Acid Reflux Foods

Acid Reflux Disease

What exactly is acid reflux disease?  Isn’t it just heartburn?  Heartburn is something you get when you have eaten too much, had too much to drink, or just too much of everything combined.  Heartburn is something that will happen occasionally, but not so often that you need to keep a package of Tums in your pocket.

If you are suffering from more than the occasional case of heartburn, then you may not have heartburn at all.  You may have acid reflux disease.  How do you know the difference?  It can be difficult to determine in the beginning as the symptoms are so similar.  Acid reflux will bring symptoms on more frequently, becoming stronger over time.  You will notice that the burning will turn into acid actually rising up in the esophagus into your throat.  This can cause burning and even damage to your throat.  If this happens often, you may notice a change in your voice, or it may cause some hoarseness.

Your stomach has a protective coating to prevent this burning that you feel in your esophagus.  There is no protective lining there because the acid really isn’t meant to be there.  Gastro Esophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) is the technical term for acid reflux disease, and there are many of us that have to deal with this every single day.

You will first notice the symptoms after a big meal, then it will be happening as soon as you lay down in bed for the night, or after having a glass of milk.  When you start to notice these symptoms happening more and more, you will want to start treating it before it becomes a bigger problem.

The culprit of this disease is the sphincter muscle that allows food into your stomach but meant to keep it from going back up.  It is to be a one way door, so to speak.  But when that door becomes weak, it is no longer helpful in keeping the acid down.

But the good news is that acid reflux disease is manageable.  You can find many antacids available over the counter, as well as changing your diet.  It really helps to stay away from dairy products and spicy foods. There is also a special pillow you can get to help you sleep without these horrible symptoms.  Take back control of your life with just a few simple changes and you can put acid reflux disease behind you.

Tags: acid reflux disease

This entry was posted on Monday, October 27th, 2008 at 2:29 am and is filed under Acid Reflux. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.