Acid Reflux and Vomiting: Is There A Link?

This article describes the relationship between the two and what can be done to treat it.

Acid reflux manifestations vary from one person to another. While a majority of people complain about moderate to severe heartburn, some suffer from acute chest pain, resembling symptoms of heart attack. But for a person whose mouth becomes filled with semi-digested acidic foodstuff all on a sudden due to acid reflux, the only reaction perhaps is a violent retch.

Apart from the classic symptom of heartburn, acid reflux and vomiting almost go hand in hand. However, things go bad with those that suffer from erosive esophagitis. This is developed in chronic acid reflux patients who often vomit blood. Unabated acid reflux in such cases cause extensive damage to the esophagus which may sometimes bleed, and as they vomit out the pungent reflux material from the mouth, along comes out the regurgitated blood. Blood vomiting is also associated with Barrett’s Esophagus which is a pre-cancerous disease condition where the esophagus is permanently injured, oozing blood now and again.

The problem can be severe even with patients who are suffering from strictured esophagus where the food pipe is so narrowed as to create lacerations in the esophageal lining. This leads to bleeding every time the food passes through it. And when such people vomit out reflux material from the mouth, it gets mixed up with the free flowing blood.

Though adults may somehow control vomiting that result from acid reflux due, mostly to social circumstances, children are not capable of doing so. Incessant retching accompanied by hiccups is a sure sign of gastroesophageal acid reflux with most children. With infants who cannot express the acidic taste of refluxed stomach contents reaching their mouth find no other alternative but to go on crying every time a reflux occurs. It is then the mother of the baby who can explain the symptoms to an attending doctor or healthcare professional.

Vomiting aside, acid reflux in children may cause several respiratory problems including effortless spitting and coughing. Inconsolable crying, bad breath, belching and burping are nothing but sure signs and symptoms acid reflux in small children.

Many people attempt to stop the vomiting tendency and end up ignoring the real cause behind this. This is not right. It needs to be remembered that acid reflux is quite complicated, and the causes behind the illness can also be many. And so, a holistic approach to medication is always better – because holistic remedies treat the body as a whole and tries to identify all the factors that are causing the illness, rather than just treating the symptoms of the disease.