Gastro-Esophageal Reflux Disease (GERD), the medical term for “Acid Reflux,” is defined as the product of abnormal reflux of gastric contents into the esophagus thus, creating a mucosal damage, likewise known as the chronic symptom.
This disease strikes adults primarily, while infants and children can also be affected. Naturally spurred by eating certain foods, if not pregnancy, or taking a sleep right after eating a heavy meal, many persons suffer from acid reflux at one time or another.
Heartburn or acid indigestion is another name that refers to acid reflux. Heartburn, the primary symptom of Acid Reflux in the esophagus, is described to cause a burning uneasiness at the back of the sternum.
The symptoms may come as coughing, voice transformation, hoarseness, constant ear ache, or sinusitis. The complications brought upon by acid reflux may lead to esophageal ulcers, or worse, this can lead to esophageal cancer.
However, constant heartburn sensations do not necessarily mean that one has captured GERD already. The risk occurred when heartburn happened more than once a week; this occasion could develop GERD.
GERD’s usual cause is increased acidity or gastric acid production in the body, obesity, pregnancy, or tight-fitting apparel; these all can add to the problem. Yeast infections are also thought to be one of the causes of Gerd-like symptoms.
An added ironic cause of GERD is the insufficient production of stomach acid in the body. The explanation says that the valve, the hollow organ with a flap that ensures the one-way fluid through the organ, once emptied, triggers acidity in the intestines. If the valve fails to open, the stomach contents will be blended into the esophagus, and then irritation occurs.
Meanwhile, there are already several treatments for GERD today, one of which is balanced and healthy eating habits. If a proper diet fails to work, one can shift to medication therapy or surgery as suggested by the doctors. Below are the lists of several selections of Acid Reflux treatment:
• Proper Diet: the natural way to cure Acid Reflux is through a change in their eating habits. A good number of people affected by GERD found success in following this method. Avoid the food ingredients which can intensify heartburn, such as caffeine, soft drinks, and smoking. Avoid eating two hours before sleeping; likewise, avoid lying down after taking a meal. These are the regular suggested change in lifestyle.
• Another easy way to treat GERD is to elevate the head of the bed. The pharmacologic therapy, the combination of prevention of food two hours before sleeping, and the rise of the bed’s head, there is a great chance for a patient to gain a 95 percent relief. The head of the bed’s height is suggested to the range of only 6 to 8 inches or 20 cm. Using this method, the backflow of gastric fluids will be hampered.
• Drug Treatment: Drugs reduce the secretion of the gastric acid; for instance, and famotidine and omeprazole lessen the secretion of gastric acid, and the Antacids counteract the acid.
• Surgical treatment: the Nissen fundoplication, the standard surgical treatment for Acid Reflux, the medication process will only cover a short period. The function of this is to support the sphincter, a spherical bond of muscles that opens and closes to let the food or waste to pass, as well as stop Acid Reflux, and of course, restore the hiatal hernia.
