If you are one of those who suffer from acid reflux, help begins with a basic understanding of what causes this condition.  Acid Reflux, a common term sometimes used for a more serious problem called gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), is often accompanied with that uncomfortable burning sensation in your chest and throat.  This is caused when stomach acid refluxes, or flows back, into the esophagus and throat leading to the familiar heartburn (which, incidentally, has nothing to do with the heart).  A weak lower esophageal sphincter (LES), which normally acts as a valve to let food into the stomach and keep irritating acidic gastric contents from coming back up, is a primary culprit.

While there may be dozens of factors or preconditions that play a role in causing this condition, there are several known factors which will likely initiate, or even exacerbate, a bout of acid reflux or heartburn.  Since this is a condition affecting the gastrointestinal system, it is directly related to what we eat, and even how we eat it.  At the top of most doctors’ lists of things their patients should avoid are:

•  Eating spicy and or acidic foods, such as tomatoes and citrus fruits
•  Eating overly rich, fried or fatty foods
•  Drinking alcohol (obviously excessive drinking is different than moderate drinking)
•  Smoking cigarettes

Smoking has the extra negative effect of introducing toxins to an already weakened esophagus.  In addition to acidic and fatty foods, acid reflux sufferers should also avoid dairy products, and sweets as these foods may cause excessive production of stomach acids.  These behavioral factors are the easiest to correct and are certainly more advantageous than taking over-the-counter medications which typically only mask symptoms and may also come with side effects.

Heartburn is more common after meals and can be triggered or worsened by lying down–so don’t head for the couch right after dinner.  If you experience a flare up during the day, you can elevate your upper body while sleeping to avoid waking up with painful heartburn in the middle of the night.  Lifestyle changes will definitely have a positive impact.  Begin by losing excess weight, and quitting smoking.  Beyond that you should eat on a more regular schedule and eat smaller meals.  Avoiding these basic causes of acid reflux and heartburn symptoms will yield noticeable improvement for most people.  When the pain and other symptoms persist it is time to visit your doctor and find out if you have a more serious condition.

Technorati Tags: acid reflux, GERD, heartburn, treatment

Tags: acid reflux, GERD, heartburn, treatment

This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 18th, 2009 at 2:18 am and is filed under Treating Acid Reflux. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.