Acid Reflux Facts

Heartburn is acid indigestion intensified. Medically, heartburn in not a disease – it is the major symptom of acid reflux disease or GERD, gastroesophageal reflux disease. Just about everybody experiences heartburn sometime; acid reflux disease takes place when stomach acid refluxes or goes back up the esophagus frequently enough to influence your every day life and/or damage your esophagus. The stomach has a protecting lining and is full of acid to aid in digesting food

Sleeping elevated on a wedge pillow to use gravity to keep acid down and following physician suggestions can certainly help relieve your symptoms and maintain a healthy digestive system.

Left untreated, acid reflux disease, can be serious. You have probably suffered from heartburn, most people have. So acid reflux medications are an easy solution, just pop a couple of antacids in your mouth and you are ok……. at least for a short while.

If you have harsh heartburn symptoms on a regular basis you will almost certainly have to have a change of lifestyle. Hiatal hernias are one of the problems that may cause heartburn. Normal antacids can neutralize your stomach acid for a short period of time, but you would have to take them recurrently, say once an hour to neutralize your acid completely. To combat severe GERD symptoms more effective medicines are required.

There are two most important aims for the treatment of GERD. The first is for acid reflux relief. Preventing chronic pain improves the sufferer of GERD in everyday life.

The first medications that came about for the specific job of reducing gastric acid are called histamine 2-receptor antagonists (H2 antagonists). Stomach acid is made more acidic by histamine and by partially stopping the production of histamine; H2 antagonists suppress the creation of stomach acid.

Zantac (Ranitidine) has always had a place in my own medicine cabinet co combat my own acid reflux symptoms.

The latest type of drug developed specifically for GERD are called Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPI, s).

PPI, s are the most potent inhibitors of stomach acid available. Proton Pump inhibitors work by blocking the secretion of acid from the enzyme system cells (gastric proton pump). This is the terminal step in acid production and by targeting the gastric proton pump this type of drug is significantly more effective than H2 antagonists. It reduces the gastric acid hence the symptoms of acid reflux by 99%, and can last from upward of 24 hours.

This reduction of stomach acid is not only good for stopping reflux, but also aids in the healing of duodenal ulcers in the stomach. PPI, s are used where H2 antagonists cannot adequately relieve the symptoms of GERD or when complications exist.

I now purchase my acid reflux medications online and have never had any problems with this system.