How Does GERD Occur?
Acid reflux, also called GERD
(gastro-oesophageal reflux disease), occurs when the
one-way valve located in the esophagus (known as a lower
esophageal sphincter, or LES) weakens, allowing food and
stomach acid to travel back up to the esophagus.
Normally, after swallowing, the LES opens to allow the
food to pass into the stomach, and then closes to
prevent the flow of acid back to the esophagus. The
retrograde flow of acid often causes a burning pain,
called heartburn. For this reason, GERD patients often
experience a distinct burning sensation under the
breastbone, which commonly occurs at
night.
Frequent gastro-oesophageal reflux disease
accompanied by one of its common symptoms-heartburn- can
be painful and uncomfortable enough to impact your daily
life and cause significant damage to the esophagus.
Neglected, acid reflux can damage the esophageal lining
severely, cause chronic inflammation, and can even lead
to cancer in the esophagus. It is thus obvious that acid
reflux is a serious condition that requires immediate
diagnosis and intervention.
Medication appears to be the most accessible
solution for treating gastro-oesophageal reflux disease,
although not necessarily the most effective one. These
can be divided into three main categories:
Acid Reflux Medications:
·
Antacids – these come in a variety of
packages: liquid suspensions, tablets, which you can
chew or swallow, chewing gum, etc. These work by
neutralizing the acidity in the esophagus. Their effect
lasts a few hours.
·
Alginates create an ark that surrounds the
stomach contents and reduces reflux. H2-receptor
antagonists stop your gastric system from stimulating
stomach acid production. They start working in 30
minutes to 1 hour and their effect lasts around 12
hours.
·
PPI (Proton pump inhibitors) blocks the very
mechanism in the stomach cells that releases acid into
the stomach.
These medications vary in how they work, how
quickly they work, how long they work, and how well they
work. However, they all have two aspects in
common:
·
They work temporarily. Majority of
gastro-oesophageal reflux disease medications are aimed
at tackling the immediate symptoms of GERD in the short
run, whereas gastro-oesophageal reflux disease is a
complex condition, created by a set of environmental,
lifestyle and dietary factors. Therefore, medication can
merely provide an immediate, temporary relief, while
neglecting the root causes of GERD.
·
Long-term intake of these drugs may cause
myriad side effects. Prolonged use of antacids can
aggravate the damage done by chronic acid reflux:
gastric acid is important for proper digestion and
immunity function, and continuous intake of antacids
interferes with these processes. While their most common
side effects include severe headache and diarrhoea, PPIs
have also been linked to osteoporosis.
Acid reflux
medication therapy is based on the conventional
approach that unlike the holistic approach doesn't treat
the body but instead focuses on the symptoms of the
disease. This is why most gastro-oesophageal reflux
disease medications will provide nothing more than
temporary relief along with myriad side effects. On the
contrary, holistic treatment will fix the internal cause
of acid reflux, thus preventing its recurrence safely and
effectively.
