Acid Reflux Explained In Plain English
By
The Acid Reflux Team
Acid reflux disease has come in the media spotlight as the disease-du-jour. This is because of the development of medications and treatments for acid reflux. Explained another way, because now there is a buck to be made from curing acid reflux, there seems to be a sudden epidemic of disease. Does This Taste Funny To You? Acid reflux, explained in the simplest way possible, is when your keep vomiting a little bit. This is annoying. Not only does it put a weird taste in your mouth, but it hurts. You are, after all, constantly having stomach acid in your esophagus, whether it’s going up or going back down. Stomach acid is not meant to be in your esophagus for long periods of time, and the acid eventually can greatly damage it, making eating very difficult. And you also more likely to get cancer of the esophagus. Yikes. There are many causes for acid reflux, explained as to why there is so much stomach acid in your esophagus and not in your stomach. Most causes seem to be due to lifestyle choices. If you are not eating healthy, not exercising and smoking and drinking, you are a prime candidate for disease. Sometimes, medications that you need to be on can, as a side effect, give you acid reflux. Sometimes diseases can, as another side effect, give you acid reflux. Pregnancy can also cause acid reflux, as the baby is pressing on your stomach. At least you know that kind of will eventually go away. The other kinds do not. They need treatment. If you have heartburn or think you might have acid reflux, explained or unexplained, go see your doctor. He or she can determine what kind of you have, what the probable cause is and help get you the best treatment that you need. Is It Just Heartburn? It is very similar to heartburn, but is a lot more annoying than heartburn, and leads to a lot more potential health problems. A quick way to find out if “it’s just heartburn” is to take an over the counter heartburn relief medication. If you don’t get any lasting relief, and can barely sleep through the night because of the acid burning your throat, you just might have disease. Acid reflux, explained now as the enemy, can be fought with a variety of weapons. There are the new prescription medications, which many sufferers swear by while some swear at. You can change your sleeping position with special foam wedges and pillows to keep your body slightly inclined, so the acid stays within its native borders of the stomach. You can learn a technique for handling stress, especially if you get an upset stomach whenever you are upset. Most importantly, you need to change your diet and eat a balanced, healthy diet. When all else fails, there is sugery.