Getting Rid Of Acid Reflux Syndrome: Causes of Acid Reflux

Sunday, October 28, 2012

5 Anti Acid Medicine - Basic Way

Five Basic Acid Reflux Medicine

Suffering from Gastroesophageal Regurgitation Disease (GERD) is very annoying and restricting. It is considered as a chronic illness that is precipitated by high fat content foods, alcoholic and sodas beverages and eating large full meals. A person, who is diagnosed with GERD or otherwise known as acid reflux, will have symptoms like heartburn and regurgitation due to the influx of acid to the esophagus which causes damage. There are people who become reliable to acid reflux medicine to avoid these symptoms.

For those who are going through this condition, a diet modification and lifestyle changes can actually help keep the symptoms away temporarily. They can avoid foods that trigger the symptoms, stop smoking, or lose some weight. But for those who constantly go through the pain and the burning sensation severely, your doctor can recommend either of the following medications.

Antacids

These are over-the-counter drugs with popular brand names of Tums, Maalox and Mylanta. Its action is to provide fast acting relief by neutralizing the acid in the stomach. There are antacids that come in liquid form to reduce the amount of acid in the stomach. Most people took this for short relief after intake of foods that trigger the symptoms. Users should be aware that overuse of this drug can lead to adverse effects like constipation and diarrhea. Worst cases would lead to dehydration and electrolyte imbalance.

Oral suspensions

These are usually short acting medications that act to coat the lining of the esophagus to treat heartburn, nausea, diarrhea, and ulcers. The most popular brand is Carafate.

Anti- flatulence

These drugs can relieve pressure, bloating, and gas that accumulate in the digestive tract due to heartburn. This is also an over-the-counter drug which is on a tablet form. Familiar brands are Gas-X and Phazyme.

H-2-blocker

At sometime, these medications require prescription, but now Pepcid and Zantac can be bought over –the-counter. They are used for mild reflux and can relieve the symptoms by preventing acid production in the stomach. They act late compared to the prior medicines discussed but the effect is prolonged. This should be taken thirty minutes before meal, to reach its optimum effect.

Proton pump inhibitor

Medications such as Prevaid and Nexium basically stop acid production and at the same time provide healing to the damaged esophageal tissues. This is commonly taken by people suffering from severe symptoms. This is by far the safest and most effective treatment for GERD and other digestive problems.

People should take note of their condition especially the occurrence of symptoms. The worst case of GERD is when the esophagus narrows, and there will be difficulty of swallowing or on the long run can cause cancer. Acid Reflux medicine should be taken according to the doctor’s advice. This is to assure effectiveness and prevention of symptoms recurrence.

Acid Reflux Main And Possible Causes

Causes of Acid Reflux – Knowing the Primary Reason for Persistence

Acid reflux disease is known as a regurgitation of acid from the stomach to the esophagus which can later lead to inflammation of the organ (esophagitis). This kind of abnormal condition is caused by too much intake of fatty foods and a constant practice of taking a nap, bending down, or lifting objects after a meal. These are all common causes of acid reflux. On the other hand, the most common symptom is heartburn. This is described as a burning sensation which can be felt from the stomach and slowly radiates to the chest and throat. These may be the common causes and symptom, but the persistence of Gastroesophageal Regurgitation Disease (GERD) might be secondary to existing health conditions or abnormal structures of body organs.
Here are some possibilities.

1. First is the malfunction of the Lower Esophageal Sphincter muscles, which can be caused by drugs’ adverse effect or nervous system problems. This smooth muscle is responsible of keeping the pressure by closing and opening appropriately to avoid contents to come back from the stomach. Once the muscles in these area would loosen, the tendency is to prevent the sphincter from closing completely thus allowing acid entrance from the stomach to the esophagus.

2. Second condition that can contribute to persistence of GERD is impaired stomach nerve or muscle function. Impairment in the stomach causes problem in making the muscle of the stomach function consistently and continuously. It delays emptying of food thus may cause acid to regurgitate to the esophagus.

3. Third is Hiatal hernia. This is a condition when the hiatus, a small hole in the diaphragm is weakened or was enlarged and causes protrusion in the stomach muscles. This is usually common to older people ages 60 and above. This kind of problem can impair the function of lower esophageal sphincter muscle function. This can therefore increase the possibility of aggravating acid reflux attacks.

4. Last is the possibility that abnormalities in the esophagus cause GERD persistent recurrence. Recent studies had shown that hoarseness of voice, a feeling of lump in the throat and chronic cough are related to problems arising in the esophagus and causes a typical Gastroesophageal reflux disease. These conditions are malfunction of esophagus peristalsis and the adult-ringed esophagus. The latter is an abnormality which the esophagus develops many rings in it, thus causing difficulty of swallowing food. This is common to male than in female.

Acid Causes Thoughts

There are certainly various causes of acid reflux, and the first important step of treatment is identifying the main cause. From this, you can start a proper care plan on how to prevent GERD symptoms. It is useless to keep treating acid reflux, when the real culprit behind is not known. Most of the time, there will be relief once the primary abnormal condition is diagnosed and treated.