Posts Tagged ‘acid reflux’

Acid Reflux Drugs and Antacids Are Killing You

Monday, February 1st, 2010

 

 

Doctors and Pharmaceutical giants know that their drugs and antacids do not cure heartburn or acid reflux.  They have known for a long time that their drugs simply suppress the condition and continue the cycle of heartburn, acid reflux, and drugs. If you have fallen prey to this medical cycle, for sure you are headed toward serious malnutrition.  The inability to feed your body the nutrients it needs will result in the diseases that you now see in most elderly people.

 

Because your mouth and stomach are the first step in getting nutrients into your body, you don’t want to get this step wrong.  If you are taking Prevacid, Prilosec, Aciphex, Protonix, Nexium, or even antacid, its time you re-evaluated the use of these drugs.

 

Fact1:  Your stomach is designed to have a pH of 3.0 or less, more acidic

 

Fact 2:  When you stomach pH is consistently higher than 3.0, more alkaline, you create disease

 

Fact 3:  Taking heartburn or reflux drugs or antacids raises and keeps your stomach pH above 3.0 and higher.

 

When your stomach has the proper pH, it digests your food so that, The meat you eat is broken down into amino acids that you absorb later. Vitamins are created from the food you eat. Vitamins are separated out from the food you eat. Minerals are kept in solution for later absorption. Stomach digested food moves into the duodenum at the proper pH level and triggers digestive juices from the pancreas and gallbladder. Bacteria overgrowth is prevented and eliminates their interference with the absorption of vitamin B-12

 

When your stomach pH gets higher than 3.0, It secretes more acid to keep its pH below 3.0.  When heartburn or acid reflux medication interferes with stomach acid by raising it pH above 3.0, the stomach is no longer functioning like a stomach.  It is now creating chemical combinations that are not usable by your body. What it now produces is affecting the function of subsequent processes in the duodenum and colon. It causes these body organs to malfunction and they fail to digest and absorb the nutrients from the food you ate.

 

The cascade effect of a stomach with a high pH over a long period of time results in numerous ill conditions that are not traceable to an inefficient stomach.

 

So it’s your job is to keep your stomach’s pH at the proper level and look to solve your heartburn and acid reflux issues using natural remedies.  If your condition, has evolved into GERD then you may have to consult a doctor or an alternative practitioner to recover from this disease.

 

The author serves for immigration and provides cosmetic surgery and lawyer Auckland consultant.

 

Finding An Acid Reflux Treatment That Benefits You.

Thursday, January 14th, 2010

There are options available to you for acid reflux treatment, including natural and over the counter medication. You do not need to have a presciption medication. Herbal remedies are also definitely worth trying. It is worth learning about natural acid reflux treatments and as they have become more popular, as people are getting relief.

Acid Reflux Treatment Choices and Making Changes

Acid reflux treatment will vary from person to person, so you cannot expect to find a one size fits all treatment. Symptoms are different for every person and acid reflux varies in degrees of severity. A person’s condition can influence their choice of acid reflux treatment and making changes to one’s lifestyle is a common treatment option that every person suffering from acid reflux must use.

For your acid reflux treatment to be effective, it is necessary to make a commitment that you are ready to make changes to your lifestyle that includes altering your diet. Avoid foods that trigger an attack of acid reflux and include weight reducing foods. You also need to give up all the ‘good things’ such as caffeine, alcohol and fatty foods. It is also recommended to not overeat and give up smoking.

Acid reflux symptoms affect most people at night when they are trying to sleep. One of the treatments for acid reflux is to raise your body in bed by approximately eight inches and this position helps prevent this problem. You can consider a heartburn pillow as an alternative and suitable solution.

Prescription medications often form part of a patient’s acid reflux treatment regimen and if they are suffering from severe cases of acid reflux then medications may prove to be the best option. Taking antacids is another acid reflux treatment and one that is useful as these antacids will reduce acid levels in the stomach and help prevent acid reflux.

Acid Reflux Natural Treatments

It is also possible to get suitable relief from acid reflux symptoms by using a few simple natural acid reflux remedies. If you can find a few good home remedies you will be surprised how effective these can be and of course they will be safe and are very inexpensive as well.

There are actions you can take to gain control in your life and relieve and prevent heartburn and reflux pain. A stop acid reflux now review will provide you with other people’s natural solutions to the same problem you are experiencing. If you make the necessary lifestyle changes, become familiar with your causes and symptoms, you too, will finally be able to cure acid reflux.

 

Acid Reflux: Can it be cured?

Sunday, September 20th, 2009

 

Acid reflux is a common health issue. It can affect both women and mens health. In this condition, there is reflux of stomach content high in acid into the esophagus. The lower esophageal sphincter (LES), which remains tightly closed, prevents reflux and opens when peristaltic waves herald the imminent arrival of swallowed food. When the lower esophageal sphincter becomes faulty acid reflux will result. This is called GERD or gastro-esophageal reflux disease.

So can you cure your acid reflux? If there is true lower esophageal incompetence, then there is no cure. In LES incompetence, you need maintenance acid suppressant treatment such as omeprazole, or surgical treatment like fundoplication will relieve your symptoms if very severe or you develop secondary problems.

However, the effeciency of the LES can be affected by several factors. Eliminating these factors may avoid a trip to your doctor or taking over the counter medication. A lifestyle change is sometimes all you need.

A contributory cause of acid reflux is obesity. It is more likely in the apple type distribution of weight. The extra weight increases bulk in the upper abdomen and makes effective discharge of food from the esophagus into the stomach difficult. In addition obese individuals are prone to developing hiatus hernias. A hiatus hernia can weaken the LES. Losing weight is an important aspect of GERD treatment.

Acid reflux can be caused by wearing tight fitting clothes especially if it is two sizes too small. The increased pressure on the stomach may trigger back flow into the esophagus. Wear loose clothes and your reflux symptoms may go away.

A large meal entering the stomach will put pressure on the LES and can trigger acid reflux. We all experience this at some time or other. The large volume also increases gastric clearance time allowing more opportunity for reflux. Eating smaller portions more frequently will counter this problem.

Certain foods can affect acid reflux. Cow’s milk protein intolerance can cause esophagitis. It is called Allergic Eosinophilic Esophagitis. This is controlled by removing cow’s milk protein from the diet. Other foods such as fats, coffee, alcohol, tea and some spices can affect the lower esophageal sphincter.

The lower esophageal sphincter can be affected by some drugs and cause acid reflux. Broncho-dilators such as theophylline, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID), tri-cyclic antidepressants ie amitryptilline and drugs for Parkinson’s disease are in this list.

Acid reflux is affected by female hormones. Women on hormones, in a Scandinavian Study had showed a greater risk. These drugs include the contraceptive pill and hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Sedatives and tranquillisers can slow down peristaltic waves in the esophagus affecting proper discharge of food from the esophagus.

Opt for liquid medication if you have GERD and need treatment. Tetracycline and certain other drugs are corrosive to the esophageal lining. Tablets and capsules (gelcaps) can get stuck in the esophagus. Always drink a glass of water to wash the medication down. Try not to take medication while lying down. It is best for GERD patients to take medication sitting up or standing and avoid lying down immediately after.

Smoking relaxes the LES and nicotine is corrosive to esophageal lining. Stop smoking and your GERD might improve.

GERD risk is increased by certain exercises. This is the case in competitive weightlifting and cycling. Joggers can develop GERD symptoms.

If by eliminating all the risk factors, your symptoms disappear, then you have actually cured your acid reflux. However, if the symptoms persist, the next step is a visit to your doctor.

 

What To Do About Heartburn

Sunday, June 28th, 2009

A mild but uncomfortable burning sensation in your throat and chest may be a sign of heartburn especially if you have just eaten. Certain foods seem to do more to encourage heartburn than others but they don’t affect everyone in the same way. People that get a lot of heartburn may be more susceptible to the foods that are know to cause problems.

What we commonly know as heartburn is actually an event that occurs when the muscles that should help keep the stomach contents separated from the esophagus fail to do what they are supposed to do.

The result is that the stomach contents including some of the gastric acids are able to move upwards causing irritation to the esophagus and this is what is known as an acid reflux.

The result of the failure of the LES to operate correctly causes heartburn but this shouldn’t happen often.

People who are particularly susceptible to heartburn indigestion will wish it would go away to avoid discomfort after almost every meal. Fortunately there are some natural remedies for heartburn that might help reduce the problem and cut down on that fiery sensation in your chest.

Eating a healthy diet is probably the easiest natural remedy for heartburn you can try and it is one that has proved very effective in helping people to prevent it. To help reduce the problems of heartburn cut back on the troublesome foods and reduce the size of the meals you eat if you normally eat large meals. One other thing is to take time over your meals instead of rushing to get finished.

This natural remedy for heartburn of eating less of the bad foods should reduce the amount of heartburn you suffer but it is not a complete cure.

You might notice a pattern of eating a certain food and then suffering heartburn so if you do the obvious move is to stop eating that food. Cutting back on the foods that are known to be higher risk for heartburn sufferers should reduce the occurrences of heartburn.

Alternative Treatments For Fighting Off Aging

Monday, June 22nd, 2009

Benefits of Meditation Techniques

There’s many tall stories and exaggerated facts about tonics for eternal youth but, regrettably, none of them are genuine. At the time of writing, there isn’t a quick fix for keeping your youthful good looks. Nevertheless, there is lots you can do to keep yourself fit and healthy, young at heart and looking younger than your years.

There’s plenty of ways to change your diet and way of life to enhance your life as you get older. There’s also a great deal that conventional medicine working with complementary practices can do to assist you in fighting off the signs of aging

While more and more people are looking after their health well into old age, some develop chronic conditions associated with ageing, along the lines of heart problems, diabetes, arthritis, acid reflux or osteoporosis. Even though acid reflux treatment can be obtained with a simple natural remedy, many other ailments require further treatment. All these severe health conditions can make you feel like you’re getting old a lot quicker than ‘normal’. Nonetheless, if you already have one of these diseases, don’t let it beat you. There’s an ever increasing range of complementary solutions that mayhelp your condition (like tantric yoga exercises) that, even though they are not a cure, might actually help to ease your symptoms, increase your life expectancy, and help you get around easier.

It’s becoming widely accepted that most if not all conventional medicinal drugs available today may have some side effects and you should look into what these are, and inform your pharmacist or doctor of any that you think you are experiencing. Do not stop taking presciption medicines without referring with your doctor.

Over here in the Western World, it is this traditional medicinal practises that has undergone the most wide-ranging testing and research. Plenty of alternative therapies like the many benefits of meditation may not be susceptible to this type of research, and in studies where research has been implemented it has usually been of insufficient quality to be medically definitive about the therapy’s efficiency.

However, so many complementary therapies have been practiced for tens of thousands of years, and are reinforced by the power of tradition and historical evidence to support them, irrespective of not having been submitted to medical trials.

Nothing contained in this article is intended to be used as medical advice and it is not intended to be used to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease, nor should it be used for therapeutic purposes or as a substitute for your own health professional’s advice.

Can Heartburn Kill?

Thursday, June 18th, 2009

“Is GERD dangerous?”

There is a inclination for many people to think “A little heartburn is normal. I don’t need to worry about it.”

That approach might be appropriate for some but very dangerous for others. There are some signs of possible serious problems you should know about.

The first thing to consider is the extent of the symptoms. While it’s not a 100% correlation, more dangerous episodes of GERD are often associated with more severe symptoms.

Next, consider how often the problems come up. If a person only has problems every several months, that’s less likely to be associated with complications than when symptoms are more frequent.

Keep in mind that the discomfort associated with of GERD are caused by stomach acid backing up from the stomach into the esophagus. Since the esophagus wasn’t designed to handle gastric acid, the acid damages it. That injury can cause to very severe complications.

I don’t want to go into much detail here but I suggest you find out more about the possible problems caused by GERD at: Complications of Acid Reflux.

Another symptom that should lead someone to seek medical treatment is if they have a respiratory symptom associated with their GERD. These respiratory symptoms often include asthma, wheezing, coughing or frequent colds and episodes of bronchitis.

These problems come up because in some people of these reflux can be so severe the acid actually backs up all the way to the top of the esophagus and goes into the trachea. It’s clear that Obviously, having acid going into your trachea can cause serious problems.

As with any health issue information is your friend.

A good site that I found for information on acid reflux is Treat Acid Reflux Now

Since you’ve read this, you’d probably be interested in their page Is GERD Dangerous?

The main thing is not to assume that acid reflux is always trivial problems that don’t need further evaluation. Certainly if you have any of the issues I described here you should make an appointment with your doctor rather than ignoring symptoms.