Chronic heartburn has taken its hold on over 60 million people in the United States and has had severe side effects for many. Gastroesophiageal Reflux Disease (GERD) is a condition that can make eating a daunting task; can interrupt sleep with rising acid in the throat, and cause excruciating pain in the chest.

Symptoms of GERD can start as simple heartburn, and progressively get worse as time goes on, with additional symptoms ranging from sore throat, to persistent cough and asthma-like symptoms. Historically, the symptoms of GERD have been treated, not the condition itself, by the use of medications such as proton pump inhibitors which reduce acid production in the stomach. For many, the idea of life-long medication to simply mask the issues associated with GERD, is disappointing, both financially and medically.



TIF (Transoral Inciscionless Fundoplication) surgery has been introduced as a solution to chronic GERD, helping to reverse, or completely cease, a person's dependency on medication to manage GERD. TIF surgery is incisionless, and accesses the stomach through the esophagus to reconstruct the digestive system's antireflux barrier. In doing this, a patient's body now has a make-shift valve system functioning in the stomach to keep acids out of the esophagus. TIF surgery can be performed as an outpatient procedure, and only requires general anesthesia.

A number of studies have been done leading up to the approval of TIF surgery. Collectively, the studies each found an approximate70% success rate of GERD remission with surgery, and a low rate of people who continued to have ongoing GERD (approximately 8%). The remainder of patients had drastically reduced symptoms of GERD, and a lessened need for medication.

To learn more about GERD surgery, visit http://www.byegerd.com.

References (N4E5VRM7Q7WZ)

Barnes WE, Hoddinott KM, Mundy S, Williams M. Transoral Incisionless Fundoplication Offers High Patient Satisfaction and Relief of Therapy-Resistant Typical and Atypical Symptoms of GERD in Community Practice. [Abstract] Surg Innov. 2011 Feb 22. Livingston Hospital and Healthcare Services, Inc, Salem, KY, USA. PMID:21307014

Bell RC, Freeman KD. Clinical and pH-metric outcomes of transoral esophagogastric fundoplication for the treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease. [Abstract] Surg Endosc. 2010 Dec 8. Swedish Medical Center & SurgOne, P.C., 401 W. Hampden Place, Suite 230, Englewood, CO, 80110, USA, rbell@surgone.com. PMID:21140170

Credit :: Monica

By linkhim

Are you in danger of losing your voice box if you have acid reflux? If you are starting to observe a hoarseness in your voice, you may just be. Let us examine the cause of what acid reflux is and see how it is related to your voice box.

Acid reflux is a disorder in which the sphincter at the top of the stomach is unable to effectively stop stomach acid from re-entering the oesophagus i.e. the tube that connects the throat with the stomach. Because of this the throat can become sore and a cough can develop. This acid reflux symptom is often mistaken for a cold or the flu however the symptoms tend to persist even with cold treatments.

Occasionally the acid reflux symptom of a sore throat can cause you to lose your voice completely. In addition they may suffer with a burning sensation in the oesophagus as food passes along it and stomach pains and upsets. In severe cases the stomach acid can travel far enough up the oesophagus so that it reaches the junction that leads to the lungs. This can then result in small amounts of acid entering the lungs and causing a cough and general irritation.

When the throat becomes affected you will often notice a change in their voice. This is a common acid reflux symptom and if persistent, it can cause shortness of breath and permanent damage to the vocal chords. Changes in the voice can include a loss of volume, a deepening of the tone or hoarseness. This is potentially a very serious acid reflux symptom and if left untreated can result in a permanent loss of the voice.

In addition to the throat and the vocal chords the lungs and trachea (the tubes leading to the lungs) can also become damaged and this can also be serious if left untreated. The trachea is lined with millions of tiny hair-like structures that trap particles of dust and food before they reach the lungs. Acid unfortunately kills these tiny hairs so that the lungs become vulnerable to infections, which are also a common acid reflux symptom in severe cases.

It is easy to treat acid reflux however and a simple change in diet can have profound effects. Abstaining from foods that are acidic in nature is a great first step, however the doctor will be able to provide a patient with a list of what should and should not be eaten. The objective is to reduce the amount of acid produced by the stomach and so foods that stimulate the stomach are deemed to bad for those people with any acid reflux symptom. Unfortunately this also means that most alcoholic drinks also need to be left alone.

In long-term cases the throat and vocal chords can become damaged to the point that surgery is required. Small polyps are a common acid reflux symptom and they continue to grow until they begin to affect the ability to swallow. They can also become cancerous if left.

There is no known cure for acid reflux. However, the good news is that it is possible to treat it with a sensible diet and specific medications. With the first signs of a hoarse voice, do consult with a doctor immediately. Hesitating too long to get treatment for your acid reflux symptoms may just cost you your voice.

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by gannboy

It's not just heartburn and wheezing, it may be asthma and acid reflux. If you are living with asthma, you know how difficult it can be to be around specific triggers that can cause an attack.

A friend's cat or dog, or even dandelions are dangers to your breathing, but imagine having a trigger within your own body.

Researchers are finding that asthma and acid reflux are intertwined conditions that negatively impact each other. If you have asthma and acid reflux, it can be extremely difficult to deal with both. Here are some facts about both conditions:

What is asthma?

Asthma is a disease that causes constriction in the lining of the bronchial tubes. When they constrict, it makes it difficult to do any physical activity, let alone breathe or even talk.

Asthma is caused by a slough of triggers, and what causes attacks are different for every sufferer.

What is an acid reflux?

Acid reflux is a condition in which stomach acid is going the wrong way up, heading toward the mouth. This can cause a mild burning in the chest, sometimes known as heartburn.

Acid reflux is usually treated with an antacid, but if you have severe acid reflux your doctor will usually prescribe a stronger medication to control it.

Both combined to give you big, big problem.

Asthma and acid reflux has been found to bounce off of each other. One condition can cause the other, and vice versa.

When you have an asthma attack, changes in pressure occur in your lungs, thus causing the acidic fluids from your stomach to redirect towards your lungs. When the acid gets into the lungs, it can cause constriction of the muscles, thus leading to an asthma attack as well as heartburn.

What Can Be Done

Because asthmatics are more likely to suffer from acid reflux, and asthma and acid reflux can be a double problem for them.

Researchers have not yet found a treatment that will take care of the two problems, but they do suggest controlling your acid reflux so it doesn't worsen your asthma.
This can be done with medications, avoiding consumption of spicy foods, as well as trying to avoid stress.

With all the problems in your life, your breathing shouldn't be one of them. It is hard enough to deal with stress in a healthy way, and with your body reacting negatively, you have to be certain to take care of both your asthma and acid reflux to make sure they don't act on each other.

Besides the worst combination of asthma and acid reflux got to do with your chronic, there are many deadly combination around.

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by Mizanur Rahman

Acid reflux disease symptoms:which the stomach acids abnormally reflux into the esophagus. This phenomenon is irregularly experienced by most people, most especially after eating.

Our body uses gastric and stomach acids to break down the food that we eat. Normally, behind the digestion in the stomach, the food is delivered by the digestive muscles to the heart for extra digestion. But in patients who have acid reflux symptoms, the acidic stomach contents are moved back to the esophagus, which then causes inflammation. Cigarettes, alcohol, caffeine, pregnancy, and oily foods are some factors which worsens acid reflux conditions.

Our present information about acid reflux based on medical researches tells us that this disease is common in men as it is in women. There is no sexual preference. Moreover, the prevalence of acid reflux is more frequent in people of 40 years of age or more.

symptoms of acid reflux disease may be typical or atypical. But based on the diagnosis of acid reflux patients, only 70% of those who have this disease manifest typical symptoms.

Typical or esophageal symptoms concern indicators which are related with the esophagus. Such acid reflux disease symptoms include the following:

Heartburn. This is a condition in which the disease feels a painful burning feeling in the esophagus. The pain often develops in the chest and may swell to the neck or throat. This is most probable to occur in relation with these activities: after a heavy meal, lifting, bending over, and lying down. Based on one study, about 75% of acid reflux patients experience this symptom at night. These nigh-time patients also tend to experience more harsh pain than those whose symptom occurs at other times.

Dyspepsia. Researches show that about half of acid reflux patients have dyspepsia. This is a syndrome which consists of pain and distress in the upper abdomen, nausea after a meal, and stomach fullness. It is not a rule however, that those who have dyspepsia have acid reflux.

Regurgitation. This is when the gastric contents back up into the pharynx and frequently as far as the mouth. In cases here the acids have spilled into the tracheobronchial shrub, respiratory complications can be stimulated.

There are many instances, yet, that acid reflux patients do not demonstrate symptoms such as regurgitation and heartburn. Instead, they experience atypical or added esophageal symptoms which include the following:

Throat Symptoms. Although it does not often happen, acid reflux patients suffer from symptoms that occur in the throat. Hoarseness, the feeling of having all in the throat, dry cough are undergone by those who have acid laryngitis, a throat symptom. Patients can also have difficulty in swallowing, a condition known as dyspepsia. In critical cases, the food may get trapped in the throat or even choke, which can result to a severe chest pain. Other throat symptoms are chronic sore throat and persistent hiccups.

Vomiting and Nausea. When a patient suffers from nausea which persists for weeks, he may have acid reflux. There are few instances where vomiting can occur as often as once a day.

Respiratory Symptoms. Coughing and wheezing are counted as respiratory symptoms. These result from the overrunning of the stomach acids into the tracheobronchial tree creating bronco constriction.

There are many casual acid reflux disease symptoms that can be very irritating and are repeatedly confused as heart attack. This may be more true if you are experiencing these things at night or after eating specific foods.

Author Mizanur Rahman has been researching about Acid Reflux Disease Symptoms for over a year now. To learn more helpful acid reflux symptoms tips and advice.

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by William Doyle What is acid reflux though?

It is the liquid in the stomach regurgitating into the oesophagus (gullet). Much of this liquid is acid produced in the stomach which is harmful to the walls of the oesophagus. Reflux happens to most people but because we spend much of our time upright, gravity ensures that the liquid returns to the stomach unnoticed. In addition, we swallow frequently which again returns regurgitated liquid to the stomach and saliva contains bicarbonate which helps to neutralise the acid in the stomach liquid.

It doesn’t do to ignore repeated instances of painful indigestion though, as it could be symptomatic of something much more serious. That refluxing acid can cause lasting damage to the lining of the oesophagus, which, if left untreated, can lead to other conditions.

A friend relates that when she was a child, her father was always chewing on Rennies, a well known antacid in the UK. He used to say that a good belch would cure the indigestion. It later turned out that he had a stomach ulcer. Despite that, when my friend, in turn, started suffering from frequent indigestion, she too chewed on the Rennies and went about her business.

Eventually, she realised that the extent of the indigestion couldn’t be normal so she consulted her doctor who referred her to a specialist for an endoscopy.

An endoscopy is a procedure whereby an endoscope, a thin, lighted tube, is inserted down the throat. The endoscope transmits images of the oesophagus, stomach, and duodenum, enabling the specialist to identify problem areas and, if necessary, obtain biopsies. The endoscope is usually inserted while the patient is under sedation thus avoiding the gagging reflex.

To return to my friend, a hiatus hernia was diagnosed. A hiatus hernia occurs when the upper part of the stomach pushes through the opening in the diaphragm where the oesophagus connects with the stomach, allowing the acid from the stomach to reflux. Fortunately, this was a small hiatus hernia, which could be easily treated with a course of medication.

A couple of years went by with only minor instances of indigestion, then my friend started to experience occasional bouts of very severe heartburn and sickness which she treated with the usual array of antacid preparations. Suddenly, one day she woke up with a severe pain in her lower stomach which didn’t respond to the usual remedies and in any event, didn’t resemble any of the normal symptoms of acid reflux.

A visit to the doctor and my friend found herself hospitalised for tests which revealed that the original small hiatus hernia was larger and bleeding and had lead to gastritis (inflammation of the stomach lining) and duodenitis (inflammation of the duodenum), both caused by an infection with the Helicobacter pylori bacteria. This bacteria is extremely common, thought to infect 70% of the world’s population, although most people do not display any symptoms of the infection.

The moral of this story is “Don’t ignore persistent acid reflux, it may be much more that just indigestion”.

Watch out for my next article on the treatment of acid reflux.

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It is very alarming that there are quite few people nowadays who are still unaware and not cautious of themselves about the health threat that gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) or acid reflux can bring to a person's life. Find out today these acid reflux causes and make necessary precautions in handling their symptoms attacks. Who knows you might be the next person at risk of having acid reflux condition. So beware and be aware of its stings:

Esophageal sphincter malfunction. When something is wrong with a person's esophageal sphincter (a tough rim of muscle surrounding the lower end of the esophagus), it will either relax or gently contract every time food is taken thus less energy is exerted to be able to push the food into the stomach. Since there's no enough force to make the normal reaction proceed, the stomach acidic contents are backed up into the esophagus which causes burning in the throat, acidic taste in the mouth, heartburn and pain due to acid reflux.

Hiatal Hernia condition. This is a condition among the acid reflux causes that my friend has been dealing with. The tiny hole or opening seen in his diaphragm is where the upper part of the stomach moves up into the chest, causing him difficulties in breathing.

Severe coughing, vomiting, straining, obesity or pregnancy may lead to hiatal hernia but not necessarily acid reflux disease however a person can have them both, resulting to a more critical condition.
Pregnancy. During the third trimester period of pregnancy, the baby inside the womb of the mother grows bigger and longer. On this growth stage, the stomach is being pressed by the child resulting to the backing up of the stomach contents into the esophagus thereby becomes one of the acid reflux causes occurring in the last few months of pregnancy.

No medication is recommended in this situation. Only proper and balanced diet is advised. That is eating food little by little in every meal but not to reduce the amount of food desired for nourishment. And upon giving birth to the baby this acid reflux condition will be gone.

Peptic ulcers and insufficient digestive enzymes. Peptic ulcers (inflamed upper gastrointestinal tract that has lesions) and the deficiency of digestive enzymes present in the stomach are among the typical acid reflux causes. Having such condition, the food metabolism during digestion process slows down causing the stomach acids build up that back up into the esophagus.

Asthma. It has become confusing whether asthma is one of the acid reflux causes or the reverse is true. Though among 70 % of patients with asthma also suffer from acid reflux, their co-occurrence has not been given a full and concrete explanation. Either way, one thing is clear; they both affect our health condition.

Lifestyle factors. Smoking, overeating, stress, drinking too much caffeine, alcohol and eating too much salty and fatty food are some of the common lifestyle factors that lead to acid reflux disease. All these lifestyle causes can be prevented thru self-discipline and self-control. A person should make a firm decision to abstain from all sorts of bad lifestyle habits and commit to follow a strict diet plan and other healthful rules in life.

Life is precious. There is always no second chance when life has been taken away. It is your responsibility to love yourself by giving utmost care to your health. Remember, health is wealth! Don't let GERD get you and get all your possessions. Do everything to stay healthy and free from these acid reflux causes.

Many used the terms indigestion and acid reflux interchangeably and to mean the same thing. However, in reality, there are a number of differences between the two conditions. Although acid reflux symptoms are similar to those that you experienced with indigestion, they are more often than not a lot more severe and can last more than a few hours.

In its most serious form, acid reflux is known as Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD). GERD is characterised by pain in the oesophagus and throat where the acid from the stomach causes damage to the lining. These symptoms can often only be relieved with medications and so it is important that anyone suffering from prolonged pain to consult the doctor with little delay.

If left untreated the acid reflux symptoms can become unbearable as the lining of the oesophagus is slowly eroded away by the stomach acid. The worst case scenario is that oesophageal cancer or any of the other serious and potentially life-threatening throat conditions develop which are a lot harder to treat than the initial complaint.

Indigestion is often thought to be a milder version although this is not technically true. Some of the symptoms are similar however indigestion has a number of symptoms not experienced in acid reflux and vice versa. For example, one of the most common symptoms of indigestion is gassy episodes and often these episodes are felt by sufferers of true acid reflux. Indigestion sufferers may also have an uncomfortable feeling around the chest and shoulder area that is not relieved by burping.

If you over-eat or eat too quickly, there is a good chance of getting indigestion. Basically, you have just bombarded your stomach with food and acid is produced in large quantities. Acid reflux however is caused when the sphincter at the top of the stomach is weakened and the stomach acid is allowed to travel up the oesophagus and often into the throat. Because of different causes, you feel the major symptoms of the two conditions in different parts of the body; that is, the chest in indigestion and the throat/oesophagus in acid reflux.

Whether you are having indigestion or acid reflux, you are likely to experience pain and a great deal of discomfort. The good news is that both can be managed with changing your eating and lifestyle habits. Making a few changes can help you to alleviate the pain that accompany their symptoms. Where you experience extreme pain, despite making these lifestyle changes, you should see a doctor quickly.

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It may be painful to recall the days when you could eat or drink anything you desired without worrying about the consequences. Those days may be long gone for you if you are suffering with the condition called acid reflux. Acid reflux symptom can range from uncomfortable to downright painful.

Many of the foods you have long loved to eat may be on the trigger of acid reflux symptom list. This list may become longer than the foods you can eat. It can be quite upsetting for many when they realize that eating certain foods or drinking certain beverages can bring on painful and discomfiting acid reflux symptom.

Things like fresh squeezed lemonade in the summer may be a thing of the past for you if you suffer from acid reflux. That cold, refreshing beverage that always signified summer may be the very thing that is causing you to suffer from acid reflux symptom. It may pain you to know that mashed potatoes can also cause acid reflux symptom and not just French fries.

There will be many foods that may trigger acid reflux symptom, and it may become well worth the effort to avoid them. You may think that eating that yummy looking piece of pizza will not cause acid reflux symptom, only to suffer later on for your folly.

You can find many over the counter remedies that will address a number of acid reflux symptoms. The most common of acid reflux symptom is heartburn, which can make eating anything on the forbidden list a risk that might not be worth taking.

There will be many delicious treats that will be on your list of foods so to avoid an acid reflux symptom. Your doctor will give you a detailed list of foods you should not eat and you will be aware of what foods can trigger an acid reflux symptom. You will get used to your new eating habits in no time, and be able to enjoy the food that you are allowed to eat; long after the last bite is gone.

If you think you are experiencing acid reflux symptoms, you can see if any of the symptoms you felt includes heartburn, sore throat, reflux of food from your stomach back to your mouth, frequent coughing and asthma or having short breaths.

The above-mentioned are the common symptoms of someone who is having acid reflux. At times, this can cause you to be very uncomfortable and have difficulty in swallowing resulting to lose of appetite.

Heartburn is an acid reflux symptom that occurs after meals. You will feel a burning or hot sensation on your chest. The feeling will go off in a while and if it is serious, it will prolong its stay.

One of the more common symptoms of acid reflux is feeling and tasting the food you just had travelled back wards and up to your mouth. It is almost like vomiting and its known as regurgitation. This scenario sometimes happens to adults and more frequently to infants.

When you experience acid reflux symptoms, the direction the food that is travelling go against your normal eating and swallowing direction. You will have difficulty swallowing as the esophagus is letting food going out of your mouth and the opposite direction of swallowing.

Therefore, it will leave you short in breaths at times. It is common that people have acid reflux and asthma as the same time as asthmatic patients are more prone to getting acid reflux.

Other acid reflux symptoms that people experienced are frequent coughing and sore throat. Gastric disorders due to weak digestive systems also cause acid reflux. Weak digestive systems means that the LES muscle of the esophagus is weak thus unable to keep the acid from the stomach from flowing to it. On rare cases, if you have done an X-Ray and find that you have ulcers on the walls of your esophagus, it is also one of the acid reflux symptoms.

If you experienced any of the above-mentioned acid reflux symptoms and you think you are having acid reflux, you can always check with your doctor before you jump into conclusion.