Heartburn, Acid Reflux and The Side Effects

There is nothing better than sharing a meal with family and friends. You eat, talk and laugh, and have a wonderful time. All the while you are thinking, when is the heartburn going to start?

Heartburn is often associated with acid reflux disease. This is a serious disease that if left untreated, can have painful consequences, some potential deadly.

For those who choose not to treat their acid reflux disease, dismissing it as mere heartburn, are leaving themselves susceptible to such diseases as Barrett’s esophagus disease.

Not only is this painful disease, but also it is know to be a precursor to esophageal adenocarcinoma. Cancer.

Barrett’s Esophagus is when the lining of the esophagus is damaged so badly by acid reflux disease that it resembles the lining of the small intestines. It can only be diagnosed by a physician. It is very difficult because there are little or no symptoms associated with Barrett’s Esophagus, and only one test to diagnose it. A gastrointestinal endoscopy and biopsy.

This procedure is somewhat invasive. A physician inserts a lighted camera into the esophagus and it is determined if the lining looks abnormal. The physician will decide if a biopsy is necessary and take a small sample for testing.

You do not have to have acid reflux to develop Barrett’s Esophagus, but people with acid reflux are up to five times more likely to develop it than people who do not have acid reflux disease, and the chance of developing this fatal cancer increase up to one hundred and fifty percent over a person who does not have acid reflux disease.

Another problem that a person with acid reflux disease faces is called erosive esophagitis. Although this is a painful disease, it can be treated. Erosive esophagitis is when the acid from the stomach travel back up to the esophagus and causes irritation. This condition is a common for those who have acid reflux disease.

The symptoms of erosive esophagitis can range from a burning sensation to lesion. Tests for erosive esophagitis include an endoscopy or a barium swallow. This is when the person afflicted swallows a chemical dye in order for the doctor to take x-rays of the esophagus.

Erosive esophagus can cause dehydration and malnutrition because the person afflicted cannot eat or drink anything because of the pain swallowing causes. It is critical to seek medical attention immediately at the first sign of discomfort. Erosive esophagitis can be easily treated with medication that reduces the amount of acid in the stomach.

If acid reflux disease is not treated, it can cause serious complications. When you make lifestyle and dietary changes and take the medication that is prescribed, you are taking the proper steps to avoid serious complication that are associated with acid reflux disease.

Jill Seimer reports on health matters at RefluxLife.com and reported on natural healing for heartburn from her experience with alternative medicine.

Acid Reflux - The Silent Killer?

You may not be familiar with the term acid reflux even though you've probably suffered from it countless times during your life. Acid reflux is also known as Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD for short) or even more commonly it's referred to as heartburn. Why are there so many names for such a, seemingly, harmless condition? The correct clinical term for heartburn is GERD although anyone trying to explain that they have severe indigestion will find it far easier to stay they have heartburn instead of trying to blurt out gastroesophageal reflux disease. The acid reflux title is a description of what actually occurs in the stomach during heartburn so as you can see it's far more complicated than you previously thought.

So what exactly is acid reflux? GERD is when your stomach has produced too much acid in its attempt to digest food held there. This extra acid and other fluids then move back up your into your esophagus (the tube connecting your stomach and your throat)and begin to cause both pain and damage in this area. That burning sensation you feel in your chest is the direct result of very powerful stomach acid eating away at the tissue in your esophagus. If this happens every once in a while your body can cope with the damage. If, however, this is a daily occurence then the damage can become permanent and even life threating. Yes life threatening.

Most people pass heartburn off as a temporary problem that they can "cure" by taking a fistful of antacids and avoiding spicy food for 24 hours. This simply isn't so. Acid reflux/heartburn can have far more serious implications than simply being uncomfortable. In the most extreme cases acid reflux can lead to the development of a type of cancer which, if left untreated, can be fatal. That's the most surprising fact for most people - they never, ever assume that something like acid reflux might potentially kill them.

This type of cancer starts off as a condition known as Barrett's Esophagus (also known as intestinal metaplasia). During prolonged bouts of acid reflux (over a period of years) tissue in the esophagus gets replaced with tissues that are normally only found in the stomach and intestine. This abnormal tissue growth can then lead to a type of cancer developing which is known as esophageal adenocarcinoma. The most worrying aspect of this cancer is that normally it's not detected until the patient is in their 60's and at that stage it's normally too late to treat the cancer.

Should you rush off to your doctor to have a full medical because you get heartburn once in a while? No and the purpose of this article is not to cause a panic. If, however, you find yourself suffering from acid reflux almost every day then it is a recognized medical condition and there are prescription treatments available. Don't leave your health to chance for the sake of a quick trip to the family doctor for their advice and guidance on the matter.

This article was provided by Aaron Walker at RefluxNow.com. You can learn a lot more about acid reflux and its causes by reading the information there.

Discover the Causes of Acid Reflux

Several different factors can lead to acid reflux. The reason that acid reflux occurs is because the muscle at the bottom of the esophagus fails to close properly. This muscle should work like a one-way valve, allowing food to enter the stomach, and stopping stomach acid from splashing back up.

Many factors can influence the way this muscle works, and cause acid reflux. In infants and babies, the muscle may not be strong enough to keep the stomach acid in the tummy. This is commonly called colic. Colic can be miserable for both the baby and the family, but it generally disappears by about six to eight months of age, as the child's muscles develop and strengthen. Another frequent reason why people suffer from acid reflux is pregnancy, or being overweight. Both of these conditions cause extra pressure to build up along the diaphragm, and push on the lower esophagus. This can weaken the muscle, and promote acid reflux.

About fifty percent of all acid reflux sufferers have stomach muscles that work very slowly, and this results in delayed emptying of the stomach. When this occurs, food remains in the stomach longer than normal, increasing the chances that the stomach acid could splash up on the sensitive tissues of the esophagus.

Hiatal hernias can also cause you to suffer the symptoms of acid reflux. The hiatus is a passageway in the diaphragm that permits food from the esophagus to pass into the stomach. A hiatal hernia is when a small part of the stomach actually protrudes up through the hole. This prevents the muscle at the bottom of the esophagus from working properly, and can lead to acid reflux.

Some medications can also cause you to suffer the effects of acid reflux. Medications that can irritate the stomach lining can aggravate the symptoms of acid reflux. The most common medications that do this are Motrin, Nuprin, and Advil. These medications are commonly used as pain relievers, and many sufferers report relief if the take these medications with food.

Different types of foods can also cause acid reflux. If you suffer from this disease, keeping a food diary can help you discover the cause and prevent future suffering.

Gerri Stone publishes information to help you find relief from acid reflux at http://www.StomachSolutions.com