What is Acid Reflux?

GERD (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease) more commonly known as acid reflux, is an medical condition in which the content of a person’s stomach regurgitates or “refluxes” back into the esophagus and up into the mouth. This leads to inflammation and can damage the esophagus lining. Acid reflux can range in seriousness from minor but uncomfortable to a serious problem.

Acid reflux is a chronic condition, and many people who develop it become lifelong sufferers. Treatment can allow the esophagus to heal and symptoms to subside, but after medication is stopped, the reflux will often return. Due to this, acid reflux sufferer’s need to look into long-term ways of keeping reflux at bay. Using an acid reflux diet is the best long-term way to do this.

Anyone can develop acid reflux; however some are more at risk than others. The most likely people to develop GERD are are those on high fat / high salt diets and smokers.

Acid reflux is a painful affliction, so getting the best treatment possible is important. There are a number of prescription medicines, over-the-counter remedies and natural treatment options available. Cinnamon is an example of a popular herbal remedy.

Primary acid reflux symptoms:

• Regurgitating food and/or bile back into the mouth
• Pain or discomfort in the chest
• Heartburn
• Difficulty swallowing food and drink
• Sore throat
• Coughing, especially during and after meals
• Asthma type symptoms
• Jolting awake whilst asleep
• Tooth enamel erosion

Foods and beverages that can help reduce acid reflux symptoms include:

• Bananas, Melons
• Beans, Lettuce, Spinach, Carrots, Kale, etc
• Fresh, low fat cuts of  Chicken, Turkey, Lamb, Beef
• Low fat cheeses
• Brown Bread, Oatmeal
• Organic Yoghurt
• Water
• Green Tea

Foods that cause acid reflux include:

• Acidic Fruits – Oranges, Lemons, Tomatoes, and arguably Apples (can vary for person to person).
• Fatty Meats such as marbled cuts and fried meat in general.
• Pickled vegetables such as Onions, Gherkins (these caused me a lot of problems) and Fried Potatoes. Mashed Potatoes can affect some people very badly as well.
• Drinks – Most fruit juices are best avoided, along with beer, wine, coffee and tea (green and some herbal teas are fine).
• Anything containing Chocolate and high cream content deserts.

Acid reflux dos and don’ts

• Do not exercise or bend over before meals.
• Do not wear tight fitting clothes (especially belts and trousers/skirts).
• Do not lie on a bed for 2 or 3 hours after eating (sit upright or stand, but do not lie down).
• Do not smoke (note, people who quit smoking sometimes develop acid reflux during the initial phase of giving up).
• Do eat multiple small meals, instead of 2 or 3 large ones.
• Do lose weight if you are obese or somewhat overweight.
• Do lower your stress levels.
• Do sleep with your head raised. You will need to tilt the entire bed, or use some kind of wedge shaped object instead of adding more pillows.
• Do drink more water.

Further reading

There are a number of books available that provide much more in-depth information about how to stop Acid Reflux. I personally recommend buying this eBook. Written by an experienced nutritionist called Jeff Martin, who suffered from GERD for many years, it’s one of the only Books I’ve found to be truly comprehensive on the subject of acid reflux diets and cures.

Acid Reflux Disease can, in worst case situations, cause permanent damage to the esophagus. Physicians will be able to find out if you have erosive esophagitis by a test called an endoscopy. He or she can then take appropriate action based on the level of damage the acid reflux has caused.

As mentioned above, there are a number of food-types you should avoid if you suffer from acid reflux disease; in addition to those ways of dealing with acid reflux symptoms, you can also try sleeping on your left side, instead of your back or right hand side. In addition to the benefits acid reflux disease sufferers can gain from doing this simple thing, it can also help to alleviate heartburn symptoms.

You should also look into sleeping with your head kept higher than your body. Simply using more pillows rarely works, so you probably will need to invest in an ergonomic acid reflux pillow instead; as just using ordinary pillows often will have little to no effect.

Instead of eating a small number of large meals per day, try to eat smaller sized meals. This can make dealing with acid reflux disease much easier. Don’t just try and eat less though, as you will probably end up snacking between meals.

You can also consider chewing on some sugar free chewing gum throughout the day, as the saliva doing this creates can help your stomach and your throat. Remember, mint can make acid reflux disease worse, so avoid mint flavoured gums.

Antacids will also work as a form of acid reflux treatment, however if you’re on medication, be aware than Antacids can counter-act some tablets; so consult with your doctor first.

Drink plenty of water, but don’t drink too much during meals and this can slow down digestion. Instead drink water throughout the day.

Don’t worry. Acid reflux treatments, both natural and medical, will work. Get in contact with your doctor and check out the acid reflux diet linked to here.