How to Keep Your GERD in Control?

1. How to Keep Your GERD in Control? This condition occurs when the acid content inside the stomach refluxes back into the esophagus. Many people experience GERD from time to time and over the counter medicine could help a little bit in this case especially when the pain coming from the gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) isn’t very strong in intensity. But when it comes to a point where the intensity is intolerable, a medical assistant will be needed. The reason for GERD The main reason GERD is the inability of the sphincters to prevent the food from going in the opposite direction. These sphincters have a similar mechanism of action like a valve by which they allow only unilateral movement and any flow towards the opposite direction must be stopped at any cost. But due to various reasons, these sphincters get weaken over the time and they fail to prevent the backflow properly. And that’s when the reflux does occur. Since food goes from mouth to rectum in a peristaltic movement, there shouldn’t be a reflux where the contents should be back into the esophagus from the stomach. But due to the weakening of the sphincters especially lower esophageal sphincter, the contents do reflux in the opposite direction. Symptoms There are multiple symptoms of GERD, but all may not be visible at the same point in time. It will depend upon the severity and the person also. For example, the most common symptom in GERD is acidic taste in mouth which may be visible in most cases but another symptom, difficulty in swallowing may not be as expressive. However, the following are the symptoms based upon which GERD could be suspected. 1.Since the acid flows back into the stomach region, there’s’ a burning sensation in the stomach which is also known as heartburn. This sensation or pain could radiate towards a different area of the body. 2.Acidic taste in the mouth is one of the most common symptoms of GERD. 3.Increased salivation is also seen in many cases where the person suffering from GERD has reported to have increased salivation.

2. 4.Coughing is also one of the symptoms of GERD and could point to it. 5.The sensation of a lump in the throat is also one of the main symptoms of GERD. Can GERD be cured? The treatment of GERD involves various medications though recently it has been found that, in long-term, maintaining a proper diet could also yield good results. The antacids could give relief from gastroesophageal reflux disease if it is taken at the onset of the episode. Since antacids counter the acidity of the stomach, hence the burning pain coming from GERD could be lowered as there will be less acid present in the system. Proton pump inhibitors and H2 blockers do alter the amount of acid present and hence, are the medication for GERD. But with proper diet, the episodes of heartburn could be lowered to a great deal. By eating Foods good for acid reflux can make the frequency of the heartburn much lower. Reflux MD has many such recipes from where you can build a proper diet.