Join Now
LoginAcid Reflux and Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)
Acid reflux, also known as Gastroesophageal reflux (GER), is a common condition where the liquids from the stomach regurgitate into the esophagus. Normally, the esophagus is protected from stomach acids by a combination of the diaphragm and a band of muscles called the lower esophageal sphincter (LES), which is located at the end of esophagus where it meets the stomach. When we swallow, the LES relaxes to allow food and liquids to pass into the stomach, like a one-way valve. If the LES relaxes at the wrong time, like when sleeping or lying down, a reflux of liquids from the stomach into the esophagus can occur, causing a burning sensation. Occasional heartburn or reflux is common, but when it occurs two or more times a week or causes tissue damage it is considered GERD, or Gastroesophageal reflux disease, which can lead to more significant health problems. GERD with tissue damage is often referred to as erosive GERD or esophagitis.
According to the American Gastroenterological Association, it is estimated that as much as 33% of people in the United States have acid reflux disease. The most common risk factor for GERD is being overweight or obese. Other conditions that can lead to GERD include hiatal hernia, abnormal esophageal contractions, an abnormality with the lower esophageal sphincter (LES), or slow emptying of the stomach. Even though GERD is generally a treatable disease, it is often ignored, self-treated, or improperly treated, leading to more serious complications. It is important to talk to your physician if you are experiencing any of the symptoms of acid reflux on a regular basis.
Heartburn is the most common symptom of GERD. If your heartburn is more severe at night, or even wakes you from sleep, this may be a sign of a more serious condition and consultation with a physician is highly advised. Any recurrence of heartburn, especially when accompanied by difficulty swallowing, is sufficient reason to see a physician for further evaluation and testing. Chronic heartburn can increase your risk for complications in the esophagus including stricture or a pre-cancerous disease called Barrett’s esophagus. Other potential signs of GERD include difficulty or pain swallowing, hoarseness or sore throat (especially in the morning), belching, and dysphagia, which is the feeling of food stuck in your throat. GERD can trigger symptoms throughout your digestive system, including excess saliva, laryngitis, and inflammation of the gums, erosion of tooth enamel, sour taste, bad breath, and nausea. Advanced symptoms of GERD can include ulcers and strictures in the esophagus, Barrett’s esophagus, asthma and cough, inflammation of the throat, laryngeal, and lungs.
While GERD is a chronic condition, it can be treated and the symptoms controlled through lifestyle changes, dietary changes, and medications. For more extreme cases, surgical procedures can improve or eliminate the symptoms. It is important to monitor your condition, especially if your symptoms worsen or increase in frequency over time. HealtheHuman provides a range of health tracking tools to help you keep track of your symptoms, manage and improve your diet, lose weight, track your acid reflux medications, and much more.
Key Health Information to Track for Acid Reflux
GERD is a common condition for people who are overweight or obese. One of the first things you can do to improve your acid reflux conditions is get to and maintain a healthy weight. The Body Measurements Tracker in HealtheHuman helps you track your weight and set your weight loss goals.
Diet can be one of the biggest triggers for flare-ups of acid reflux. For people with GERD, learning to avoid the foods that trigger higher production of stomach acid is important to preventing your medications and treatments from being overwhelmed. Some common foods to avoid include chocolate, peppermint, spicy foods, and tomato-based foods such as salsa, chili, pizza, and spaghetti sauce. Certain drinks can also worsen acid reflux such as citrus juices, tomato juice, caffeinated drinks, and carbonated beverages. It may also be better to eat smaller meals as a full stomach can put more pressure on the lower esophageal sphincter (LES). You may also want to consider eating dinner earlier and avoid any food near bedtime. The Diet and Nutrition Tracking features will help you keep a food diary and help you track the foods that might be making your symptoms worse.
If improperly treated and managed, the symptoms of acid reflux can worsen, progressing into GERD. It is important to track your symptoms, including both the frequency and severity of flare-ups. If your symptoms are worsening, it is important to discuss this with your physician as it could increase your health risks for other conditions. Tracking your symptoms along with your diet can also help you identify which foods might be triggering more severe reactions so you can avoid them. With the Symptom Tracking feature in HealtheHuman, you can create detailed daily logs of all the common symptoms associated to acid reflux, including heartburn, regurgitation, nausea, sore throat, hoarseness, cough, belching, difficulty swallowing, chest pains, and more. Each symptom can be tracked for severity by hour of the day, helping identify peak hours where symptoms are worse, which could be helpful information in treatment plans and dietary or lifestyle changes.
Antacids are usually the course of treatment to relieve the symptoms of acid reflux or GERD. Many of the over-the-counter medications also include hydroxide or bicarbonate ions to help neutralize acids in the stomach. It is important to know that antacids can have side effects, especially when used regularly over prolonged periods of time. Frequent use of these products can impact the bowels, causing both diarrhea and constipation. Using an over-the-counter medication for a long period of time should be discussed with your physician, and might indicate the need for a prescription-strength course of treatment, such as a foaming agent, H2 blocker, or proton pump. Regardless of the specific treatment plan that might work for your condition, it is important to keep track of all the medications, prescriptions, supplements and vitamins you are taking. People often try many different medications until they find the ones that are effective for them, so documenting what you are taking, including the frequency and dosages, is important information to share with your doctor. Many times people take more than one medication to treat their acid reflux, which might be unnecessary and potentially dangerous. The Medication Tracker and Supplement Tracker in HealtheHuman help you log all of your prescriptions and over-the-counter medication usage, including frequency and dosage. The charting and reporting tools make it easy to analyze and share this information with your physician or other health advisors.
Stress can affect your health in many ways, including acid production in the stomach. Exposure to prolonged periods of stress or anxiety can aggravate your GERD symptoms. The Stress Tracker in HealtheHuman helps you keep track of your stress levels throughout the day, including the potential contributors. Reducing your stress level can be an important part of controlling your condition.
GERD can be diagnosed by a number of different procedures, including endoscopy, biopsy, x-rays, or examination of the throat and larynx. For people with advanced GERD, a more aggressive treatment plan might be required, potentially surgery to treat strictures or perform a fundoplication. The various history tracking tools in HealtheHuman help you create a complete health history, including any procedures or surgeries.
Chronic conditions like GERD often involve working with a number of different doctors and specialists over time, such as a general practitioner, a dietitian, ENT specialist, or gastroenterologist. It is important to maintain accurate records for all the people who have been a part of your treatment especially for prescriptions, procedures, or surgeries. The Advisor History feature helps you keep track of all your doctors, including maintaining information of their contact details, prescription history, appointments, and related expenses.
Other Things You Can Do to Help Manage Acid Reflux
GERD is a treatable disease, although it is often self-treated or poorly managed because people too often resort to over-the-counter solutions without consulting their physician. If you have recurring symptoms of acid reflux, it is important to discuss them with your doctor to ensure a proper diagnosis and treatment plan.
In addition to a healthy weight and well-balanced diet, it is also important to avoid overeating. Too much food in the stomach can put added pressure on the lower esophageal sphincter (LES), which can worsen symptoms. Try eating smaller meals spread out over time to give your stomach time to digest the food and empty the stomach.
Chewing gum may improve your symptoms by exaggerating the creation of bicarbonate-containing saliva, as well as increasing the rate of swallowing. This will neutralize the acids in the esophagus and stomach. This can be especially helpful after a meal.
Reflux is often worse while sleeping or laying down. Many people report having regurgitation during the night, which often wakes them up and interferes with their sleep. Avoid eating within 3 hours of going to bed to give your stomach enough time to completely process your meal. In general, avoid lying down for a few hours after a meal.
It is well known that smoking is bad for your health, but it can also aggravate acid reflux or GERD. Use of tobacco products stimulates the production of stomach acids. Smoking can also cause the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) to relax, ultimately weakening the LES and leading to more frequent reflux.
Tight clothing, especially around the abdomen, can increase the pressure on the stomach and lower esophageal sphincter (LES), causing stomach acids to rise to the top of the stomach and potentially into the esophagus.
Heartburn is worse at night and when lying down flat, so raising the head of the bed by 6 to 9 inches can place you on a slight incline, helping keep pressure off the top of the stomach and LES. Try to sleep with a slight incline by propping yourself up with pillows or lifting the entire bed onto a secure platform or blocks.
Other Resources
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, GERD
International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders
Medical Disclaimer: All information on this site is of a general nature and is furnished for your knowledge and understanding only. This information is not to be taken as medical or other health advice pertaining to your specific health and medical condition.
Share
Explore