Acid reflux disease, also known as gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERD, is a condition where the liquid contents of the stomach back up into the esophagus, the tube connecting the throat to the stomach. These fluids are highly acidic, and reflux into the stomach.
There are many prescription medications for this condition, but most people fail to realize there are home remedies that may help just as well. After a brief overview of GERD, I will review some of these alternatives.
What Are the Symptoms of GERD?
GERD is a lifelong condition. Once an individual develops this condition, he will have symptoms all of his life. The most common symptoms are heartburn, sometimes nausea and a bitter, acidic taste at the back of the throat.
These symptoms may last as long as 2 hours, and are usually worse after eating a meal. Heartburn is also known as acid indigestion.
What Causes It?
One cause of acid reflux disease involves abnormalities in the esophagus, regarding the upper and lower esophageal sphincter. These two muscular rings help keep the contents of the stomach from backing up into the esophagus.
Regarding GERD, the more important of these two sphincters is the lower esophageal sphincter or LES.
The muscle of the LES is active most of the time, where it functions to close off passage from the esophagus into the stomach. By closing off the passage, you prevent reflux. Reflux is defined as "the flowing back of a fluid in the body."
There are several different abnormalities of the LES regarding acid reflux disease.
First, if the LES exhibits an unusually weak contraction, it is limited in its ability to prevent reflux, and the contents of the stomach will back up into the esophagus.
There is a second abnormality associated with the LES, where the LES may abnormally relax at times.
These are called transient LES relaxations. These relaxations are abnormal, as they do not occur at the same time you swallow, and can last several minutes.
These extended relaxations allow reflux to occur more easily.
Additionally, a hiatal hernia can contribute to acid reflux disease.
Normally, the LES is located at the point where the esophagus passes from the chest, through the diaphragm and into the abdominal cavity. With a hiatal hernia, the upper part of the stomach passes through the diaphragm, with the LES above the level of the diaphragm.
The hiatus is an opening in the diaphragm. With a hiatal hernia, the LES and the diaphragm continue to exert pressure, but they now do it at different locations.
Last, if you have problems swallowing, you can have acid reflux disease.
When you swallow, there are involuntary contractions in your esophagus that move the food to the esophagus and into the stomach. This process is called peristalsis.
If you have a problem with peristalsis, acid will be refluxed back into the esophagus.
If the peristaltic waves of contraction do not begin after each swallow, or die out before reaching the stomach, you will experience reflux.
How Is It Diagnosed?
Your doctor will begin his diagnosis of acid reflux disease by its characteristic symptom, heartburn. Heartburn is usually described as a mid-chest burning, usually occurring after meals, and worsens when lying down.
To confirm this diagnosis, doctors often prescribe medications that diminish the production of acid by the stomach. If the heartburn is lessened to a large extent, than a diagnosis of acid reflux is appropriate. However, this treatment is not without problems, as 20% of patients will respond favorably to any medication given them.
A thorough overview of the tests your doctor may prescribe is beyond the focus of this article, but here are a few of them:
Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy - with this procedure, a tube containing a camera is inserted in the esophagus, where the gastrointestinal tract can be examined. However, the esophagus of most patients with reflux appears normal, so an endoscopy may not be useful.
Esophageal acid testing - individuals with reflux have more acid than individuals that do not have reflux, so testing the acid levels is one of the best ways your doctor can diagnose reflux.
Esophageal motility testing - esophageal motility testing determines how well your esophageal muscles are working.
Gastric emptying studies - gastric emptying studies are tests determining how well food empties from the stomach.
X-rays
pH testing
What Home Remedies Can Help?
Your doctor may prescribe medications such as Prilosec, Prevacid and Carafate among others, but here are some home remedies you can try that may help treat acid reflux disease:
Slippery elm mixed with nutmeg, mace and distilled water
It is a common misconception that acid reflux disease is caused by overproduction of stomach acid.
In reality, it may have numerous causes, and can be worsened if an individual smokes cigarettes, eats a diet full of fatty and fried foods, chocolate, caffeinated drinks and spicy foods.
If you're like me, looking to avoid taking medications whenever possible, some of the home remedies mentioned above may work just as well. I hope they do.
