subject: Acid Heartburn Reflux: Why It Happens And The Way To Make It Disappear! [print this page] The first order of business should be to figure out how to put out that raging fire referred to as acid heartburn reflux, don't you believe? You already know the feeling, that horrific burning feeling that invades both your day time and night time hours, oftentimes making you choke and also gasp for air!
Statistics indicate that around 85 million people in America alone suffer from heartburn ( pyrosis ), acid reflux, GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease), or even acid heartburn reflux. Health specialists also tell us that twenty percent (one in five) of the people in the western world are afflicted by heartburn (pyrosis) at least once a week. Fifty percent of these will probably experience esophageal injury as a result.
Ever wondered what causes acid heartburn reflux?
Actually there are quite a few reasons but the principal one is a weak lower esophageal sphincter (LES for short). The LES is a muscular ring that acts just like a valve, opening permitting food along with liquid in then "snapping" shut to keep everything inside the stomach where it is supposed to be.
When the LES becomes weak, it opens a bit, permitting the stomach contents (which include the acid and bile) to be able to reflux (flow back) upward directly into the esophagus. The stomach has a special coating to guard it from the acid however the esophagus does not. As soon as the acid and anything else that is within your stomach comes in contact with the esophagus, damage and burning takes place.
Have you been wanting to know what causes the LES to become weak?
A lot of things could cause it but here are the main offenders:
Clothing that is too tight
Overeating
Laying down right after a meal or a snack
Certain foods which you consume
Eating too quickly
So how can you free your self of acid heartburn reflux?
A number of methods exist that can assist you. If you plan to head over to your physician, She/he will most likely have you take prescribed drugs. In the beginning, this could sound like a good plan yet like all drugs, they simply conceal the symptoms and you will probably experience quite a few side effects that you really don't need.
So which are the best approaches to remove the aggravation and pain of acid heartburn reflux?
To begin with, you should think about giving up "fast food", like cheese burgers, fries, tacos, burritos, fried chicken, well, you understand. More than likely you don't have to live the remainder of your life without them, however in the beginning, it is a good idea.
Begin a food diary.
This is actually very simple . You may either obtain a journal or simply make use of a plain sheet of paper. Write down every thing you eat during the entire day, this includes those nibbles and bites you sneak as you cook a meal. Also, take note of how you feel after you eat. Give up eating the food items which bring you pain or as a minimum, do not eat as much of them. This has been found to help a great deal.
Dress yourself in loose fitting clothes
Tight apparel place quite a bit of force on the stomach which enables the Les to open up somewhat.
Eat several small meals as an alternative to 3 or 4 big ones.
Once you put this into practice, the stomach is less full which signifies the digestive tract is not overworked like whenever you have a large meal. Not just that, but less full means much less acid needs to be produced for digestive processes.
Don't go to bed or nap for a minimum of two hours following any meal, especially the final meal for the day.
While you are erect, gravity, together with your saliva, (which possesses a natural bicarbonate) works to keep everything in your stomach and away from your esophagus.