Acid Reflux Treatments

What exactly is acid reflux? Chronic heartburn whether it is from gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD) or another digestive disorder, you need to know how to treat it. If you leave it untreated, it could lead to complications that include esophageal cancer. It is important to know that you should discuss any treatment with your doctor.

One of the first steps you should take when treating acid reflux is a lifestyle change. It is one of the first things doctors advise their patients on how to treat chronic heartburn. Heartburn symptoms can often be relieved if people make a few of these important lifestyle changes.

A majority of acid reflux sufferers can link their symptoms to the specific foods they consume. So obviously, it is important that acid reflux sufferers manage their diets as a way to treat their acid reflux problem. Your diet should not consist of foods that cause your acid reflux. If it gives you heartburn then it should not be in your diet. There are foods that are safe for acid reflux sufferers to eat. These foods have little risk of causing acid reflux.

Here is a small list of food that should be safe for acid reflux sufferers to eat: extra lean ground beef, skinless chicken breast, egg whites, egg substitutes, fish with no added fat, grains, apples, baked potatoes, peas, carrots, baked potato chips, mineral water. This was just a small sampling as there is certainly more foods you could eat as an acid reflux sufferer.

Other treatments a sufferer could seek are to eat smaller and more frequent meals. Do not eat before going to bed. Eating before bed can cause you to wake in the middle of the night with a bad acid reflux attack. If you are overweight, try to lose weight. Being overweight can cause acid reflux. Smoking can cause acid reflux as well, so if possible try to quit smoking. Many of life’s guilty pleasures can lead to acid reflux disease. Alcohol, coffee and fatty foods all can contribute to acid reflux.

Another method to try to alleviate acid reflux is to elevate the head of the bed about, 8” to 10” by placing something under the mattress. This will keep stomach juices out of your esophagus while you sleep.

Take antacids about 30-60 minutes after eating. Antacids will help treat acid reflux. A liquid form of antacid is more preferable to the tablet form. There are drugs that are available to reduce and even eliminate the secretion of stomach acid and strengthen the Lower Esophageal Sphincter (LES) muscle.

Surgery can also treat acid reflux. However, you must have an extensive evaluation and testing before surgery. Surgery is generally the last resort when prescription medication does not solve the problem and all other methods are tested.

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