Heartburn & Acid Reflux Treatment: It's Time to Pay for That Night Out

Acid reflux treatment can be very complex should traditional over-the counter remedies fail to work and that in any case tend to treat the symptom and not the cause.

Heartburn is a very uncomfortable condition, and if you suffer from this, whether often or just occasionally, the chances are that the first thing you've done is to reach for some form of medication. All too easily we can pop a tablet, and the symptoms will begin to ease. There are two problems associated with doing this however. The first is that if this occurs regularly, then eventually the strength and effectiveness of the tablets becomes insufficient to cope with the level of discomfort, and as these situations tend to worsen over time, the strength of tablets becomes an issue.

To combat this, sufferers tend to upgrade after a while to the next strongest medicine, and then the next, until eventually they have run out of tablets, and other than ramming a whole packet down their throats and accepting the side effects, the only option left is to see a doctor for further acid reflux treatment not available over the counter.

The second problem is that fundamentally the issue is not being addressed. All that is being addressed is the symptoms, which are a side effect themselves of the illness, weakness or problem that is causing the acid reflux in the first place. By targeting the causes, rather than the symptoms, then a good deal of discomfort can be avoided and potential damage too. Of course, if the problem is only very occasional, then this is nothing to worry about, and in fact is perfectly normal.

If the issue becomes very regular, almost predictable, and you start forgetting a time when you didn't suffer from heartburn problems, that the real concerns should be addressed. There are plenty of heartburn treatments, some over the counter, others by prescription only. There are even medical surgical procedures to deal with the more severe cases, and there are also many alternative therapies which can aid a holistic approach.

There are also the many overlooked treatments, the preventative ones, and being aware of habits, lifestyle changes or physical changes that can be made, often the problems will dissipate considerably. The first stage in most people's treatment of the symptoms of acid reflux, or heartburn, is to reach for the freely available counter medications known as antacids. These tablets literally neutralize the acids in the stomach, so that any acid still in the esophagus are lowered in pH value, causing less or no irritation or burning. They also, at least temporarily, cool down the levels in the stomach, so further reflux of stomach liquids result in less discomfort as the levels of pH are lower. Much of the acid is turned into gas form, hence the associated wind which results from taking these tablets.

Acid reflux treatment in the form of antacids, which tend to lose their power after prolonged use, can actually make the problem worse, since your stomach will simply produce more acid to combat your overall higher levels of pH than expected. Additionally, it is often antacids which are given to infants with the same condition, often referred to as colic, but the antacids actually prevent the effective digestion of enzymes found in many foods, including milk, and so deprive full nourishment and proper digestion.

An alternative to these acid reflux treatments are to use H2 receptor antagonists, which actually reduce the amount of acid produced by the stomach, thereby lowering the chance of acid reflux in the first place, or at least the effects that any reflux might have. Some medications actually combine these two methods, by including antacids to provide instant relief and comfort, and H2 receptor antagonists to lower the chance of a repeated reflux, or effect of any further leakage of acids into the esophagus. A similar but more absolute version of this treatment is available by doctor's prescription only, and is referred to as a proton-pump inhibitor, and this does not simply reduce the amount of acid produced by the stomach, but prevents its production entirely. This is for those with very sever heartburn or gastroesophageal reflux disease, or suffering from stomach ulcers.

Beyond these medication treatments, there are surgical procedures, including electrical stimulation of the lower esophageal sphincter, the valve which connects the stomach and the esophagus, and which is responsible for allowing acids to reflux, physical sewing together of the walls of the esophagus near the lower esophageal sphincter to reduce the width of the valve and so increase its effectiveness, and in very severe cases, actually entwining the top of the stomach around the lower part of the esophagus to prevent any reflux of liquid.

Alternative therapies include eating or drinking natural remedies, such as ginger or fennel. Often infants are given gripe water, a British development which originally included alcohol, but today is simply two main ingredients, besides water - ginger and fennel. These have been shown to have a significant effect on the reduction of the pH of the acids escaping, being effectively natural antacids themselves.

Preventative medicines are of course the best of all, and these include a greater understanding of the causes of acid reflux, including diet. If you are overweight, eat hot spicy food or fried, fatty food, drink alcohol and smoke, then you are just about doing all the right things to ensure you suffer from chronic heartburn.  Steering clear of such habits and foods, sitting up during and after a meal, not over indulging, and avoiding stress as far as possible are all good ways to help alleviate the potential suffering.  Prevention is certainly the best form of acid reflux treatment, and by having to forgo a form of payback for our nights of eating and drinking sin.

Would you like to stop gerd forever?
Then get the best selling "Heartburn No More" e-book.
Click here to find out more (or click on the picture below).

Bookmark this page

Digg Furl Google Bookmarks Livejournal Yahoo My Web Stumbleupon BlinkList Delicious Facebook Fark Ma.gnolia Netvouz Newsvine Reddit Spurl Wists