Heartburn: Hints on Dealing

Could it actually be the opposite?

Also known as GERD, gastroesopageal reflux disease can be the most excoriating thirty minutes of your life if you can get it to go away in that amount if time. It can literally feel like you are having a heart attack and when it finally does subside, it can leave your entire body feeling like it just was ran over by a truck.

It is estimated that about 15 percent of Americans and about 20 percent of the population world wide will suffer from this condition at least once a week. Another 10 percent suffer from it daily. And several of the experts that discuss it will give you every reason under the sun for the cause, but there is no single cause as it affects people in different ways.

What is it?

Acid reflex disease is different than heartburn, which can and does affect almost everyone at some time, usually after a very large or a very spicy meal. But GERD happens much more frequently and in some cases it can be almost continual.

When it does strike what is happening is that esophageal sphincter, which is a circular band of muscle that closes the very small spaces of the esophagus and helps to prevent the backward flow of stomach contents, does not function properly. As a result, the pressure between the stomach and the esophagus becomes uneven.

When it is functioning properly, this band of muscles react with gravity to create just enough pressure to push food that we have eaten back down into our stomach. However, if the pressure is either too high or too low, this stomach acid flow backward or essentially splashes back up. A similar reaction to this condition is belching.

Why it happens:

Unlike the stomach which is heavily protected by thick layers of mucus, the esophagus is much more vulnerable, and is subject to this reverse flowing process. The lower esophageal sphincter remains closed most of the time and only opens to allow swallowed food or liquid to pass through it.

It acts like a one way control mechanism, but if it becomes weakened, it loses its control, and what should have been flowing down into the stomach does not. It has to go somewhere, so it comes back up. Again, exactly the same as when we belch, the air pressure is too strong and forces its way past this valve.

Symptoms:

There are a myriad of symptoms that you may face with acid reflex disease, and none of them are good. If fact they can be down right nasty in some cases. The initial symptoms may be irritations to the throat and difficulty in swallowing because of the reverse effects. You may also experience coughing spells or even a chronic cough, again because of the reverse effects. You may than get some belching associated with an acid taste in your mouth.

Than it really hits you with a burning pain in your chest that will start down low and works it way up. This is common to most everyone that has experienced it, and following an attack you may hurt for several days.

What causes it?

There are several experts that believe that acid reflex disease is caused by too much acid, but it in all likelihood it is just the opposite. Healthy digestive processes occur when your stomach uses hydrochloric acid and pepsin, a very strong digestive enzyme, to break down the food that you eat into nutrients for your body.

Pepsin must have a very high level of acids to perform its job properly, and when the hydrochloric acids in your body are too low, it does not do its job. But your stomach still wants to get its job done, so it responds to these low acid levels by releasing more gastric acids and as a result, acid rebound.
Effects of antacids:

Antacid medications such as Tums will help to neutralize this effect and return your stomach acids back to normal. However, although these antacids work initially, over a long period of time they can cause a condition known as hypochlorhydria. When this occurs, it develops a chronic low acid problem and intensifies the cycle of indigestion.

But what most people are not aware of is that these antacid products also deplete your body of Vitamin B12, Folic Acid, Vitamin D, Calcium, Iron and Zinc. Think for a minute why some brands advertise so heavily that their product is a supply of calcium.

Underlying causes:

There may be several underlying causes of this condition such as a Hiatal hernia that affects this valve causing it to open to wide, hypochlorhydria, which is a chronic form of low stomach acid, or food allergies or intolerances and as a result cause your stomach acids have difficulty in breaking the food down. Other underlying causes may be age that causes the muscles to weaken, pregnancy which forces pressure on the stomach, and obesity, which puts a tremendous amount of pressure on these functions. Smoking puts a lot of pressure on the sphincter as well as reducing salivary secretion.

Foods that may cause it:

Although everyone is unique, there are common food and beverages that may be causing acid reflex disease:
Coffee, Tea and chocolate are very common, as well as fried or fatty foods. Tomatoes and tomato juice, citrus fruits and juices, as well as onions, especially raw, may be the cause. Alcohol, French fries, and potato chips are also very common.

However, by far and away the largest cause will be soft drinks. Carbonation irritates your stomach; it does not help your stomach. Just think of what happens when you drink it; you belch. The stomach cures this irritation the only way it knows how to, it reacts.

Remedies:

There are several remedies, depending on what the causes are, but a lot of them will be lifestyle changes. Weight reduction can immediately reduce the pressure on the stomach, and quitting smoking will also immediately increase your salivary secretion.

Eliminating fatty foods and drinks, especially soda, will help return the stomach acids back to normal. Reducing the size of meals and increasing the frequency will also help the digestive acids. But perhaps the best lifestyle change may be to formulate a better upper body elevation, especially when you sleep. Elevating the entire upper body will naturally help your stomach do its job.

Some natural remedies will include licorice, natural honey, and Aloe Vera Juice, as they all help to sooth the esophagus and the digestive processes.

Summary:

Acid reflex disease is very common but can become very serious. Over time it erodes the delicate tissues and causes inflammation as well as scaring. Only you know what affects your body, but taking action will help you in defeating this very painful and dangerous condition.

I am an avid lover of pets and my wife and I have had several pets throughout our years. We are especially fond of dogs, and we have a 12 year old Dalmatian (our 3rd) and a "mutt" that we rescued when someone threw him away to die in a vacant field. He found us, nearly starved to death, and weighed about 2 pounds. After severe bouts of mange and severe dehydration, and over 1,000.00 in veterinarian bills, we saved the little guys life, and he is one of the best, if not the best, dogs we have ever had and today is a muscular, fit, and firm 70 pound best friend.

After finishing my MBA, which at middle age was not easy, I decided to keep the research work ethics that I acquired, and devote about two hours each night in understanding the health benefits of supplementation for both humans and pets and how they might strengthen our, as well as our pets, immune system in a pre-emptive approach to health rather than a reactionary approach.

Both of my daughters are avid cat lovers, and asked me to help them with health concerns and challenges with their cats.

I am not a veterinarian nor claim to be, just a lover of pets that loves to research and pass on some knowledge that might be helpful, or at least stimulating to the thought process.

Several of the articles that I have written can be found on my website;

Liquid Vitamins & Minerals for Humans & Pets http://www.liquid-vitamins-minerals-humans-pets.com/