Top 5 Ways to Diagnose Acid Reflux Disease

Gastroesophageal reflux disease, also referred to as GERD or acid reflux disease, is an illness where the liquefied contents of the sufferers stomach backs up into their esophagus.

The stomach contents that is regurgitated contains acids and pepsin that may cause quite severe damage to the esophagus although this only happens in very few cases. Acid reflux disease is a chronic disease and once you contract it you are likely to become a lifelong sufferer. If the esophagus does become damaged this is also a chronic disease. Treatment can be given to improve the state of the esophagus wall but if the treatment is stopped the problems can return within a matter of weeks.

1- Heartburn is by far the most common symptom of acid reflux disease and if a doctor suspects your heartburn is cause by acid reflux disease he or she will prescribe you with a medicine that stops the production of acid in your stomach. If it stops then it is assumed that you do indeed have acid reflux disease. This approach of diagnosis can be unreliable.

2- An endoscopy is another way of diagnosing acid reflux disease. A tube is swallowed so that doctors can see exactly what is going on inside your body. However, a esophagus of a patient suffering from the disease ordinarily looks quite normal so this method of diagnosis will only directly work for those patients whose esophagus has been damaged by their acid reflux disease. However, if an ulcer or other ailment that can cause similar problems is spotted then it may be possible to discount acid reflux disease.

3- Biopsies can be used to search for the existence of cancer. They can not be used to look for evidence of acid reflux disease but alternative causes of symptoms may be found.

4- Examining the throat and larynx is an approach that is sometimes consider for the diagnosis of acid reflux disease. Inflammation of either may indicate that a patient has acid reflux disease but there a number of other problems that may cause these symptoms too.

5- Esophageal acid testing is probably the most accurate way to test for acid reflux disease but is the most obtrusive as well. A tube is placed through the nose and into the esophagus where it remains for 24 hours. This tube has a sensor on the end and measures the amount of reflux generated over 24 hours.

Symptoms of Acid Reflux in Women

The symptoms of acid reflux can affect men and women, although during pregnancy, women are particularly susceptible to symptoms of acid reflux. Acid reflux is also called acid reflux, GERD or gastroesophageal reflux disease. Female acid reflux symptoms occur most frequently when the stomach contents back up in the esophagus of the woman. The symptoms of acid reflux in women may be quite uncomfortable or even painful and can even cause damage to the lining of the throat. Because the symptoms of acid reflux in women can be very serious, it is important to your health care provider to diagnose his illness to confirm the acid reflux as the cause of these symptoms. The doctor will normally be arange of tests that can confirm the acid reflux disease and rule out other conditions.
The symptoms of acid reflux in women: heartburn
A burning sensation in the chest or throat is the most common symptom of acid reflux in women. Heartburn occurs when stomach acid moves into the esophagus, usually after a meal. Most of the symptoms is felt in the chest or throat, but some women may experience symptoms of acid reflux type of heartburn in the lungs, the neck or the abdominal region. This symptom of acid reflux can vary in intensity from mild warmth to a strong burning sensation.
Nausea is perhaps the second most common symptoms of acid reflux in women. This feeling of a sick stomach is similar to dizziness and tends to affect women are not affected by stomach acidity.
A cough is another symptom of acid reflux in women. Often, cough occur when bile acids or stomach into the woman's throat, causing irritation. TOS is the body's automatic reaction to try to remove the irritation.
Vomiting is one of the most extreme acid reflux symptom in women and that normally occurs only in the most intense cases. Women who suffer from the symptom of acid reflux of nausea are likely to also have vomiting as one of its symptoms.
A sore throat is one of the symptoms of acid reflux in women. Acid reflux can cause sore throat due to inflammation of the stomach contents that moved the esophagus. This can also result in a rough and hoarse voice.

Treatment of acid reflux

One of the most effective methods of treatment of acid reflux disease is through lifestyle changes. The food that you eat makes a big difference to the frequency and the power of the symptoms of acid reflux. There are a lot of foods that can include in your diet to help relieve acid reflux problems.  One of the best remedies is a tea made of anise and lavender.  The combination is a soothing and relaxing, that helps to reduce the acid content of the stomach.  You can also add some honey if you prefer your drinks to be sweeter.  Anise is known to aid digestion, and lavender always has been sought for its soothing properties and can also be a useful treatment for acid reflux, as it is known to reduce the acid in the stomach.
Some fruits are also useful in the treatment of acid reflux because they contain enzymes that help digestion.  Pineapple and fresh papaya each day is a great start for friendly diet of acid reflux treatment. Papaya helps to aid in digestion and pineapple reduces inflammation and high enzyme content can be very effective to stop or reduce the symptoms of acid reflux.  If you are not in the pineapple or papaya, root of chicory is an excellent alternative natural treatment: simply boil the root of chicory in water, lets cool down and take it as a cold tea.
Another way to naturally treat acid reflux is eating more salads.  Add a salad in your daily meal plan is a great way to reduce painful symptoms of acid reflux, and is also the advantage that salads are important to you, containing healthy nutrients that your body needs.
One of the most recommended home remedies for acid reflux is cinnamon. If they are suffering the pain of acid reflux, the cut in a piece of bread toasted cinnamon could be only treatment that your body needs to relieve symptoms.
There are other changes of simple lifestyle that can help you to get rid of the symptoms of acid reflux too. Limit the consumption of coffee and alcohol may have a beneficial effect deeply to his acid reflux.  If you smoke, could be the incentive that it is necessary to quit, as smoking cessation can drastically reduce the chances of acid reflux.
Another remedy often overlooked natural acid reflux is sleeping with his high top of the body.  Sleep at an angle that works in conjunction with gravity allows their stomach acids correctly travel to his stomach, instead of rising as he sleeps.
There is much on the counter and treatments medications available to help treat the symptoms of acid reflux. Many of these on the resources of accountant work very well, and you can usually find a wide variety in the supermarket or pharmacy.
Where more serious, over the counter medications and home remedies may not eliminate completely the symptoms of acid reflux.  If this happens, your doctor may suggest prescription medications.  Common medications are histamine-2 blockers or an inhibitors Proton pump, which can help to reduce or even cure the symptoms of acid reflux.
It has, however, that acid reflux symptoms differ from person to person.  The same is true of acid reflux treatments.  A treatment that works for one person may not work for another.  Your doctor can advise you on the most effective treatment for individual membership plan.