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Acid Indigestion: what happens when you have heartburn?

August 22nd, 2007    Subscribe To Our Feed

Heartburn is painful, especially if it occurs when you’re at work or in a social environment. Heartburn is often referred to as acid indigestion.

Acid indigestion is the result of stomach acid finding its way into the esophagus, causing a burning sensation to the tender inner lining. It is often associated with over eating or from eating hot, spicy foods or drink and the results can be debilitating if enough acid gets pushed back upwards into the esophagus. Logically, there are many ways to prevent acid indigestion from becoming a problem, such as eating smaller portions or eating only those foods the stomach are known to tolerate.

Think of your stomach as a tube of toothpaste. If you put the lid on, but do not tighten it down and then squeeze the center of the tube, where the lid is the loosest, the toothpaste will ooze out of the top. The cause of acid indigestion can be similar if the upper hiatal muscle is weakened and the stomach is overly full. The stomach content can’t go down, so it will expel the content through the weakest point. When the content begins to push back up into the esophagus, acid indigestion is the result.

For most people an occasional attack of acid indigestion is not unusual. For others, chronic heartburn may be a sign of gastrointestinal reflux disease (GERD) or the beginning signs of an ulcer. Many times the pain from severe acid reflux can mimic the symptoms of a heart attack and should not be ignored.

Is it your medications?

There are some prescription medications that can cause acid indigestion, if if the patient believes they are to blame, should consult with their doctor. In many cases the heartburn will diminish with time as the body becomes more accustomed to the medication. In some instances, the physician may prescribe an alternate drug that has the same benefit without with heartburn.

In some of the worst cases of acid indigestion, it can be accompanied by a bloating feeling as well as constipation and there are several over the counter medications can relieve all of the symptoms.. However, if it is a continuing problem, talking with the doctor may be able to find a solution to the problem before it occurs. Preventing acid indigestion is far less painful than dealing with it once it arrives.

Eating right and in the right portions can help prevent the onset of acid indigestion, but sometimes the food variety is too good to pass up. During those times preparing to experience acid indigestion can also help provide relief when it happens and not after hours of unneeded suffering.

Coping With Acid Reflux Disease

July 24th, 2007    Subscribe To Our Feed

Acid reflux disease is very common, and there are many causes. It seems to occur with some people when they eat certain types of food, or when they eat a full meal right before sleeping - lying down may have something to do with it.

In other people, it occurs during periods of high stress when they may be missing meals, or not eating regularly.

Acid reflux disease is the result of acid coming from the stomach into the esophagus.  The stomach is built to contain acid, and this does not cause pain when in the stomach.  Many people suffer when the acid flows out of the stomach and into the esophagus.

The esophagus cannot cope when this acid flows into it.  When the acid is in the esophagus, there is a burning sensation near the sternum which is very uncomfortable.  Many people feel more uncomfortable because of the position of the pain.  Other fluids flow from the stomach into the esophagus, but the acid is the one that causes the damage.  These people feel as if they are having a heart attack.  Acid reflux disease is also called gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERD.  This condition becomes serious because this acid in the esophagus can seriously damage the organ.

Pain Relief For Acid Reflux Disease

Some people may suffer some heartburn with similar symptoms, but this is often caused by spicy or rich foods.  Those with acid reflux disease usually end up with this condition for the rest of their lives without the appropriate treatment.  Anyone with the symptoms of acid reflux disease should have these symptoms treated quickly to avoid permanent damage to the esophagus.  The treatment will alleviate the symptoms of this condition, but they will return without constant care. 

People should not discontinue treatment when the symptoms disappear until the physician decides that medicine is no longer required.  Most people will continue the treatment indefinitely.  Acid reflux disease can be treated with lifestyle changes.  People will have to change their diet to avoid foods that cause the condition.  People should also try to eat smaller meals, but they should also try to avoid eating anything close to bedtime. 

Also, people should elevate the head of their bed to keep the harmful acid from flowing out of the stomach.  There are medicines that people can take to find relief from the symptoms of this painful condition.  People can take antacids to relieve the symptoms, and there are several other medications that can also help relieve the symptoms. 

Herbs which can help acid reflux disease

Trying drinking ginger tea, made with a cup of very hot water, a teaspoon of honey and one drop of ginger essential oil.

Other helpful teas include: peppermint tea, and chamomile tea.

Acid Reflux - heartburn by another name

July 5th, 2007    Subscribe To Our Feed

Got heartburn? The horrible feeling that a bubbling volcano is in your chest and throat is called acid reflux by medical professionals.

Many people suffer from acid reflux from time to time, but others suffer constantly from this condition.  Those people who suffer from acid reflux more often should definitely bring this to the attention of their physician. 

Sometimes people panic when they suffer from acid reflux because they fear that they are having a heart attack.  Acid reflux is a burning sensation or a painful feeling in the center of the chest in the vicinity of the heart.  The pain can be very intense for some people until they find some relief.  This condition is caused by acid coming from the stomach into the esophagus.  The acid from the stomach enters the lower end of the esophagus.  The stomach is designed to cope with the acid, but the esophagus is not designed to cope with the acid. 

Finding pain relief for acid reflux

Many people suffer the effects of acid reflux periodically, and these people can easily find some medications at the local drugstore to minimize the pain from the condition. 

Those people who suffer often from this condition could have a serious problem that should be treated by expert medical professionals.  These people will probably be advised to undergo some medical tests to determine the extent of the problem.  There are specialized tests that can clearly define the problem for most people.  Once the doctor has complete information on the state of the esophagus and stomach, the doctor can prescribe treatment to avoid the distressing effects of this condition.

Some people will eliminate this problem by changing their diet.  Sometimes acid reflux is caused by very spicy foods or rich creamy foods.  Eliminating these from the diet might cure the condition completely.  Other people will continue to take medications to reverse the effects of the acid when it enters the esophagus. 

There are other lifestyle changes that can provide relief from acid reflux.  People can change their beds to help relieve the condition.  The head of the bed should be elevated so the acid cannot easily flow into the esophagus from the stomach.  Other people will have a more serious condition which might require some type of surgery for the cure. 

Discover more about acid reflux here.

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