Heartburn may seem like a simple cause-and-effect problem. You overeat or eat spicy foods, your heart hurts and then you take an Alka-seltzer. Unfortunately, the causes aren’t always so obvious. As you get older, you’ll be surprised at the silly little things that can cause acid reflux disease.

As we get older, our ability to produce HCL (High Density Lipoprotein) digestive acids diminishes. After 65, we begin to produce 80% what we had just thirty years ago. While it was once widely believed that acid reflux disease stemmed from overproduction of amino acids, recent research suggests that sometimes a lack of strong acids can affect our system’s natural triggers that facilitate mineral absorption, protein storage and waste removal.

Another cause for this disease is diet choices. As previously mentioned, when you eat a lot of fatty foods or enormous meals all at once, the body has trouble breaking down the proteins, which putrefy in your stomach as a result. Other times, too many spicy foods, citrus fruits, caffeine, garlic, onions, peppers, fried food, alcohol, red wine and mint simply exacerbates our system.

It’s not always what you eat but when you eat as well. People who eat two or three hours before bedtime often suffer tremendous, heartburn and acid reflux symptoms. They may be up coughing all night from breathing in the acid, they may snore and feel congested or they may have an asthmatic reaction, unable to breathe, let alone fall asleep! Nearly three-fourths of patients with heartburn acid reflux suffer nighttime effects as well. Another common mistake people make is quite the opposite - bending, lifting and working right after dinner. All the moving around could help push food back from where it came.

Believe it or not, some medications you’re already on may be upsetting your stomach. Calcium channel blockers, Theophylline (Hydrophed, Marax, Bronchial, Quibron), Nitrates and Antihistamines can all relax the Lower Esophageal Sphincter, which is the valve that keeps food and fluids down after swallowing. If you’re taking medication for asthma, high blood pressure, seizures, angina, pain, urinary tract disorders or allergies, check with your doctor to see if acid reflux is one of the side effects.

Are you pregnant? Increased hormone levels naturally relax ligaments in your body at this time, including the LES. Since more pressure is shifted around your midsection, it’s natural for food or stomach acids to get pushed back up.

On a more serious note, acid reflux disease could arise suddenly as a symptom of underlying issues. For example, a hiatal hernias can cause the retention of strong acids in the stomach and may block alternate paths for the acid’s exit. Peptic ulcers (stomach lining sores) and Gastroparesis (delayed stomach emptying) can also be sinister culprits of your pain. If you find reflux symptoms coming up on a daily or weekly basis, check with your doctor to be sure you’re digesting as you should be.

Technorati Tags: acid reflux disease, acid reflux treatment, GERD symptoms, heartburn acid reflux, heartburn and acid reflux symptoms, reflux symptoms, remedies for heartburn, strong acids, Symptoms of acid reflux

There are many people who now suffer from chronic acid reflux disease. This article will take a look at what this disease is, how it is treated, and how you can actually cure it naturally. You just may be surprised by some of the information that I have to share with you.

What Is It

The first thing you need to discover is what acid reflux really is. The word chronic is often used when you have had bad acid reflux for 6 months and it wont go away. This usually means that you will have to deal with the condition for the rest of your life and probably have to take medication. In reality this is not true. There really are ways you can get rid of acid reflux for good. The good news is that there are some very effective natural remedies and many changes you can make to your diet to cope with the disease. We will be taking a look at this in a little bit.

Treatment Options

There are all sorts of different treatments and common medications for acid reflux. The odds are if you have the chronic kind your doctor will give you some prescriptions. I would recommend for you to not use what he recommends. Plenty of the drugs used to treat acid reflux cause your stomach to produce less acid and block the acid off. This can actually harm your stomach. Your stomach needs acids to digest and break down foods.

Another treatment option is surgery. Your doctor will do some testing to see if this is an option for you. I would not recommend this either. It is another one of those things that does not address the real problem with acid reflux. Keep in mind that your stomach will need acid to break down the foods that you eat. The reason you often have acid reflux is because your stomach is not producing enough acid. This is really the opposite of what you really are being treated for.

Natural Remedies

There are all sorts of different natural acid reflux medication that is available to you. The first thing you should do is make changes to your diet. Stop eating foods that contain junk toxins and chemicals. From there you want to start eating more of the right foods. Organic and fresh pineapples are very good for acid reflux problems. Apples are another food that is good for dealing with acid reflux.

Finally, you should try a good detox program. Ideally you need a liver and kidney flush. A bowel cleanse is needed too. This should fix any of your acid reflux problems.

Technorati Tags: acid reflux disease, acid reflux medication