Understanding Acid Reflux: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment Options

Daily, more than 15 million Americans experience acid reflux symptoms. If you experience heartburn, GERD, or whatever you call it, you aren't alone. Also, since so many people experience it, medical experts have been pressed to find ways to ease this digestive disorder.

And they've made some great progress! Read on to learn about gastroesophageal reflux, its symptoms, and how to deal with them.

What Is Acid Reflux?

First off, it's important to get something straight. The terms GERD, acid reflux, and heartburn shouldn't be used interchangeably. They're slightly different.

What Happens

At the entrance to your stomach, you have a ring of muscle. This functions as a valve. It should let in food and then close after.

But sometimes this muscle valve experiences problems. It may not close all the way or open too often. When this happens, stomach acid can move up your esophagus.

How it Feels

When stomach acid touches the inside of your esophagus, you'll often feel pain behind the breastbone area that lasts for hours. This can get worse when you lie down or bend over. You may also notice that it worsens after you eat food.

The pain you feel is called heartburn. Though it has this name, it has nothing to do with the heart. People call the pain heartburn solely because the pain occurs around the location of the heart.

Don't Fear Acid Reflux

The entire event described above is known as acid reflux. Most people experience reflux once in a while. These infrequent events shouldn't harm your health too much.

What is GERD?

Most people experience acid reflux events once in a while and remain healthy. If a person experiences acid reflux more than twice a week, he or she likely has GERD.

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is best described as chronic acid reflux disease. It can cause much more than mild discomfort. When a person experiences acid reflux often, their esophagus (inner throat) can sustain severe damage.

What Causes GERD?

Most of the causes of GERD in adults are uncontrollable conditions or conditions that people can't always control.

• Stomach bulging above the diaphragm (hiatal hernia)
• Connective tissue disorders
• Delayed stomach emptying
• Pregnancy
• Obesity

But some unhealthy habits that people can control can increase their risk of developing GERD.

• Eating fatty foods, fried foods, and/or other triggering foods
• Drinking alcohol, coffee, and/or certain other beverages
• Smoking and/or consuming tobacco products
• Taking aspirin and/or other medications
• Eating late at night and/or large meals

What Are the GERD Symptoms?

Most people can tell if they have GERD by tracking how often they experience acid reflux. But on top of this, people can experience other symptoms.

• Worsening of existing asthma symptoms
• Vocal cord inflammation (laryngitis)
• Issues with swallowing (dysphagia)
• Regurgitation of food or sour liquid
• Bloating and/or stomach pain
• Feeling a lump in one's throat
• Weight loss without reason
• New asthma symptoms
• Bloody or black stools
• Non-stop hiccuping
• Frequent burping
• Bloody vomiting

If a person lives with GERD for a long time, he or she can experience several complications.

Esophagitis

Over time, regurgitated stomach acid can break down the esophagus's tissue. This can cause the esophagus to bleed, become inflamed, and/or develop an ulcer. This condition can make swallowing difficult.

Esophageal Stricture

Stomach acid damage can cause scar tissue to form on the esophageal tissue. This scar tissue narrows the diameter of the esophagus. When this happens, a person may struggle to swallow foods and liquids.

Barrett Esophagus

Stomach acid damage can also cause certain changes in the lower esophagus. These changes are associated with esophageal cancer.

When to See a Doctor

It's best to see a doctor as soon as you notice that you're experiencing acid reflux more than twice a week. The second best time to see a doctor is when you start experiencing the symptoms of GERD as described above.

How a Doctor Diagnoses GERD

Doctors often confuse heartburn and acid reflux with other chest complaints. They will often diagnose patients with GERD after they successfully treat their heartburn.

Gastroenterologists, on the other hand, may arrange some different medical tests.

• Biopsy
• Endoscopy
• Barium X-ray
• Esophageal Manometry
• pH impedance monitoring

How a Doctor Treats GERD

Medical innovation has brought about several methods of treating GERD. One of these will likely be successful.

Antacids

Antacids are OTC medications that can reduce stomach acidity. They contain several chemicals such as aluminum, calcium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate, and magnesium hydroxide.

Alginate Antacids

This is a special variety of antacid medication. It contains an antacid compound and an alginic acid. This is an acid that exists naturally in brown algae.

The alginic acid creates a foamy gel that sits atop the stomach's acid pool. When stomach acid splashes into the esophagus, it won't cause as much damage. The foamy gel blocks it and protects the esophagus.

PPIs and H2 Blockers

These medications decrease stomach acid production. This reduces the potential for acid reflux damage.

They're usually safe and effective. However, there are some side effects. For example, they can make it hard for the stomach to absorb nutrients.

Other Common Treatments

Did none of the above treatments work? If so, your doctor may try one or more of the following treatments. He or she may also use these treatments from the start.

• Potassium-competitive acid blockers
• Sucralfate acid suppressants
• GABA(B) receptor agonist
• Tricyclic antidepressants
• mGluR5 antagonist
• Prokinetic agents
• Pain modulators
• TLESR reducers
• Theophylline
• SSRIs

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To sum it all up, the acid reflux disease GERD can cause severe symptoms. But your doctor has a variety of treatments he or she can choose from. Likely, you'll quickly recover from the disease.

But if you're searching an all-natural and best supplements for Gerd that may ease your GERD symptoms, try GerdLi. These dietary supplements are an alternative to antacids and use natural ingredients. Get 20% off your order by clicking the orange tab at the bottom of this page.