Friday, December 3, 2010

Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease

   
 Are you having heart burns, chest pains, abdominal pains, and acid reflux some time?
Or are have you been experiencing this condition for a long time and you don’t know what to do? Then you may have a digestive problem, especially, in your refluxes.

Gastroesophageal reflux disease, also known as GERD or acid reflux, is a back flow of gastric or duodenal contents into the esophagus which may result to mucosal damage due to altered reflux of stomach acid.

Acid reflux mechanism in our body is normal for both adults and children; however excessive reflux may occur because of incompetent lower esophageal sphincter, lower esophageal sphincter relaxation, infantile hypertrophic pyloric stenosis, or a mortality disorder.

Signs and symptoms are:

• Heartburn
• Chest pain
• Esophagitis
• Indigestion
• Regurgitation
• Excessive salivation
• Burning sensation in the esophagus.
• Difficulty swallowing
• Pain on swallowing
• The symptoms may mimic those of a heart attack


Gastroesophageal reflux disease can lead to complications if it’s untreated:

• Ulcer – breaks the lining of the esophagus which occurs in the inflamed area which may irritate the affected area and destroy the esopahgeal blood vessels which can result in esopahgeal bleeding.

• Strictures – these are scar formations, also known as fibrosis, that result in ulcers that heal in the esphagus. These scar tissues decrease and compress the inner cavity of the esophagus which may lead to clogging of foods once it becomes severe. In this condition it is required to remove the clogged foods by an endoscopic removal procedure.

• Barrett's esophagus – is a chronic GERD condition that may result to cancer. This is the worse condition and needs further and thorough medical attention.


GERD can be treated using natural remedies that can be found in our garden and in our kitchen. Natural remedies can be used on case to case basis of patients. If his condition is severe, then he needs further medical management. Here are some of the most wonderful nature’s gifts that can help lessen your burden.

• Glutamine – studies shows that this has antibacterial properties that decrease intestinal inflammation accompanied with by acid reflux. Also, it has cleansing properties that sometimes can be used to help in the recovery after abdominal surgery.

It can be found in meat like beef, chicken, fish and in veggies like cabbage,
Spinach, and parsley.

• Aloe vera – one of the wonderful herbal plants that can treat ailments. It is used as remedy for stomach upset, diarrhea and inflammation accompanied with intestinal diseases like ulcerative colitis. It is also used to treat cuts and rashes.

• Sodium bicarbonate – also known as baking soda. Mostly, we only know that it is used for cooking and to in killing bad odors in our fridge, but it can also aid with our tummy aches. It is used to aid heartburn. It is not recommend for people who have high blood pressure or who have sodium-restricted diets.


Also here some preventive measures for GERD to help alleviate your condition:

• Have a low fat diet – avoid fatty and spicy. These can trigger the production of more acid in your stomach; thus it can worsen your condition.

• Avoid heavy meals

• Avoid eating or drinking before bedtime

• Avoid caffeine, beer, and any carbonated beverages.

• Maintain body weight

• Avoid tight-fitting clothes

• Quit smoking

• Consult your doctor

Photo by: Health 

1 comment:

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