What gerd is or Gastrointestinal reflux disease, will affect millions of Americans daily, but fortunately there are a number of options available to help calm the illness or fix its root cause. These options range from medicine which can slow the production of stomach acid or nullify it, and surgical treatments to strengthen the lower esophageal sphincter, the relaxation of which is the root cause of GERD.
To supplement the use of medication and surgical procedures, there are a host of lifestyle modifications specifically for gerd symptoms such as losing weight with a gerd diet, cutting back on acidic foods, stoping the use of alcohol and cigarettes.
Many people have health issues or pre existing conditions that make them poor candidates for some surgical procedures and medications used in the treatment of gerd. Also dietary and behavioral changes along with alternative medicine treatments may achieve some limited relief.
To answer what gerd is, gerd is an extremely severe form of heartburn. While everyone occasionally gets indigestion symptoms depending on what types of foods are your triggers. The severity of gerd can cause great discomfort and severe health problems. What happens to trigger gerd is the sphincter connecting the esophagus to the stomach loosens or relaxes allowing stomach acid to leak into the esophagus causing pain and damage. Depending on how long this is allowed to continue and how much stomach acid leaks into the esophagus will determine the long range damage.
When your doctor gives you there diagnoses they will explain what gerd is, and the appropriate treatment depending on the severity of your symptoms of gerd. If it is a rather minor problem your doctor may just try to alter your diet. You will discover during your diagnoses that gerd symptoms can be triggered by certain foods that will aggravate the condition. A good example would be to stop drinking orange juice which has high amounts of vitamin C. You will also want to avoid eating chocolate or drinking coffee. Your doctor can give you a complete list of foods and drinks you need to avoid.
Sleep posture is important and your doctor will want you to make some changes. Many gerd sufferers find their symptoms are worse at night (chest pain,difficulty swallowing) The reason is the stomach acid has a much easier time leaking through to the esophagus while you are lying down. There are two proven ways to fight this. Doctors have shown that symptoms can be greatly reduced if the patient sleeps on their left side. If this is difficult for you or just not working there is another option. you can use pillows to prop up the top half of your body while you sleep. For more information on what gerd is and how to deal with it keep reading and sign up for our free newsletter.
