Do I Have Acid Reflux or GERD?

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Do I Have Acid Reflux?

Acid Reflux can happen to anyone, even infants and very young children! If you experience frequent heartburn, wake up choking on stomach fluids, have a dry cough, chest pain, hoarseness, or asthma, you may have acid reflux disease, also known as GERD (gastro-esophageal reflux disease).

Though it may seem relatively innocuous, acid reflux is a serious medical condition that deserves your immediate attention because the damage from long-term complications can be quite severe.

Contents at a Glance 

Welcome! If you're having frequent heartburn, you've come to the right place. This lens aims to help you discover the difference between occasional heartburn and acid reflux disease.

Heartburn Has Many Causes 

Let's start with a look at some of the reasons why you might be having heartburn. In this video, Dr. Mark Haltrecht, a Family Practice Doctor at Plainview Hospital (in Plainview, New York) answers this "burning question."

Understanding Heartburn (Heartburn #1)

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Yes, but do I have Acid Reflux or not? 

Even if you don't have much heartburn, you may still have acid reflux disease. Some atypical symptoms of GERD include a dry cough,chest pain, hoarseness, asthma and other symptoms that you may not think are related to acid reflux.

It's important to be sure, as this next video explains.

The Skinny on Acid Reflux 

Do I Have GERD?

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Yikes - Surgery?!?! 

Not necessarily - 95 percent of people with acid reflux disease get well without surgery, just by changing their lifestyles. Some may need to use a lifelong regimen of medication, but will get by without surgery.

Certain foods may tend to provoke acid reflux, along with obesity, strenous activity, greasy meals, smoking and a little thing called "hiatus hernia."

(Hiatus Hernia? Sounds like a Roman emperor or British comedy act, or maybe fallout from too much vacation. Actually, it's just a bit of your stomach popping up through your diaphragm and may or may not be painful.)




I found the best explanation of how acid reflux works - and what cures it - on this site: RefluxRescue.info.

It's my absolute favorite source for the best information on how to chase acid reflux out of your life.

RefluxRescue.info.

Important information about Acid Reflux 

Visit these recommended lenses for vital information about Acid Reflux/GERD:
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With apologies to Hamlet, the key to choosing the right diet for your acid reflux is not so much a matter of figuring out which foods you should eat, as identifying which foods and situations trigger a bout of heartburn. Pay attention to your sympto...

Do YOU have GERD? 

Got acid? Care to share (your story, not your acid reflux!)? Tell us when and how you became aware that you might have GERD or acid reflux - and what you did about it.

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