What You Need To Know About Acid Reflux
All You Need To Know About Acid Reflux And How To Manage It With Your Diet BY KAREN REED – from Positive Wellness Acid reflux affects babies, children, and adults. It is a debilitating condition for some and is often linked to the food or drinks you consume. When people are diagnosed with acid reflux, they start to wonder what it really means. Just how dangerous is this condition for your health? After that, they want to know how to stop it. The good news is you can stop acid reflux with your diet. There are also many other options, whether you want a homeopathic remedy, an over-the-counter product, or don’t mind medical options. Here’s all you need to know about acid reflux and how to stop or prevent it. What Exactly Is Acid Reflux? Acid reflux can also be referred to as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) or heartburn. Many people only realize they have it when they feel a burning sensation in their chest. For some, it is just a temporary problem and quickly resolved. Others find they have to deal with it on a daily basis, finding ways to manage the pain and discomfort. It occurs because the valve to your stomach doesn’t close properly. It needs to open to allow food into the stomach and then should close to prevent any of the stomach acid going back up. When it doesn’t close, the stomach acid can leak through into the esophagus. Sometimes the problem is linked to the valve opening too often. The food hasn’t quite finished digesting, or you’re not actually eating anything, but the valve opens and allows acid out of the stomach. Another cause of acid reflux is when people suffer from a hiatal hernia. This is when the stomach partially moves above the diaphragm. The valve follows, and the diaphragm can’t help to keep the acid inside the stomach. You get the same symptoms of acid reflux, but they are symptoms of the problem. Why Does Acid Reflux Occur? The most common reason to suffer from GERD is the valve problem. This can occur because you have eaten big meals or because you lie down straight after eating. The body struggles to digest food, and the acid can move in the wrong direction. Those who are overweight or obese are also more likely to suffer because their stomach isn’t able to make space for all the food to digest. Pregnant women also find they have heartburn, especially later in pregnancy. Hormonal changes and the growing baby are linked to this issue. Once you give birth, you’ll likely find that the heartburn completely disappears. Certain foods cause GERD, and we’ll look into these in more detail later. For now, be aware that anything with citrus, garlic and onions, spicy and fatty foods, and chocolate can all lead to acid reflux. You may also find coffee and tea, carbonated drinks, and alcohol is also a problem. Those who are on certain medications may also suffer from the problem. You’ll need to discuss the risk of the side effect with your doctor, especially if you take blood thinning medication. Knowing the Symptoms of Acid Reflux Before you can work on preventing it, you need to know if you definitely have GERD. You’ll also need to make sure that it’s not a symptom of another problem. Most of the time you’ll be able to self-diagnose acid reflux. You’ll feel a burning feeling in your chest, usually referred to as heartburn. This is the acid attacking the oesophagus. Sometimes, you may feel this burning feeling in your throat, depending on how high up the acid has been able to travel. Regurgitation is another common problem, and you’ll usually feel like you’ve brought up your stomach acid. This is just the acid being allowed to get further up the chest and into the mouth. Try not to swallow anything back down, as you’ll just feel the pain on the way back down. The best thing to do is to spit it all out. Some people feel like they burp much more often due to the acid and gas in their chests. They can also feel bloated, or have hiccups that just don’t stop. You may feel nauseous, and even find that you lose weight without even trying since your body doesn’t quite digest all the food that you eat. It is possible that you’ll have this feeling of food still being in your throat. This is common in those where the valve doesn’t close completely and food escapes or when there is an underlying reason for your GERD. If the acid is in your throat, it can burn or feel sore all the time. You may also feel wheeze and have a dry cough. There are times that the acid will come up but then go down the wind pipe. Finally, bloody and black stools are common. You may also find that there is some blood in your vomit or when you spit out the acid. This is because of the burning within the oesophagus. When Will You Feel the Symptoms? The symptoms can be experienced at any time. If you’re resting, you may experience the pain a lot more often than if you were on your feet. When trying to sleep is one of the most common types that you’ll likely experience the symptoms. Lying down makes it much easier for the acid to travel up. Think about it! When you’re standing, gravity plays a part. It is always much harder for anything to travel up, even if the valve is completely open. While lying down, you’ll find that the acid is more likely to get into your chest, and you start feeling the burn. If you’ve had a big meal, you can also find that the symptoms are more common. The body is struggling to get rid of all the food and has to produce more acid. This then gets into the rest of the body.