Occasional Heartburn or Something More?

One of the first things which people should know about acid reflux is that there is the occasional kind of heartburn and indigestion and then there is acid reflux disease. If you suffer from frequent heartburn, two or three times a week, it’s pretty likely that there is something more going on which you need to address. The thing is that so many of us are led to believe that heartburn is just caused from eating certain things, and that it is harmless and will go away.

Now, for the occasional bout of heartburn, it couldn’t be more true that you can just take an antacid, get relief and move on with your life, however, if you have frequent heartburn, you could be dealing with acid reflux disease and you need to know why so that you can work to stop it.

You Shouldn’t Be Taking Acid Reducers Long Term

Many people mistakenly believe that taking over the counter acid reducers or the prescription medications which your doctor may give you are a good solution to your acid reflux problem. The truth is that you might not be doing yourself any favors, if you continue to take these medications over longer periods of time.

Any kind of medication which you can take for your acid reflux over time can cause problems with the absorption of essential vitamins and minerals such as calcium, and only serve to cause you to become deficient in some of these areas. While they are a wonderful solution for you while you are working to get your acid reflux diet under control, you should find alternatives to these medications for your long term solution.

Your Diet Has Alot To Do With Your Acid Reflux Symptoms

Whether you have occasional heartburn or you suffer from acid reflux disease, you should know that the foods you eat and your lifestyle habits have a lot to do with how your stomach feels, so it might be time to take a look at what you eat.

For instance, high fat, fried and fast foods can all affect whether or not you get heartburn and foods that are high in acid, such as tomatoes, certain other fruits and veggies and drinks such as coffee or other caffeinated beverages can cause heartburn to flare up, so it’s a good idea to work to discover what foods cause your problems and work to avoid them.

The last thing that you should know about acid reflux is that if you have frequent heartburn and you don’t treat it, you could suffer from long term effects. For this reason, it is important to take the steps necessary to ease your acid reflux.

Acid Reflux Effects

Acid reflux is painful and if you have a serious case of it, you probably know how tough it is to struggle with this condition. However, if you just continue to treat it with antacids of acid reducers, you might find that you’re only covering up the symptoms, but not working to ease the problem and that can have negative side effects.

For instance, acid reflux is caused when acid from the stomach climbs into the esophagus. Over time, this can cause the more delicate lining of the esophagus to develop sores and make eating and drinking anything very painful. When acid reflux isn’t treated and the lining of the esophagus develops sores, this can cause scarring in this area, which can later increase your risks of esophageal cancer.

In addition to these effects of acid reflux, you might be surprised to find out that acid can actually climb all the way back up the throat, which can cause problems such as hoarseness, tightness of the chest and difficulty breathing. This can become worse when a person suffers from asthma. Also, you can develop a cough due to acid reflux and the enamel of the teeth can also begin to wear away.

Effects of the Acid Reflux Medications

It’s very important to find a way to effectively solve your acid reflux problem because long term use of the different types of medications which you might take to treat your symptoms can actually cause your problems to become worse. For instance, the long term use of many antacids can actually block your body’s ability to absorb calcium, which is serious for anyone, but if you suffer from osteoporosis, it can make your condition become much worse.

Acid reducers on the other hand, can make it more difficult for your body to digest the foods you eat and in the long term, this can make it more difficult for your body to absorb the essential nutrients in food. While this is okay for a short amount of time, you should work to improve your healthy diet and get exercise while working to avoid trigger foods so that you don’t have to take your acid reflux medications for long periods of time.

Before you chalk your frequent heartburn up as just frequent heartburn, consider taking the time to find out what your trigger foods are and establish a healthier acid reflux diet. Cut down on how much food you eat and work to eliminate your triggers so that you can avoid the potentially harmful effects of acid reflux.

• Myth: People who have acid reflux don’t take care of themselves.
• Truth: Many people who have this condition do take care of themselves.

So, maybe you think that if you are suffering from acid reflux, you might not be taking care of yourself, but the truth is that you can eat right and work out and still suffer from this condition. While it is widely accepted that certain foods, such as fried and greasy foods are more likely to cause you to suffer from acid reflux, many people who don’t eat these foods at all still suffer from heartburn. You may, however want to consider certain lifestyle behaviors which might be affecting your condition, such as consuming too much caffeine, smoking and drinking too much alcohol.

• Myth: People who suffer from this condition need to cut back on protein.
• Truth: Cutting back on protein can cause you to lack in essential nutrition.

Many people who suffer from acid reflux have been mislead to believe that they need to cut down on proteins and other valuable nutrients but the truth is that as long as you are consuming the right types of proteins, you are unlikely to find that your symptoms become worse. Make sure to eat lean protein, such as those found in chicken, turkey and fish. You should also consider getting protein from other sources such as almonds.

• Myth: The cause of your acid reflux is your stomach producing too much acid.
• Truth: Often, the cause of your condition has nothing to do with how much acid your stomach makes.

Often, when people suffer from acid reflux, it has nothing to do with how much acid the stomach is producing; instead, it has to do with the muscle at the base of the esophagus called the esophageal sphincter. Throughout our daily lives, we can do things which cause this muscle to become irritated or weakened. This is the cause of your condition. When the esophageal sphincter is functioning properly, it shouldn’t matter how much acid your stomach is making because the muscle will create a tight seal which will prevent acid from climbing into the esophagus.

So, you need to work to ease the damage and strengthen the esophageal sphincter when you’re working to ease your acid reflux so that you can have a long term solution to your problem.

• Myth: Acid reflux is just heartburn and it won’t hurt you.
• Truth: If you don’t work to ease your condition, it can have long term health effects.

If you suffer from frequent heartburn, you should know that if you don’t work to ease your condition, you could be causing your body serious damage, such as sores in the esophagus, frequent cough, damage to tooth enamel and ulcers. It’s really important to make sure to work to heal yourself and your acid reflux so that you can get back to a pain free, comfortable life.

If you think that you can’t ease your heartburn and start living a healthy, happy life, you need to think again. You will find that you can not only ease your acid reflux symptoms now, but you can cure it for good – and that’s the truth!

Antacids

The most common over the counter medications for acid reflux disease are antacids, which are very good for settling the stomach especially after eating too much. Popular antacids today include Tums, Maalox and Rolaids. To their credit, these antacids do work very well in providing instant relief from stomach pain but that’s all they are mostly. They are not long-term solutions to acid reflux and they certainly won’t stop further occurrences of the condition. Furthermore, they can also cause constipation or diarrhea when used too frequently.

H-2 Receptor Blockers

For moderate cases of acid reflux that won’t go away with simple antacids, H-2 receptor blockers are usually the recommended solutions. They work by regulating the production of stomach acids, effectively preventing the overflowing of acids back into the esophagus. These medications for acid reflux disease take a little longer than antacids to show results, but the relief that you can get from them does last considerably longer. Popular brands of H-2 receptor blockers available in pharmacies are Zantac, Pepcid and Tagamet.

Proton Pump Inhibitors

These medications for acid reflux disease are available both over the counter and by prescription, depending on the particular brand and dosage. One of the OTC proton pump inhibitors commonly used today is Prilosec, which is a combination of an antacid and an acid-blocking medication. Proton pump inhibitors are very good for people who have already sustained some amount of damage on their esophageal tube due to the overexposure to stomach acids.

Although many of these medications for acid reflux disease can readily be purchased in any drugstore in the country without a doctor’s prescription, it is advised that you seek the advice of your physician first before taking any kind of drug.

If you suffer from acid reflux disease, your best line of defense is to learn as much as you can about it so that you can better fight it and get yourself pain free. First of all, you need to know what this problem is caused from and what some of the risk factors are.

Acid reflux disease is caused when the muscle at the bottom of the esophagus fails to work properly. This muscle, called the esophageal sphincter can become weak and not close tightly enough. As the stomach digests food and acids build up, if the muscle hasn’t properly closed, you can wind up with heartburn due to acid climbing into the lower part of the esophagus. In many cases, this problem will resolve itself and isn’t ongoing, but sometimes the heartburn is a sign of a more serious condition such as acid reflux.

If you suffer from this condition, then you know the pain it can cause when you bend over, when you lie down, if you stand or sit up. In fact, people who suffer from acid reflux may find that they suffer from heartburn nearly all the time. Since a person with acid reflux disease can develop problems such as bad breath, loss of enamel on the teeth and esophageal cancer, it’s important to seek a treatment for this condition if you suspect you have it.

Your first line of defense when fighting this condition is to stop drinking coffee and alcohol if you do and quit smoking. Since these are some risk factors for acid reflux disease, it’s important to eliminate them if you find you have one or more of them. The second thing you should be doing is reducing how much acid causing foods you eat. The easier foods are for your body to digest, the less you will suffer from heartburn due to acid reflux disease. Begin exercising and drink plenty of water, which is thought to help dilute excess acid in the stomach.

That being said, you may need additional help in treating your acid reflux disease and this is where a prescription or over the counter medication may come in handy. If you find that your heartburn isn’t that severe, a simple antacid may help to ease the burning, but if you find that you no longer see results using over the counter acid reducers, then it may be time to see your health care specialist for a prescription that will help to reduce the amount of acid your body creates. These should not be used as a rest of your life fix for your acid reflux, however, as they can have potentially harmful side effects, but they have been found to be safe when used for a short time in conjunction with a healthy diet and exercise program.

If you have heartburn more than three times a week, you may be suffering with acid reflux disease. Stop suffering with this problem alone and take control of your body and your life once again. With some lifestyle changes and healthy habits, you will find that you are pain free and back to normal in no time.