Remedies for Acid Reflux

Doctors estimate that lifestyle changes alone will help 95 percent of acid reflux sufferers. Here's a round-up of their best tips

• If you smoke, stop.


• Cut back on strenuous activity until your reflux is under control.


• Avoid foods and beverages that worsen symptoms.
  
• Lose weight if needed.


• Eat small, frequent meals.


• Wear loose-fitting clothes.


• Avoid lying down for 3 hours after a meal.


• Raise the head of your bed 6 to 8 inches by securing wood blocks under the bedposts. Just using extra pillows will not help.

One of the best ways to deal with acid reflux disease is by making lifestyle changes. The foods you eat (and don't eat) can make a real difference to your acid reflux symptoms. There are also natural remedies you can use to relieve acid reflux pain. Here are a couple of soothing teas you might want to try:

If peppermint doesn't trigger your reflux, there's a great tea made from anise, peppermint, and lavender that will soothe your stomach and make it less acidic.

The anise helps your digestion while peppermint calms heartburn and gas. Lavender can reduce stomach acid. Add some honey if you like it sweeter.

You can also boil some chicory root in water, allow it to cool, and drink it as a soothing tea.

If you like to see more natural remedies, here's my favorit site for "everything acid reflux":

RefluxRescue.info.

Your doctor may recommend non-prescription antacids or other medications to stop acid production or help the muscles that empty your stomach. Be sure to check with your doctor before starting, adding or stopping any medication.

Antacids, such as Alka-Seltzer and Maalox, are usually the first drugs recommended for heartburn and other mild acid reflux symptoms. Many brands use different combinations of three basic salts-magnesium, calcium, and aluminum-with hydroxide or bicarbonate ions to neutralize the acid in your stomach. Antacids, however, can have side effects. Magnesium salt can lead to diarrhea, and aluminum salt may cause constipation. Aluminum and magnesium salts are often combined in a single product to balance these effects.

Calcium carbonate antacids, such as Tums, Titralac, and Alka-2, can also be a supplemental source of calcium - and a good source of constipation too.

Foaming agents, such as Gaviscon, cover your stomach contents with foam to prevent reflux.

H2 blockers decrease acid production. Drugs like cimetidine (Tagamet HB), famotidine (Pepcid AC), nizatidine (Axid AR), and ranitidine (Zantac 75) fall into this category and provide effective short-term relief for about half of acid reflux sufferers.

Proton pump inhibitors are more effective than H2 blockers and can relieve symptoms and heal the esophageal lining in almost everyone who has acid reflux. These include drugs like Prilosec, Prevacid, and Nexium, which are available by prescription.

VERY IMPORTANT: If you are allergic to penicillin, do not take Prevacid!

Unfortunately my sister, who is allergic to penicillin, learned this the hard way. After a couple of days on Prevacid she was completely covered in huge, itchy purple hives. Yes, purple!

Why do I mention this here? Neither her doctor nor her pharmacist, who are both extremely good, were aware of this precaution because for some reason, this information is not widely distributed!

It took weeks for my sister's hives to subside and during that time, antihistamines didn't help with the itching or swelling at all.

Getting back to medications...

Other drugs, like Reglan, help strengthen the LES (lower esophageal sphincter) and also make the stomach empty faster. Unfortunately, they also come with annoying side effects: fatigue, sleepiness, depression, anxiety, and problems with physical movement.

Don't be surprised if your doctor wants you to use several types of medication together. Because these drugs work by different methods, combining them may be the best way to control symptoms.

For example, people who get heartburn after eating may take both antacids and H2 blockers. The antacids work first to neutralize the acid in the stomach, and then the H2 blockers act on acid production. By the time the antacid stops working, the H2 blocker will have stopped acid production.



If taking pills for the rest of your life doesn't have much appeal, you may want to try a drug-free approach. Again, the best information I've seen is right here:RefluxRescue.info. (It's a great source for lifestyle advice too.)

The fundoplication surgery can be done through a large incision, or it can be done through laparoscopy, which requires only a few very small incisions.

When performed by experienced surgeons, laparoscopic fundoplication is safe and effective in people of all ages, including infants. It is said to have the same results as the standard fundoplication, and people can leave the hospital in 1 to 3 days and return to work in 2 to 3 weeks.

However, if the wrapping is made too tight, future problems may occur. For example, some patients have reported difficulty with eating and swallowing as much as 5 years later.

Other surgical procedures for chronic heartburn use an endoscope to perform the operation, which means no incision and no external scars. These include the EndoCinch and NDO Plicator systems, which use stitching to create pleats in the LES that help strengthen the muscle, and the Stretta system explained in the above video.

The longterm effects of these three procedures are unknown.

If you'd like to explore less drastic alternatives, this site is one that I love to recommend for its all-around, holistic approach:

RefluxRescue.info.