What Is Acid Reflux? Symptoms, Causes, Dangers And Solutions

What is Acid Reflux? Symptoms, Causes, Dangers and Solutions

Jeff Martin

Most patients do not really understand what acid reflux is. Research done recently demonstrates that in the developed world one in five people approximately endure symptoms related to acid reflux, also known as GERD (gastro esophageal reflux disease) once a week, while an additional one in five suffer from the discomfort, even pain of these symptoms at least every month. Up to 40 per cent of those people suffer every day from gastro esophageal reflux disease related symptoms. So what is Acid reflux? Acid reflux is the condition where stomach juices with acid flow back (reflux) from the stomach to the esophagus.

What is the local and immediate cause of acid reflux?

When the esophagus lining comes into contact with these juices, a burning sensation in the chest and/or the throat is produced. This is called acid reflux. Gastro esophageal reflux disease happens when the lower esophageal sphincter (the name for the valve or circle of muscle between the stomach and the esophagus) does not close correctly, failing to prevent stomach juices from traveling back up, or refluxing, into the esophagus.

Although it seems strange, heartburn may also be symptomatic of too little stomach acid. The level of stomach acid has to be enough for digestion to be effective, and prevent the stomach from being obliged to work much harder for the food to be digested. In time, the extra effort of the stomach can lead to acid reflux happening.

A long-term solution can only come from fixing the internal factors fundamentally responsible for bringing on gastro esophageal reflux disease. Rather than just the immediate factors leading to acid reflux, there are also uncontrollable genetic factors and several other internal factors and cofactors, that make for a context that encourages GERD.

What do symptoms of acid reflux look like?

Healthy people also get occasional heartburn, and this alone does not mean that you have a gastro esophageal reflux disease. Diagnosis of GERD is typically based on a recurring (twice weekly or more) manifestation of heartburn. Symptoms may be different for some GERD patients, such as chest pains, morning hoarseness or problems swallowing. Other patients experience a sensation of food getting stuck in their throat or choking or stricture. Recurring dry coughs are also symptoms for this last group of patients.

What are the dangers associated with acid reflux?

Neglected GERD can have not only unpleasant, perhaps painful symptoms, but can also generate grave complications. Firstly, tissue damage scars can cause constriction of the esophagus and problems in swallowing. Secondly, gastric acid can inflame the esophagus over time to lead to ulcers or bleeding. Thirdly, some victims can develop a condition where cells in the lining of the esophagus take on abnormal shapes and colors, a condition known as Barrett's esophagus. Protracted Barrett's esophagus may result in cancer, notably for adults who are more than 60 years old.

Possible solutions for acid reflux

Treating gastro esophageal reflux disease can be handled in one of three ways: a surgical operation; medicaments available by prescription or over-the-counter; and holistic therapy, using dietary and lifestyle alterations, detox, and specific herbal supplements. This holistic approach to GERD is also backed up by a review of recent research that demonstrates that this medical condition is provoked mostly by factors of diet, lifestyle and behavior. In most instances, gastro esophageal reflux disease can be tackled and stopped using natural solutions, without the risks or secondary effects of surgical treatment or prescribed medicaments.

So what is acid reflux? Seen in the context of conventional medicine that compares it to other similar recurring conditions, acid reflux is to be treated by constantly ingesting drugs, antacids and over the counter medicament that only bring temporary relief.

Alternative treatments for acid reflux therefore (homeopathic programs, herbal remedies, diet and lifestyle modifications and detoxification), by treating the underlying internal cause of acid reflux, are implicitly superior compared to conventional answers that only bring superficial relief. The holistic viewpoint indicates that acid reflux is the warning sign for a major lack of internal balance that must be restored.