What Causes Acid Reflux
What Causes Acid Reflux
Acid reflux is a common problem for many people worldwide. Acid reflux occurs normally in people during the digestive process wherein fluids from the stomach are pushed back to the esophagus.
What makes acid reflux different from the normal reflux process is that it causes pain due to the presence of digestive juices. Too much digestive juices may be secreted by the stomach during digestion.
This is usually the case whenever the stomach encounters material which cannot be easily digested, or which can induce acid formation. Such material is made up of fat or high in acidity. The digestive juices are made up of bile, pepsin, and other acidic components which degrade the lining of the esophagus.
Degradation of the cell lining leads to temporary or permanent scarring of the esophagus.
Once the esophagus is inflamed, the person suffers heartburn, a scorching pain along the chest which has often been mistaken as the beginning of a heart attack.
Aside from heartburn, one may also experience a tightening of the chest, a sensation common in bronchial attacks. This shows just how badly the esophagus is hit by the digestive acid secretion.
Nausea is another signal of acid reflux, and may be followed by regurgitation. In order to overcome the effects of heartburn, nausea, and regurgitation, antihistamines and antacids should be taken as soon as possible.
The antihistamine alleviates the pain, while the antacid lowers the acidity level of the esophagus and stomach. Chewing ice or taking a teaspoon of honey helps relieve the urge to regurgitate repeatedly, which can cause damage to intestinal and esophagus lining, as well as degrade tooth enamel.
There are many complications which accompany acid reflux. These complications develop over time due to improper treatment of acid reflux. A long bombardment of acid against the intestinal lining of the stomach and esophagus can cause scars to develop.
These scars make the lining thicker, thus obstructing the passageway of food. Ulcers are a major complication of prolonged acid reflux. Ulcers are lacerations in the intestinal lining which are hard to heal due to the highly acidic nature of the area.
In order to heal ulcers, the afflicted person should lessen the amount of food intake per meal, at the same time increasing the daily number of meals. This means that the afflicted person should have more than three light meals a day.
Too much food intake and fewer meals can aggravate the ulcer and keep it from healing. Another complication is called Barrett’s esophagus. This is a severe condition which arises from numerous acid reflux attacks. The cells in the intestinal lining change and mutate into cancer cells due to prolonged acid reflux.
Acid reflux can become a dangerous condition if it isn’t resolved quickly. If you suffer from any of the symptoms, consult your doctor immediately, or buy over the counter medication such as antacid.
The sooner your digestive system normalizes the less risk of incurring acid reflux complications. Always keep in shape by maintaining a healthy lifestyle with lots of vegetables and fruits intake.
