Apr 12
9
Stop The Pain Of Acid Reflux NOW
I know how acute the pain of acid reflux can be – and how it can affect your life (and the lives of those around you).
That’s because my beloved wife suffered from acid reflux for several years, trying out all the conventional prescription medicines and, yes, gaining a degree of relief with some of them, it’s true (especially Prilosec). But….not everyone wants to take prescription meds. And not everyone has acid reflux so bad that they need to take these heavy duty drugs.
That’s one thing we learned when we connected with a lot of men and women on the internet who were living with acid reflux, or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), or hiatal hernia. Wow! What an insight that was. Anyway, we soon discovered that being in those discussion forums was never really going to help us cure the problem, so we set out to look for a remedy ourselves. And while we did so, the FDA (which regulates all drugs in the USA) issued a new warning about the risk of bone fractures and serious stomach and bowel infections caused by proton pump inhibitors like Prilosec. “Oh no,” we thought. “Now what?”
Well. What indeed? And so we decided to try out some home remedies. As you may know, there’s a strong tradition of home remedies for acid reflux and other stomach problems. And that’s because, to be blunt, they work. In fact, they kill the symptoms of acid reflux, GERD and hiatal hernia much more effectively than prescription meds in many cases. And I know this better than anyone, having watched my wife’s suffering clear up completely in a mere 36 hours.
Where did we find this information? In the detailed, free reports produced by a company called Barton Publishing. These free reports explain in detail the natural remedies you can use to QUICKLY, EASILY and COMPLETELY cure the symptoms of acid reflux, hiatal hernia and GERD. Now, I’d like to share that knowledge with you. Click here to see how you be absolutely 100% free of the symptoms of acid reflux within days.
With my heartfelt wishes for your better health,
Yours,
Rod
Feb 12
3
Symptoms of Acid Reflux
Although I’ve already mentioned briefly some of the symptoms of acid reflux disease, there are others; they may cause considerable discomfort. They include:
Heartburn or acid indigestion: this is a burning sensation in the chest caused by the acidic contents of the stomach passing upwards into the esophagus. It’d certainly be considered a severe condition if you had it daily. Indigestion is also a common symptom of acid reflux; it may be known as dyspepsia, and, together a sense of fullness, discomfort, and possibly slight nausea, is often associated with acid reflux symptoms.
There is a connection between the kind of food that an individual consumes and the likelihood of experiencing heartburn – suspects include alcohol, garlic, spices, some citrus fruits, acidic foods, mint, and even fatty foods and oils. Basically anything that causes the lower esophageal sphincter to relax will also precipitate an attack of acid reflux and the consequent discomfort of heartburn.
Regurgitation of the stomach contents: this is a particularly unpleasant symptom of reflux, caused by the partially digested and acidic food from the stomach being regurgitated up the esophagus and into the mouth. Acid regurgitation during sleep is possible, and it is therefore recommended that anyone who suffers from acid reflux symptoms should sleep with their head raised. This is usually achieved by lifting the head of the bed to decrease the frequency of reflux occurring.
Chest pain: many individuals with heart pain caused by coronary artery disease have been diagnosed as suffering from indigestion, so it’s important that any severe case of discomfort in the chest receives medical attention. More often than not, of course, it will turn out merely to be acid reflux.
Laryngeal damage can be caused by constant regurgitation of acid affecting the vocal cords. This is one of the more obvious acid reflux symptoms. Naturally the degree of damage to the vocal cords depends on the frequency and quantity of acid regurgitation; in general anyone who has this level of acid reflux disease will be well aware that something is wrong, and needs to see a doctor.
Sore throat can also be a symptom of acid reflux, as can a dry cough or difficulty with breathing. Once again, if you have such symptoms, you’re very likely to know that you have a problem, and may well have seen a doctor. In any event, you should certainly drink adequate quantities of water every day to decrease the likelihood of damage to these tissues.
Severe cases of acid reflux can cause changes in the tissue of the lower esophagus, which over a prolonged period of time may result in the formation of cancerous cells. That’s clearly a very good reason to treat acid reflux!
TREATMENT OF ACID REFLUX
If you or your doctor suspects you have acid reflux, it’s likely that the initial steps in dealing with it will involve lifestyle changes and some kind of medication which is an effective acid reflux treatment. Losing weight, giving up cigarettes and alcohol, ensuring a moderate level of exercise, and taking simple precautions such as eating smaller meals more frequently and avoiding foods that stimulate acid reflux symptoms will allow a person to live a normal life.
Acid Reflux Symptoms Can Be Cured With Natural Remedies
Natural herbal remedies for acid reflux include compounds like ginger. Perhaps the best way to see if this helps your acid reflux is to take ginger tea or antacid tablets containing a preparation of ginger.
And in recent years cider vinegar has been widely promoted as a wonderful remedy for acid reflux symptoms. It is most important to use a high quality cider vinegar that contains natural apple pulp, and does not contain sulfites. Equally, raw apple has been suggested many times as an effective treatment.
It is also worth trying a holistic diet that contains lots of nuts, fruit, fiber and alkaline compounds. This should make a significant difference, not only in reducing the amount of acid in the stomach, but also eliminating acid reflux symptoms.
You may also try chamomile or fennel tea as a remedy for excess acidity in the stomach.
Over the counter medicines
Most people will, at some time, have tried over-the-counter acid reflux medicines. These include both antacids and hydrogen blockers, the first of which are designed to reduce the acidity of the stomach contents and thereby provide relief from heartburn and indigestion; the second are actually designed to prevent the production of acid in the stomach, which clearly is a more effective way of reducing the symptoms of acid reflux.
Because of the limited duration of over-the-counter antacids, it’s certainly more effective to take hydrogen blockers; note that one of the side-effects of these medications can be diarrhea or, conversely, constipation, so they should not be used every day for a prolonged period of time. Zantac, Tagamet and Ranitidine are common acid blockers.
Prescription medicines.
As you might expect, the most powerful and effective medications for acid reflux symptoms are on prescription; they include proton pump inhibitors which reduce the production of acid in the stomach; other compounds promote the stomach muscles to empty the stomach, thereby reducing the pressure on the lower esophageal sphincter.
We mentioned lifestyle changes above. These include
- reducing the amount of fatty or acidic foods you eat
- stopping smoking
- reducing alcohol consumption
- eating five or six small meals at regular intervals throughout the day.
This will help prevent the stomach becoming overfull, and so will reduce the likelihood of acidic material flowing back into the esophagus. It’s also worth mentioning that ensuring you get enough sleep and exercise as well as reducing your stress level. This makes the intestinal tract more likely to function without symptoms of acid reflux.
Certainly you should avoid eating food before you go to bed; you should also wear loose clothing which puts less pressure on the stomach, and avoid lying down after eating.
Surgery
In the worst cases of GERD or acid reflux, surgery is possible. But only very severe acid reflux symptoms merit surgery, which can be challenging and is frequently unsuccessful.
When a doctor investigates acid reflux symptoms it may be necessary to have an endoscopy, so that she or he can establish exactly what is going on at the junction of the stomach and esophagus. If surgery is recommended, fundoplication may be used. Nissen fundoplication is a surgical procedure to treat gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and hiatus hernia. In GERD it is usually performed when medical therapy has failed, but with paraesophageal hiatus hernia, it is the first-line procedure.
The major causes of acid reflux symptoms
Most refluxing of stomach acid is caused by the lower esophageal sphincter not working correctly, and therefore allowing the acid to flow backwards from the stomach into the esophagus.
The lower esophageal sphincter is a muscular valve which should normally prevent food from flowing out of the stomach up into the esophagus; if the tissues are weakened, or the aperture in the diaphragm through which the esophagus passes is enlarged, the sphincter no longer acts as a valve and acid flows up from stomach and esophagus. Clearly the frequency with which the lower esophageal sphincter relaxes or opens incorrectly will be directly related to the seriousness of an individual’s acid reflux symptoms.
Causes of Acid Reflux
A major issue in acid reflux is an individual’s lifestyle. This includes not only the type of food eaten (some people, for example, may find dairy products make the reflux symptoms worse), but also the consumption of alcohol or tobacco, both of which are risk factors for GERD.
The size of meal eaten, and the frequency with which food is consumed, can also affect the likelihood of a person suffering acid reflux. To alleviate symptoms of acid reflux, you can start by reducing both cigarette and alcohol consumption. These substances are known to weaken the sphincter at the base of the esophagus.
Stomach ulcers, possibly caused by stress, or by infection with Helicobacter pylori, the bug that is suspected of causing stomach ulcers, may also have an influence on the likelihood of experiencing acid reflux symptoms: they certainly have an impact on the severity of them.
Pregnancy: a lot of pregnant women report that they experience acid reflux symptoms, due to the volume of the abdomen that is occupied by the developing baby, which compress on the stomach and increase the likelihood of contents being regurgitated into the esophagus instead of passing correctly into the jejunum.
Jan 12
20
Acid Reflux Symptoms Can Be Cured
Acid reflux, also known as Gastroesophogeal Reflux Disease (GERD), is a common problem. Indeed, acid reflux symptoms affect up to half the population at some time in their lives.
What is Acid Reflux?
The term reflux refers to a condition when acid from the stomach flows back (“refluxes”) up the esophagus towards the mouth.
As you may know, the esophagus is the muscular tube which connects the mouth and the stomach; you probably also know that the stomach produces an acid which is responsible for the digestion of food.
The stomach wall is protected from damage by its own acid by the presence of thick mucus which separates the acidic stomach contents from the stomach wall. All well and good. However, under certain conditions, stomach acid flows back up into the esophagus – this is known as refluxing or regurgitation. The esophagus has no protection from stomach acid, and can be damaged when reflux is persistent. The first symptom of acid reflux is a burning or stinging pain known as heartburn.
Now, almost everyone experiences reflux or slight regurgitation of the stomach contents from time to time, but if it occurs regularly, and over-the-counter medications such as antacid tablets do not produce any relief from the resulting pain, then you almost certainly have a case of GERD.
As well as causing considerable discomfort, the acid which is refluxed can damage the tissues of the esophagus, throat, vocal cords and even the lungs. It is therefore imperative therefore that you deal with persistent acid reflux symptoms quickly, either by using over-the-counter medication or by seeking medical intervention.
Acid reflux is extremely common, affecting a large proportion of the population from time to time.
Symptoms of GERD & Acid Reflux
These include heartburn that is not alleviated by over-the-counter medication, a persistent feeling of discomfort, made worse after eating or during exercise, and a sense of nausea. When acid reflux symptoms last several months, or when they occur in people who are obese, they definitely require medical attention. And it’s important to note that reflux can be cured!
Posted in acid reflux by .
Research proves that the symptoms of acid reflux are caused by many factors acting together. But a lifetime of poor diet and bad lifestyle choices certainly doesn’t help!
Things which contribute to a damaged esophagus and a weakended lower esophageal sphincter include smoking, obesity, eating a bad diet, and irritants such as spices and alcohol. Curing acid reflux should therefore be a whole body treatment. In other words, a cure for the symptoms of acid reflux involves altering your diet, not smoking, and trying some natural remedies. These are “Holistic Treatments”, in that the whole body is involved in the cure; for GERD, where acid reflux is involved, nutritional and diet changes, alterations to lifestyle habits, and the use of natural remedies are the most important holistic factors.
The esophagus is the tube that links your mouth and stomach. But our modern lifestyle may not promote the health of the esophagus. Indeed, many of us have an esophagus which shows signs of partial damage or scratched tissue: in the case of the lower esophageal sphincter, the muscle at the junction of the esophagus and stomach, damage will cause weakness which then prevents a tight seal developing - and that is when the symptoms of reflux begins to develop.
Pointers To A Natural GERD Cure
Eating softer foods for several days can permit your esophagus and sphincter to begin a process of healing. While you do this, hard and crunchy foods should be avoided, because they scratch all the tissues in the area.
Spicy and acidic foods need to be avoided as well; these types of foods often cause more acid reflux and heartburn.
You must finally make a commitment to stop smoking, because tobacco smoke contains chemicals which cause the sphincter tissue to relax – and that permits acid reflux to occur.
Avoid coffee – which is very acidic - until your esophagus heals, a process that takes several days.
Make sure you drink water after every meal or snack so as to clean the junction of esophagus and stomach.
Use honey on a regular basis: a tablespoon of honey can heal damaged tissue. Actually, honey may be one of the oldest heartburn remedies we have.
Lastly, a red apple can act as a great natural remedy for heartburn – and not many people know this. Eat half or the whole apple if you feel acid reflux or heartburn approaching.
Many people with long term acid reflux have simply given up on their antacids because they no longer work! After years taking antacids, people often find they just don’t work: however, tea – yes, tea – is a natural and smoothing substance that can help to cure acid reflux. Let’s begin by looking at how tea can be used to treat acid reflux symptoms – and what type of tea is most beneficial.
Treat The Symptoms of Acid Reflux As Well As The Causes!
Acid reflux is usually caused by a weak lower esophageal sphincter (LES), the muscle that separates the opening into the stomach from the esophagus; this is the muscle which is responsible for keeping food and stomach acid where it belongs - in the stomach. But, after years of use and abuse, your sphincter can become weaker and acid reflux is the result. The symptoms of a weakened sphincter are: heartburn, nausea, pain on swallowing, excess salivation, discomfort, excess stomach acid, difficulty swallowing, and even vomiting.
In order to cure the cause of acid reflux, you must use strengthen the LES sphincter. Believe it or not, tea is one way of doing this due to its innate healing ability.
Teas To Cure Acid Reflux
1. Green tea and honey work well for GERD sufferers. Honey has healing properties for human tissue, and the weak tissues of the LES respond well to it. Decaffeinated green tea is extremely effective at relieving upset stomachs and seems to assist with effective digestion; if you add a teaspoon of honey, you get double benefits in healing the sphincter.
2. Many herbal teas can help to cure acid reflux; chicory root in particular, supplemented with honey, is good, as are chamomile and fennel teas. These teas aid digestion and diminish the chances of acid reflux. Naturally, honey can be added to all these teas.
3. Another remedy is infusion of baking soda made with a teaspoon of baking soda to one cup of water. This raises the pH level in your stomach and increases alkalinity, which neutralizes the refluxed acid.
4. Lastly, aloe vera has been long known for healing tissue. Aloe vera juice is available in health food stores.