Gerdadvisor

Asthma, Acid Reflux: What’s the Connection?

August 7th, 2008 Subscribe To Our Feed

Monday, August 04, 2008
By Jessica Ryen Doyle

When Debra Peterson tells her patients their worsening asthma symptoms may be related to gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD, they look at her with shock.
“People are surprised because we are not gastrointestinal doctors,” said Peterson, a family nurse practitioner with Advancements in Allergy and Asthma Care in Minnetonka, Minn. “However, we see a lot of association between asthma and acid reflux. In the 15 million [Americans] who have asthma, as many as 50 to 80 percent also have acid reflux.”
But many patients fail to recognize this association because the classic symptoms of acid reflux –- heartburn and/or regurgitation –- may be absent.
“There’s no clear-cut cause and effect,” Peterson said. “We do know that reflux can cause asthma if the reflux is aspirated into the lungs. Or, the acid in the esophagus can cause chest tightness. Also, if acid gets into the bottom of the esophagus, it can reflux up against the bronchial nerve, which causes the airways to narrow and a shortness of breath.”
Also, some asthma medications, including bronchodilators, such as theophylline, have been known to trigger acid reflux, Peterson said.
Peterson said she becomes suspicious of an acid reflux/asthma connection if the patient:
— Complains of a nighttime cough;
— Notices his asthma becomes worse after eating a big meal, drinking alcohol or lying down;
— Was diagnosed with asthma as an adult;
— Has poor asthma control, even when taking prescribed asthma medication.
Peterson’s patients often notice an improvement in their asthma once they start taking proton pump inhibitors such as Nexium, Protonix or Prilosec, which are commonly prescribed for acid reflux and GERD.
“My patients will say, ‘Oh, that tightness in the middle of my chest isn’t there anymore,’” Peterson said. “When a patient thinks of reflux, they think of heartburn, or regurgitation, and they aren’t aware of the other atypical signs.”
If a patient’s asthma symptoms do not get better with PPIs, they are typically referred to a gastroenterologist.
“It’s not uncommon anymore to get referrals from allergists and pulmonologists,” said Dr. John Allen, chair of the American Gastroenterology Association clinical practice committee and medical director of Minnesota Gastroenterology in St. Paul, Minn. “I’ve seen it increasing over the last five years.”
For these patients, gastroenterologists often want to perform an endoscopy, which involves inserting a thin camera down the patient’s throat and into the esophagus. Once inside the esophagus, doctors can place a capsule that will record the patient’s pH levels over the course of the next 48 hours.
“Sometimes surgery is needed to tighten up the esophageal sphincter, which prevents the reflux of acid,” Allen said.
Scientists are still somewhat baffled by the association between the two conditions, but much research is being done.
Recently, researchers at Duke University Medical Center in North Carolina conducted a study in an effort to find the link between the conditions.
Dr. Shu Lin, an assistant professor of surgery and immunology at Duke, found that the immune systems of mice produced changes that drive the development of asthma in mice once they inhaled small amounts of stomach fluid that backed up into the esophagus.
“This is the first experimental evidence in a controlled, laboratory setting linking these two very common conditions in humans,” Lin said in a study published online in the European Journal of Clinical Investigation. “These data suggest that chronic micro-aspiration of gastric fluid can drive the immune system toward an asthmatic response.”
“This does not mean that everyone with GERD is going to develop asthma, by any means,” said William Parker, assistant professor of surgery at Duke and co-author of the study. “But it may mean that people with GERD may be more likely to develop asthma. If there is an upside to this, it is that developing GERD is something we can pretty much treat and control.”
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How An Alkaline Diet Improve Acid Reflux Conditions

August 7th, 2008 Subscribe To Our Feed

There are many ways to treat acid reflux and alkaline diet is one of them. Alkaline diets help people suffering from acid reflux. Normal ph factor in saliva and fluids is 7.4, which can increase. Then, you must eat more alkaline foods. In a test to measure the acid level, you must spit on a pH paper, and compare the colors to determine the acidity. Many foods avoid acid reflux, especially alkaline diets. Avoid olives and corn, red meat, fats, oils, tobacco, beer and coffee but eat celery, green beans and peas, which neutralize acidity. Surprisingly, you can eat mustard, chili pepper, and herbs, which are alkaline. Milk is acid and can make it worse. Citric fruits produce an alkalinity effect on the stomach. If you have this problem, consume calcium and sodium in your diet.

How to Use Natural Remedies for Infant GERD

March 17th, 2008 Subscribe To Our Feed

How cruel is it that little babies have to suffer with GERD?

Most babies spit-up or regurgitate their food. They have tiny stomach so it never is a lot and is easily cleaned up. Spitting-up may last as long as three months for most infants. When it lasts longer than that there may be a problem with their lower esophageal sphincter (LES) muscle. The LES is a one-way valve that is supposed to prevent the escape of any food from the stomach back into the food tube (esophagus). When it can’t do that it is a disease called gastrointestinal reflux disease or GERD.

GERD can occur in anyone, man, women, or child and at any age but in a baby it is really harmful because of the delicate nature of a newborn tissues in the stomach and food tube.

Natural Remedies for Infant GERD

There are a lot of methods of treatment that are available for GERD, but you had better always consider natural cures for infant GERD first. This is because natural cures for infant GERD are going to comprise gentler methods and not incorporate any of the harsh chemicals or prescription medicines that more established methods of treatment do.

Miracle Chamomile

Among the most popular natural remedies for baby GERD is chamomile, which is supposed to have a really quiet effect upon the body and also help to dilute the amount of acid in the belly. Chamomile tea is particularly of value here and has anti-inflammatory properties. It operates by mildly but efficiently relaxing viselike muscles, and it is soothing and tranquilizing.

Because most prescription medicines can have unwanted and unwanted fallouts, a lot of folks turn to natural remedies to cope with their infant’s acid reflux. These natural cures for baby GERD are not only efficacious but they’re gentle on the baby’s body and operate to really cope with and annihilate the problem instead of barely covering up the symptoms.

The first line of defense against GERD is to consult your pediatrician who will run some routine tests that will diagnose the problem. Working with you, a treatment plan will be suggested. Your infant’s doctor may refer the infant to a specialist if the GERD is really serious. Here’s the good news. Most infants grow out of this condition as they mature because the LES is strengthened and will operate as it should keeping those gastric juices in the stomach where they belong.

Key Fitness With Nexium Medication For Gerd

March 17th, 2008 Subscribe To Our Feed

Nexium is a proton pump inhibitor. There are several of them on the market:

* Prilosec (Omeprazole)
* Nexium (Esomeprazole)
* Prevacid (Lansoprazole)
* Aciphex (Rabeprozole)
* Protonix (Pantoprozole)

All five-proton pump inhibitors seem to work the same by providing superior acid suppression, symptom relief, and healing rates. They may be more effective than H2 blockers, especially on patients with more severe acid-peptic disorders, because of their lower and less frequent dosing requirements and their comparatively shorter duration of required therapy.

Older patients who are already taking several other medications may want to take the newer agents, raberprazole and pantoprazole because of fewer drug interactions.

Prilosec will soon be available in a generic form alternative medicine for gerd

Antacids

There are several over-the-counter medications that treat heartburn:

* Maalox
* Mylanta
* Gelusil
* Rolaids
* Tums

All antacids will neutralize gastric acid. This is a quick fix for heartburn, but it will not repair a food tube (esophagus) damaged by gastric acid. If you take too many antacids at one time, it may lead to constipation or diarrhea.

H-2 Receptor Blockers

The H-2 receptor blockers work to quell the production of gastric acid and are available over-the-counter at half the strength of their prescription counterparts. Usually taken before a meal they take about 30 minutes to get going. To reduce refluxes at night take them right before bedtime. Side effects are infrequent, but include dizziness, drowsiness, dry mouth, and bowel changes. They may interact with other mediations. Some of the most popular are:

* Zantac 75 (ranitidine)
* Tagamet HB (Cimetidine)
* Pepcid AC (famotidine)

Also, before considering Nexium medication for gerd, it pays to first learn about what is gerd, which in fact, is gastroesophageal reflux disease that is known to occur mainly when the lower esophageal sphincter fails and in turn, allows for the stomach acid to leave and enter the esophagus thereby causing a considerable amount of pain as well as a burning sensation.

Though you may be under the impression that Nexium medication for gerd is the only way to go, the fact is that it is also possible to treat acid reflux without using Nexium and that there are alternative methods available as well. More and more, people who are suffering from acid reflux are looking to alternatives to Nexium medication for gerd in the hope that they can get much needed relief from acid reflux and at the same time, not have to contend with any side effects.

Allopathic Means Of Treating Acid Reflux

Nexium medication for gerd is obviously well known and used quite commonly though even without Nexium; it is possible to cure the problems. In fact, Nexium medication for gerd is an allopathic means of treating acid reflux, though you must also take into account that there are quite some considerable side effects to using Nexium medication for gerd, which is what is making users look for alternative means of treatment.

Ayurveda - The Medicine of India

Thus, if you are unfortunate enough to have acid reflux problem, then you need to not only get the condition treated at the earliest, but to also look for alternatives to Nexium medication for gerd, among which you may even want to consider things such as dieting, and also positional therapy.

What it all boils down to is that when looking for the best medication to treat your acid reflux condition, you need to see whether it can neutralize the acidity when it enters into the esophagus and thus does not result in bad symptoms. Furthermore, it means that when you use Nexium medication for gerd, you are getting a proton pump inhibitor, which means that Nexium medication for gerd has made its way to become the third most used medication in the world to treat acid reflux.

To conclude, it would be safe to say that using Nexium medication for gerd is no doubt very popular, and were it not for the fact that there are quite a few side effects to its usage, it would well have become the main medication to treat acid reflux. If these side effects are so worrying for you that you think it better to look for an alternative, then you should look at things such as dieting that can prove to be just as effective without causing you any side effects.

What the Heck is Pathophysiology of Gerd

March 17th, 2008 Subscribe To Our Feed

Lipitor Considered Harmful When Combined With GERD

March 17th, 2008 Subscribe To Our Feed

Taking GERD medications and Lipitor together may cause some problems. Some have reported neuromuscular degeneration. Lipitor, like most statin drugs, affects your muscles. Guess what? Your heart is a muscle. There are also warnings about Lipitor causing liver problems. Some have reported muscle pain, cramps and weakness. The interaction between different drugs is a real problem and one should always read the warnings that come with the medication. They are there for a reason.

Recently articles have played down the role of cholesterol as a major factor in heart disease. Some nutritionists suggest that high dosages of vitamin C may lower cholesterol levels without the incipient damage to muscles and memory loss reported by many people taking Lipitor.

Another factor in the equation is the amino acid homocysteine. Some studies suggest that a high level of homocysteine in the blood contribute to atherosclerosis at least in three ways:

* Oxidation of low-density lipoproteins (LDL)
* Direct toxic effect that damages the cells lining the inside of the arteries
* Interference with clotting factors

Levels above 12 micromoles per liter are considered at risk for heart disease

Nowadays, there are a lot more doctors that are of the belief that when you mix different medications together, they could cause damaging side effects in the user’s wellness and it is every bit applicable for prescription drug medicines as for non-prescription medications. Still, the medical brotherhood in general has not actually become aware of the problem and so not very much activity has been assimilated in this respect.

Inadequate Research

Without doubt, nearly all manufacturers of pharmaceutical drugs promise a good deal in their products and promise patients that they will get a number of benefits from utilizing the drugs, which have been tested by the U.S. Federal Drug Administration and found to be safe. All the same, the situation is another case when it pertains considering GERD.
GERD medication and Lipitor together because the prophylactic levels could shift for the worse and users could thus be more than at risk with reference to their wellness.

Taking on Gerd medicine and Lipitor jointly ought be practiced after doing a good deal of forethought because very few drugs have warnings on their labels that the drug shouldn’t be ingested in combination with additional drugs. The absence of some warnings to taking Gerd medicine and Lipitor jointly can be ascribed to the fact that there’s inadequate research being performed to ascertain how contrary would the consequences be once dissimilar drugs are consumed together, and even drug producers haven’t divulged anything in that regard with reference to utilizing their drugs along with additional drugs such as Lipitor.

So, when ingesting Gerd medicine and Lipitor jointly, there’s need to be cognizant of the potential contrary effects that can take place and so, such a combining ought only be consumed when certain that the ill-effects do not outweigh the benefits and that they’re not so severe as to harm your health beyond acceptable boundaries. It’s also essential to be advised that the drugs that we choose are intended to do more than just heal the disease; they’re also intended to treat symptoms of the disease.

There are four steps that must be followed when fighting GERD, leaving aside the surgery option.

* Lifestyle changes
* Diet adjustments
* Medication
* Exercise

When you change your lifestyle to bring into balance and ground it with fresh and natural foods backed up by taking the right medication and making sure you have seven to eight hours sleep per night, not forgetting to take your multivitamin and supplements, you will greatly improve the probability that you will overcome and improve your acid reflux. These are the considerations with regard to taking GERD medication and Lipitor together.