Acid Reflux

Welcome to our Acid Reflux mini website. Here we will examine acid reflux symptoms, how acid reflux can be treated, and finally we look at how life style changes and diet can affect acid reflux. We also provide the most current news about acid reflux and a chat room about acid reflux and related topics.

In an effort to increase the amount of information and treatment options to our visitors, we also provide an Acid Reflux Store. Our store consists acid reflux treatments and books about acid reflux.

What is acid reflux? Acid reflux is the back-flow of stomach acid into the esophagus. In normal function, a sphincter, between the stomach and the esophagus, prevents the back flow of stomach acid into the esophagus. Acid reflux generally occurs because this esophageal sphincter relaxes and therefore allows the stomach acid to enter into the esophagus. Acid reflux is also called gastroesophageal reflux disease, commonly referred to as GERD. GERD, or acid reflux, is a chronic condition. Once it begins, it usually is life-long.

The lining of the esophagus was not designed to have acid come in contact with it. On the other hand, the stomach lining is designed so that it is unaffected by acid corrosion. If there is a frequent exposure of acid to the lining of the esophagus, this may lead to damage of the esophageal lining. If left unchecked, ulcers can develop in the esophagus, and there is the potential for development of esophageal cancer. Therefore, if you feel you have acid reflux, it should be treated.

Acid reflux is really a esophageal sphincter problem. In severe cases, surgery can correct the problem, but in most cases, acid reflux is treated with medication which reduces the stomach acid.

Acid Reflux - Symptoms

The following are the symptoms of acid reflux. The primary symptom of acid reflux is frequent heartburn. Frequent here means at least 2 - 3 times per week. If you have acid reflux, you may or may not have some of the other symptoms:

• Heartburn (the most common symptom of acid reflux)
• Regurgitation (where food actually moves back into the mouth)
• Chest pain (caused by damage to the esophageal lining)
• Difficulty in swallowing (dysphagia)
• Hoarseness, dental erosion and asthma (because acidic juices can make their way into the throat, mouth and air passages of the lungs).

Acid Reflux - Treatment

Patients with mild or moderate acid reflux may obtain relief from non-prescription drugs. These drugs are as follows:

• Antacids such as Tums and Rolaids. These treatments are only temporary, and should only be used for occasional heartburn.
• H2 receptor antagonists such as Axid AR, Pepcid AC, Tagamet HB, and Zantac 75. These treatments provide longer lasting relief than antacids, but still should only be used for mild to moderate acid reflux. For example, Zantac 75 only lasts for 12 hours, and does not work as well as the stronger acid reducers such as the proton-pump inhibitors, which will be discussed below.
• Combination antacid and H2 receptor such as Pepcid Complete. Studies showed that Pepcid Complete worked better than either an antacid or H2 receptor antagonist alone.

For patients with heartburn at a frequency of 2 - 3 times or more per week, the following medications are more appropriate. Proton pump inhibitors work the best in terms of removing the heartburn from acid reflux. Common proton pump inhibitors are as follows:

• Aciphex
• Nexium
• Prevacid
• Prilosec
• Protonix

Studies have been completed which found very little difference between these drugs. Although Nexium did a little better job of healing damage to the esophageal lining. Doctors recommend that patients select the drug which costs the least.

It should be noted that Prilosec is now available in generic form, and therefore is much cheaper. Also keep in mind that even though the leaflet inside the Prilosec box says you should only take the medication for a couple weeks, most doctors have no problem with you taking Prilosec for long term use. To date, there is no deleterious health concerns from taking Prilosec long term.

Proton pump inhibitors seem to work the best for the elimination of heartburn associated with acid reflux. When you start taking this type of medication, it usually takes a couple days to start working because the working component needs to be established within your blood stream. But after the first couple of days, they work very well.

For patients with severe acid reflux where none of the above treatments seem to improve the symptoms, then surgery is an option. Most people do not need surgery to eliminate the heartburn associated with acid reflux. This type of surgery is called fundoplication. It should be noted that only 4 out of 10 patients found relief from heartburn after undergoing this surgery.

There is one more option for those patients who do not see improvement from medication. The FDA has approved two non-surgical procedures. These are called the Stretta procedure and endoscopic suturing. The FDA is unsure about the effectiveness of these procedures, but many doctors are using these techniques for patients who can not control there acid reflux with medications.

If you are experiencing frequent heartburn, talk to your doctor. Most doctors will put you on one of the above medications, but for most of these medications, you do not need a prescription. Today, even the strongest medications for acid reflux relief, such as the proton pump inhibitors, can be bought over the counter (OTM). Also, most doctors will not suggest an endoscopy at the onset, but will simply have you take acid reducing medication to see if symptoms improve. If heartburn does not improve after taking heartburn relief medication, then an endoscopy may be in order.

Other then medication and surgery, there is some other things you can do to control your acid reflux. You can control your acid reflux through life style changes, and by making changes in your diet.

Acid Reflux - Life Style Changes

• Try not to eat large meals
• Do not lie down shortly after eating
• Try not to wear tight clothing around the stomach

Acid Reflux - Diet Changes

Foods which do not cause acid reflux:

• Apple
• Banana
• Baked potato
• Broccoli
• Cabbage
• Carrots
• Green beans
• Peas
• Ground beef, extra-lean
• Steak
• Chicken breast, skinless
• Egg whites
• Fish
• Cheese
• Cream cheese, low fat
• Sour cream, low fat
• Bread, mult-grain or white
• Cereal, bran or oatmeal
• Corn bread
• Rice, brown or white
• Mineral water
• Salad dressing, low-fat

Foods which can cause acid reflux:

• Orange juice
• Lemon
• Lemonade
• Grapefruit juice
• Cranberry juice
• Tomato
• Mashed potatoes
• French fries
• Onion, raw
• Ground beef, chuck
• Marbled sirloin
• Chicken nuggets
• Sour cream
• Milk shake
• Ice cream
• Cottage cheese, regular
• Macaroni and cheese
• Spaghetti with sauce
• Liquor
• Coffee, decaffeinated or regular
• Tea, decaffeinated or regular
• Salad dressing, cream
• Salad dressing, oil & vinegar
• Any food which has a high fat content

By knowing which foods cause acid reflux, and which do not, this knowledge can help you reduce the heartburn associated with acid reflux. It is also very common, that even after life style changes, acid reflux still exists. The point being that usually life style and diet changes are not enough alone to eliminate acid reflux, but they may contribute to it’s reduction.

Acid Reflux - Conclusion

How common is acid reflux? In Western societies, heartburn frequency of at least twice per week from acid reflux, occurs in about 20% of the population. Given that the population of the United States is around 300 million, that means that 60 million people in the United States suffers from heartburn associated with acid reflux at least twice a week. That is a lot of heartburn. Because this enormous number of acid reflux sufferers, drug companies have developed drugs to eliminate all this heartburn. Therefore, if you suffer form heartburn associated with acid reflux, take advantage of the large number of options which are available to you. Discuss these options with your doctor, follow through with your treatment, and you will have heartburn no more.