STOP Your Acid Reflux Without Drugs
June 22, 2008 – 5:11 amWhat is acid reflux and where does GERD come from?
Often triggered after consuming food, heartburn, the burning feeling in the middle of the chest, is one of the most common signs of a more complicated syndrome known as GERD (Gastro esophageal reflux disease) or acid reflux - the phenomenon where the stomach pushes liquid, acids and juices back into the esophagus.
Because the stomach contains acid as well as bile, pepsin and other digestive enzymes, the liquid that gets back into the esophagus then attacks the esophageal lining to cause corrosion and a feeling of burning.
If nothing is done to prevent the acid substances from moving up into the esophagus, then significant injury can occur over time to the esophagus and further medical complications will come about. It is the weakening of the LES, the lower esophageal sphincter, or lack of coordination (remaining open when it should be closed), that means that highly acidic stomach content can splash back into the esophagus. The esophagus itself is a tube made of muscle that uses phased muscular movements to pass food from the mouth to the stomach. The LES is at the bottom of the esophagus and should normally function as a uni-directional valve, opening automatically for food to go into the stomach, then closing to block stomach content from splashing back up into the esophageal tube.
Acid reflux significance is determined by three factors:
1. The muscular effectiveness of the LES.
2. The stomach liquid type and quantity.
3. The natural ability of esophagus muscles to throw such content back from the bottom of the esophagus.
It is of interest to see that with most individuals who are victims of acid reflux, the concentration of acid within the gastric contents is more pronounced than with people not suffering from acid reflux. It has also been found among sufferers of heartburn that the liquid stomach content comes into contact with the esophageal lining and remains there longer than is the case for people not suffering from acid reflux.
Gravity helps the body when awake and upright to keep the stomach liquids in the stomach. Saliva is also used by the body as a means of protecting the esophagus. The saliva contains water, enzymes, mucus and electrolytes as neutralizing agents to the corrosive effects that acid reflux can produce in the esophagus.
Nonetheless, at night when saliva production drops off, gravity is no longer a factor and swallowing slacks off as the body is horizontal, the reflux liquids remain in the esophagus for a longer time and increase damage and injury to the esophageal lining.
GERD is a complicated phenomenon and involves much more than one facto. This is the reason why physicians still find this chronic ailment so hard to treat if all they have is conventional over the counter or prescribed medications to apply. Fortunately, there are alternative solutions - the holistic remedy that addresses the root cause and then brings back the natural balance on the inner gastric and esophageal environmental levels.
Tags: Health and Fitness
Fatal error: Allowed memory size of 33554432 bytes exhausted (tried to allocate 393736 bytes) in /mounted-storage/home80a/sub005/sc44548-EOFR/tampola.com/wp-content/plugins/WP23RP/wp23_related_posts.php on line 115