Dealing With Painful Acid Reflux
Acid reflux is the burning sensation in the throat due to the spilling of acids from the lower sphincter of the stomach. This can be very harmful to the body.
Do you feel restless after every meal and wish your stomach was capable of better digestion?
And do you find yourself searching for digestion aids often because your stomach cannot digest food properly? Acid reflux is nothing but the rising of the gastric juices from stomach to the esophagus.
This makes the person very uncomfortable because gastric juices are highly corrosive. They play a prominent role in breaking down the food particles in the stomach thus helping in digestion.
The epithelial lining of the intestines can get only very small molecules for circulation throughout the body. Therefore, gastric juices are essential for better digestion.
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Acid Reflux- Health Issue
Acid reflux is nothing but the phenomenon wherein gastric juices enter your esophageal channel. Gastric juice is healthy at the right place- in the stomach.
However, when they go to other places like esophageal region, they are very irritating. They irritate the throat by causing a burning sensation in the throat.
It causes cellular erosion of throat and destroys the cells lining the upper tract of the gastrointestinal region.
Digestion aids must be taken under these circumstances lest it can cause laryngitis and hoarseness. It also increases the chances of bacterial infections.
Therefore, this must be treated on urgent basis for better digestion and prevention of infection.
Acid reflux is not caused by the food we eat alone. There are other causes of acid reflux. One of them is motor dysfunction in some parts of the stomach.
Lower esophageal sphincter is the upper part of the stomach which is tightened so that the contents of the stomach do not spill out.
When acid reflux occurs, the sphincter loses control and the contents in the stomach spill out. Therefore, gastric juices often reach the throat and we taste the acid mixed with the food recently consumed by us.
Digestion aids are important in such cases because it targets the sphincter muscles to contract or tighten once again so that the acid reflux symptoms get alleviated.
Problems Caused by Acid Reflux
If left untreated, acid reflux disease can cause severe medical conditions which may increase in severity. Some cases of gastric problems have now been associated with asthma and other such respiratory problems.
According to studies, gastric sphincters can affect the air passage thus resulting in difficulty in breathing. Therefore, anti-asthma medications are also prescribed to patients when they suffer from acid reflux.
This prevents worsening of the condition.
Another problem associated is chest pain. The sphincter is located near the heart. Therefore, chest pain in case of acid reflux is logical.
Digestion aids that target the sphincter allow the lower esophageal sphincter to regain its normal functioning and hence prevent gastric juices from spilling out.
The drugs which act as digestion aids are chiefly antacids and beta-blockers. They aid in digestion by helping the sphincter perform its duty with the stomach contents being placed at the right place- in the stomach.
Chest pain sometimes becomes confusing since individuals tend to think they are suffering from a heart attack. Hence, medical attention is important to determine the actual cause of chest pain.
Beginning of Better Digestion
Digestion aids must be administered depending on the severity of the acid reflux condition.
Physicians commonly advise patients to refrain from food items like pizza, soft drinks and coffee since they aggravate gastric production in the stomach.
Including fresh vegetables and fruits in the diet is a good practice since they are natural digestion aids. Drinking ample amount of water often is also a good practice.
Researchers are also looking at the possibility of herbal supplements that can act as good digestion aids.