Fire in Your Food Pipe GERD?

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Fire in Your Food Pipe GERD?

Tuesday, February 19th, 2008 Subscribe To Our Feed

Is fire in your “food pipe” driving you crazy? How can you recognize a food pipe fire?

It can be heartburn or something more serious. If you have an infrequent episode with heartburn it is nothing to worry about. However, frequent heartburn is a serious problem, especially if it occurs daily. You may have gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERD. This is a condition in which gastric acids and powerful enzymes flows back (refluxes) into your food pipe (esophagus). Some common symptoms are:

* Chest pain, especially when lying down at night
* Heartburn - burning sensation in your chest, sometimes spreading to the throat
* Sour taste in your mouth
* Difficulty swallowing (Dysphagia)
* Regurgitation of food
* Coughing, wheezing
* Asthma
* Hoarseness
* Sore throat
* Sinusitis
* Earache
* Nausea

Be careful. There are other diseases and sicknesses that have like problems. So one or two of them together does not necessarily mean you have GERD. You need to consult a physician to be sure.

Causes of GERD

The majority of reflux episodes come about because of the intermittent brief complete lower esophageal sphincter relaxation. The anti-reflux barrier prevents the retrograde flow from the stomach to the esophagus. Reflux occurs when this barrier pressure is incompetent. Obesity has been linked to reflux. An excessive amount of calcium in the blood, hypercalcemia, has also been linked to this disease where there is an increase in gastric production.

Muscle on Strike

GERD is also caused by numerous elements that include the inability of the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) to do its work the right way, irregular expulsion of the gastric acids from the esophagus a hiatal hernia and the intermittent relaxation of the lower esophageal sphincter.

Get Some Help

Individuals who believe they have Gastroesophageal reflux disease had better go visit a medical practitioner for the suitable diagnosis of the disease. An internist who specializes in our digestive system’s diseases would do very well. Getting a medical judgment can be helpful for those who suffer habitual GERD and its myriad of symptoms that can be very irritating.

Treatments Available

Treatment for GERD can occasionally be as simple as elevating the bead when you go to bed at night or even adjusting one’s posture. No slouching, please. Then, there are surgery and drug treatments. There are over-the-counter medications that may be good. If more powerful drugs are required, then a physician is needed to prescribe the correct dosage. Surgery is the option of last resort since GERD is not usually a life threatening disease. Remember, surgery should only happen when the other methods fail to solve the GERD problem.