Lifestyle And Gerd

By Author: Thomas Strickland
Total Articles: 102
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Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) is quite common and, according to some recent studies, steadily becoming more common. The latest estimates based on surveys of health insurance claims and counts of prescriptions suggest up to 20% of the adult population may have problems caused by acid reflux. This can show up in a number of different ways from a bitter, slightly unpleasant taste in the mouth, sometimes with difficulty in swallowing, heart burn and a persistent feeling of nausea. Traditionally, this is seen as a physical disease in which the sphincter allowing what we eat and drink to enter the stomach refuses to close properly. This allows some of the stomach acid to flow out into the esophagus. What should be a one-way system fails. Sometimes the cause is other damage to the body, whether the nervous system, the spine or the abdomen, e.g. as in a hernia. But other factors can be relevant, e.g. hormone changes during pregnancy. Because the acid is strong, it can damage the esophagus or the vocal chords. Worse, it can spill into the lungs and cause a persistent cough. In rare cases, it can actually trigger cancer of the ...
... esophagus. For this reason, no one should treat heart burn or associated symptoms as being "nothing to worry about". It's always advisable to have a doctor check you out to make sure nothing too awful is happening to you.

The one possible drawback to asking a professional is you might get advice you don't want to hear. In today's high-pressure society, we never like the idea of slowing down. All we want is the pill to cure our ills so we can get on with our lives. Except this is one of those problems most likely either to be caused or made worse by our lifestyle. Let's start with the most annoying. "You should lose some weight." Blah, blah! How many times have we had a doctor tell us we will be better off if we shed some pounds? They usually say something along the lines that we have been physically eating too much, often late at night too close to the time we go to bed. Or perhaps, we're just snacking while lying on the couch. This is a problem. We were designed to eat while vertical. Eating while horizontal has the sphincter open to receive the latest batch, but the acid can just flow out round the food into the esophagus. If we go to bed too soon after eating, the esophagus still has food in it queuing to get into the stomach. Same problem of flow unless you adjust your sleeping position so you sleep on a slope to let gravity solve the problem. Then comes all the heathy food bit about less fatty food, no grease and cut down on the spices. On second thoughts,just eat less and use Aciphex. And while you're busy, quit smoking!

Aciphex reduces the amount of acid your stomach produces. That means there's less to escape your stomach and start damaging your esophagus. It also slows down the stomach. With less acid available, it takes longer to process the food. But that's a small price to pay for less pain and discomfort. It should also encourage you to eat smaller portions. Aciphex as a weight loss drug? Well not entirely. But it's always in your interests to lose weight.