physician so as to rule out other abnormalities in the functioning of the body. For example, an EEG will rule out the possibilities of heart problems. Women can face acid reflux problems during there pregnancy. Similarly, threats of having hiatal hernia can also be ruled out.

Medical Acid Reflux Disease Treatments

Medicinal acid reflux treatments come in a two way process. Normally, for acid reflux problems the doctor suggests medicines and drugs complemented with lifestyle changes. In cases where these do not provide sufficient relief and the symptoms reoccur after stopping the medicines, endoscopies can be prescribed.

In very rare cases, the doctors may suggest surgery to fix the loosened lower esophageal sphincter valve. The surgery is however considered the last option when medicines seize to give any comfort.

The most commonly used medicinal treatment for acid reflux is antacids. Antacids provide immediate relief from the symptoms of heartburn by neutralizing the stomach acids. Gelusil, Mylanta, Tums are the popular antacids. Besides antacids, there are H2 blockers receptors. These work by reducing the amount of acid produced by the stomach. These medications are taken at least 30 minutes before the meals. Ranitidine, Cimetidine, Famotidine are some of the drugs under this category. Yet another effective treatment for acid reflux is the proton pump inhibitor. These work by blocking the acid production and thereby aiding the healing of the damaged esophagus. Prilosec, Nexium are the popular proton pump inhibitors. These medications are available over the counter. However, there are prescription medicines which are of greater strength than their OTC variant.

If medicines have little or no effect in curing the acid reflux symptoms, the doctor may advice certain tests such as the Barium X-Ray, endoscopies, acid probe test etc which can determine the condition and the severity of the esophageal damage. Based on the kind of damage, the doctor may suggest different medication or even surgery. The surgical procedure is very rare and is aimed at tying the upper layer of the stomach over the lower esophagus, thus tightening the esophageal sphincter.

Final Word about Acid Reflux Treatment

Though there are number of medications and treatments available for the problem of acid reflux, the best method is still adopting healthy lifestyle. The medicinal and alternative treatments just cure the symptoms and the best way to control these are changing diet and leading an active life.

Cindy Heller is a professional writer. Visit acid reflux explained to learn more about acid reflux surgery and other acid reflux disease symptoms.

What Causes Acid Reflux?

Encountering a bitter taste after savoring that yummy spicy chicken pizza is fairly common. But what if the bitter taste is a persistent thing? And worse, most of the times you often find the food particles back into your mouth every time you burp. Well, then you can be suffering from Gastroesophageal reflux disease or in simple plain English from acid reflux.

So what is acid reflux? Acid reflux is a condition wherein the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) is not able to withhold the backflow of the stomach acid and other stomach contents into the esophagus. In normal circumstances, the lower esophageal sphincter acts like a valve that prevents the backflow of acidic juices and other contents of the stomach, allowing only the passage of food from the esophagus into the stomach. Whenever, it fails to perform its expected function, the acidic juices slip back into the esophagus. This causes irritation in the esophagus and the condition is then referred to as acid reflux. The other scientific name for acid reflux is Gastroesophageal reflux or GERD.

There are many factors that can trigger acid reflux in a person. Diet is one of them. Since acid reflux is an ailment associated with the stomach, whatever that goes into the stomach is bound to create an effect on acid reflux. The fast food fad that is rapidly gaining importance in the urban dietary patterns is one major cause of acid reflux. Not only is fast food low in fiber and nutritional contents, but also is also very oily and spicy. Oily and spicy food can trigger off acid reflux in many cases. Similarly, beverages like soft drinks and juices made from citric fruits such as lime and orange are known to cause acid reflux. Drinks laden with caffeine are known to induce acid reflux.

Consumption of alcohol or alcoholic beverages is also considered to be one of the causes of acid reflux. Alcohol is known for relaxing the lower esophageal sphincter's muscle thus aiding in the escape of acidic juices into the esophagus. Alcohol when taken in large quantities also causes the irritation of the mucous membrane of the esophagus, thus inducing GERD. Similarly, smoking is also closely linked to acid reflux. Smokers produce half the saliva produced by non-smokers. Saliva contains bicarbonate that is known for neutralizing stomach acids. Smoking also relaxes the LES muscles. This increases the chances of getting acid reflux.

Being over weight can also trigger off acid reflux. Normally more fat around the stomach region means more pressure around the stomach area, which pushes up the acidic juices into the esophagus and eventually leads to GERD. Pregnancy can also be attributed to causing acid reflux as there is an increase pressure near the abdomen.

Hiatus hernia is another cause of GERD. The diaphragm separates the chest from the stomach. Hiatus is a small hole in the diaphragm. Some times the hiatus weakens and enlarges. This allows the stomach to protrude into the chest. This causes disruption in the normal working of the LES, thus leading to acid reflux.

These are the major causes of acid reflux. A little change in the dietary habits and kicking off bad habits can improve the condition of acid reflux.

To learn more about Gastroesophageal reflux disease symptoms, visit our site where you'll find eating diet with acid reflux and how to natural treatment cure for acid reflex. TreatAcidReflux.org is an useful resource to help individuals with identifying symptoms, prevention and treatment options of acid reflux (GERD).