Acid Reflux Disease Essay

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Acid Reflux affects the digestive system. There is valve at the entrance of your stomach, which is a ring of muscle called the LES (Lower esophageal sphincter). Normally, the LES closes as soon as food passes through it. If the LES doesn’t close all the way or opens often, acid produced by your stomach can move up into your esophagus. This can cause symptoms such as burning chest pain called heartburn. If this happens more than twice a week, you have acid reflux disease, also known as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).
Hiatal hernia is a stomach abnormality that is a common cause of acid reflux disease. This happens when the upper part of the stomach and the LES move about the diaphragm, a muscle that separates your stomach from your chest. Normally, the diaphragm helps keep acid in our stomach. But if you have hiatal hernia, acid can move up into your esophagus and cause symptoms of acid reflux disease. Some other common risks factor for acid reflux disease are: being pregnant, smoking, eating large meals or lying down right after a meal, being overweight or obese, snacking close to bedtime, eating certain foods, drinking certain beverages, or taking aspirin, ibuprofen, certain muscle relaxers, or blood pressure medications.
Anyone can develop GERD at any age but you are more likely to develop it as you get older. Pregnant women are especially prone to GERD.
The two most common symptoms are heartburn and regurgitation. Heartburn is a burning pain or discomfort that may move from your stomach to your abdomen or chest, or even up into your throat. Regurgitation is a sour or bitter-tasting acid backing up into your throat or mouth. Other systems include: bloating, bloody or black stools, bloody vomiting, burping, dysphagi...

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... done only as a last resort for treatment of acid reflux disease.
Prevention of acid reflux usually relies mostly on diet therapy and lifestyle changes. Avoiding high-fat foods, tomatoes and citrus fruit, chocolate, garlic and onions, mint, and spicy foods can all help reduce or eliminate the symptoms of acid reflux. Also avoiding certain beverages such as alcohol, carbonated drinks, coffee, and tea can help. If you are overweight, losing weight by choosing healthier foods can help as well.
Acid Reflux is usually a life-long, with some exceptions, such as pregnancy. But you can avoid or eliminate the symptoms all together by doing the things listed above, mostly by changing your lifestyle and diet. Acid Reflux is definitely related to nutrition, mostly because your diet has a lot to do with this disease. Eating healthy can help avoid the symptoms of acid reflux.

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