SearchExclusive.com

Causes & Risk Factors,Diseases & Conditions,Home Remedies,Signs & Symptoms

A Brief Overview of GERD

A chronic digestive disorder, GERD or gastroesophageal reflux disease affects the lower esophageal sphincter (LES), which is located between the esophagus and the stomach. It occurs when bile or stomach acid flows into the esophagus and irritates the esophageal lining. People with GERD often experience heartburn or acid reflux. This condition is quite common, but it can be a cause for concern if a person suffers from acid reflux frequently.

What causes GERD?
Under normal circumstances, the LES relaxes when a person swallows. This allows food and liquid to flow into the stomach. The LES then closes up again. In some cases, the LES may relax in an abnormal way, or it may become weak. At such times, the stomach acid flows backward into the esophagus. Although this can be normal under some circumstances, it can cause problems if it happens too often.

A constant backwash of acid will irritate the lining of the esophagus. The esophagus may become inflamed due to chronic GERD. An inflamed esophagus may make the food pathway narrow due to the formation of scar tissue at the lower end of the esophagus. At times, the tissue in the esophagus may wear away due to the constant flow of stomach acid. An open sore may develop, causing an esophageal ulcer, which may bleed and hurt. This can lead to difficulty in swallowing. In some cases, GERD also increases the risk of esophageal cancer due to the damage caused by stomach acid.

What are the risk factors associated with GERD?
A few factors increase the risk of GERD. Some of the most common ones are obesity and hiatal hernia (causes the top of the stomach to bulge up into the diaphragm). Other factors include pregnancy, delays in emptying the stomach, and connective tissue disorders like scleroderma. In addition, a few factors like smoking, eating large meals or eating too late at night can aggravate GERD. Regular intake of caffeinated or alcoholic beverages can also trigger the symptoms of GERD. Eating fatty or fried foods can also worsen the signs of GERD.

What are the common symptoms of GERD?
One of the common symptoms of GERD is experiencing a burning sensation in the chest (heartburn) after eating. Heartburn may get worse at night. A person may also experience chest pain and have a sensation of a lump in their throat. They can face difficulties in swallowing as well. A person may also experience regurgitation of food or sour liquids. Some people with GERD face nighttime acid reflux. The symptoms of nighttime acid reflux include chronic cough, laryngitis, disrupted sleep, and new or worsening asthma.

How is GERD diagnosed?
GERD is usually diagnosed based on the medical history of the patient, and a physical examination of the signs and symptoms they are experiencing. To confirm a diagnosis, a doctor may suggest a series of tests.

Ambulatory acid probe test: A small, temporary capsule is attached to the esophagus in this test. The capsule will monitor when and for how long acid flows from the stomach into the esophagus.
Upper endoscopy: A thin, flexible tube equipped with a light and camera is inserted inside the esophagus and directed towards the stomach. This test will inspect the esophagus and check for damage caused by the backwash of acid.
X-ray of the upper digestive system: A X-ray of the esophagus, stomach, and upper intestine is taken to look for physical anomalies that may occur due to GERD.
Esophageal manometry: During this test, the muscle contractions of the esophagus are measured while swallowing. It can help in measuring the strength of the esophageal sphincter.

Are there any home remedies for GERD?
For treating GERD, doctors usually recommend over-the-counter as well as prescription medications. Although prescription medications do not cost much, people with chronic GERD can avail of discount coupons on Nexium® 24HR to save on medical bills. It is advisable to consult a doctor before taking any medication. Apart from medications, there are a few home remedies that can ease the symptoms of GERD.

Avoid overeating: Usually, acid reflux increases after meals. A larger meal may worsen the problem. Overeating leads to extra pressure on the LES, causing the stomach acid to squeeze through the opening. So, avoiding larger meals can help prevent acid reflux and GERD.
Have fewer carbs: Low-carb diets have been known to provide relief from acid reflux because acid reflux is often caused by indigestion of carbs. To avoid the symptoms of GERD, it is recommended to control the intake of dairy products, starchy vegetables, legumes, and sugary sweets.
Avoid caffeinated beverages: Caffeinated beverages like coffee can weaken the lower esophagus. This may worsen acid reflux and heartburn and increase the risk of GERD.
Stay away from raw onions: Raw onions can increase the occurrence of heartburn, belching, and acid reflux. Onions contain higher levels of fermentable fiber, which produces more gas and increases the risk of acid reflux.

Related Reading

Tips for Buying the Best Dog Food

Most of the dogs do not have a food fuss and may eat almost anything that you feed them. Dogs are not choosy at all when it comes to food and nutrition. Hence, it is important to make sure that the food that you are purchasing for your dog is healthy. The landscape of dog food has been developing by leaps and bounds in recent times. There is a wide variety of options to choose from in the online and offline market. Given the wide range of options that are available today, buying the best dog food might seem to be a confusing task indeed. All the commercial pet food that is available in the market today is regulated by the FDA. Therefore, most of the products do contain nutritious, healthy, and safe ingredients. But it does help to know certain basic factors you should look for while buying food for your dog. Prioritize on the nutritional guarantee The best dog food, which meets the dog’s needs adequately has a statement written on the label of the product, from the Association of American Feed Control Officials. Buy from some of the best dog food brands, such as Fromm Family Foods, Earthborn Holistic, Nature’s Variety Instinct, and The Honest Kitchen.

Different Types of Kitchen Cabinets Available for Your Home

The most important aspect when designing your kitchen is deciding on the type of cabinets. In addition to functionality, kitchen cabinets score on aesthetics as well. Once the layout is planned, you can go ahead with choosing the cabinets. If you’re remodeling your home or just the kitchen, what you need to consider are the types of cabinets that furnish your kitchen. Here are a few types of kitchen cabinets that you can choose from. Base cabinets These kitchen cabinets are mounted on the floor and they are placed after checking out the floor plan. A major part of your job in the kitchen is on these base cabinets, which hold and support the countertops. These base cabinets are combined to carve out kitchen islands. A number of base cabinets are fused/set against one another and installed on site. The base cabinets, in addition to supporting the countertops, serve as drawers to hold your cutlery and appliances. Wall cabinets Mounted on the walls, these cabinets can store everything, right from your cookware to cookbooks. In terms of design, they offer utmost flexibility. Wall cabinet kitchen is available in varying heights, multiple widths, and custom depth options. This customization helps you to fit in your stuff of varying shapes and sizes into the wall cabinets.

How to Pick the Right Dog Food for a Sensitive Stomach

In today’s world, where you are presented with over a dozen choices for every item you would purchase for your own kitchen, it is not surprising that you have an equal number of options for your dog’s food. However, choosing the perfect brand and formula for your dog out of a range of options in the market is not an easy job. Your pet depends on you and trusts you to make the right choice for them. Therefore, it is imperative that you do your research about the products available in the market, understand what your dog needs, know what might be your pet’s problems, and then make a sound decision. What is a sensitive stomach? Dogs are known to have voracious and large appetites. Keeping that in mind, it is normal to assume that they have strong stomachs. They can eat close to anything be it sweets, bakes, chewy gum, hard leather or even woolen socks for that matter! It always so happens that the strongest of them are prone to allergies and can develop a disorder which is medically translated as a sensitive stomach. This might be due to a sudden change in the food habits or even due an infection picked up from somewhere.

All You Need to Know about Cat Food

For cat owners, cat food is a hot topic. You need to think about it in different aspects. The best thing is to know which ingredients are good for cat food and which are harmful. If you are aware of this, you can get an idea about the quality of the cat food just by going through the label. It is always sensible to stick to one brand of cat food. However, you may also want to try and prepare cat food yourself. There are also various options for wet cat food as well. Cat’s love for fish is universal, so you can do without going for expensive cat food. Nevertheless, whether you buy it or prepare cat food at home, you need to ensure that the food contains enough nutrition and calories. You would need to have some idea about the ingredients that must be present in cat food and make a worthy selection for your cat. Basic ingredients present in good cat foods Cats need a variety of nutrients to stay healthy and active; they need various vitamins, minerals, fats, proteins, and oils. The following is a brief explanation of the basic ingredients that should be present in cat foods.