To treat your heartburn, it's important to select the correct and most effective solution for you. That means getting precise information on the real causes that underlie the heartburn symptoms. There are in general three kinds of treatment for heartburn: doctors' prescriptions, surgical operations and natural/holistic solutions. These methods have marked differences in the way they are implemented and how they deal with different underlying factors, as well as in their effects over the long-term.
Heartburn is the external manifestation of acid reflux or GERD (gastro-esophageal reflux disease). GERD is what happens when the muscular valve between the esophagus and the stomach is weakened. This valve is also known as the lower esophageal sphincter (LES). When the LES is in a normal, healthy state, it allows food to pass one way into the stomach, but shuts afterwards to prevent acidic stomach contents from being pushed back the opposite way. It is when this muscle relaxes at the wrong moment that acid content refluxes into the esophagus and causes the pain and burning that is known as heartburn.
Physicians habitually treat heartburn and associated problems by prescribing medications, some of which can be bought over the counter. These drugs to treat acid reflux can be further divided into three categories:
1. Antacid, canceling out stomach acid by covering over the food content, and characterized by products such as Maalox, Rolaids, Mylanta and Tums.
2. H2 blockers to damp down acid creation and diminish acid production in the stomach, characterized by products like Pepcid AC, Axid AR and Zantac 75.
3. PPI (Proton Pump Inhibitors) which act by blocking the stomach cell mechanism that releases acid, examples of these being Nexium, Protonix and Prilosec.
The Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery published information in 2004 to show that PPIs do not combat the frequency of reflux attacks for GERD sufferers. Instead, PPIs simply transform acidic contents into alkali ones. The reflux still occurs in the esophagus, but with an alkaline bile that may in fact be worse. Although short-term alleviation of discomfort can be brought by such drugs, long-term usage can be highly problematical. These drugs do not treat the real causes but only the external signs. They do this by changing the chemical composition of the stomach. These drugs typically only have a temporary effect and can also make a patient dependent on them in the long term, not to mention the many undesirable secondary effects.
The next option to drugs is surgical operation. This is designed to stop the valve opening when it should remain closed, so as to stop the flow back of gastric contents into the esophagus. The surgeon wraps the upper part of the stomach around the lower esophagus in order to reinforce the muscular valve at the junction of the esophagus and the stomach.
A patient who relies on this alone is likely to be frustrated as without the proper lifestyle or diet alterations, heartburn symptoms will probably return. Other risks associated with this solution include diarrhea, nauseous feelings, cramps in the abdomen, bloating and problems in swallowing.
The solutions mentioned either attempt to slow down the quantity of acid produced, or cancel it out or use physio-mechanical means to artificially reinforce the LES. However, none of them deals with the real cause. The major disadvantage of these conventional methods for treating heartburn is that they all address local GERD symptoms, their only action being on the external signs and not the real cause.
It is the simultaneous existence of different medical and lifestyle factors that provoke acid reflux. Genetic weakness, fatty foods, being overweight and specific lifestyle and nutrition factors all conspire to weaken the LES which stops it from closing properly. Inner equilibrium can also be perturbed by Candida infection and poor diet and lifestyle habits, including undue stress and inadequate sleep patterns, which lead to excess acidity, toxic accumulation and fermentation. It is the underlying factors that must be tackled to treat heartburn. This is the only possibility for permanently solve acid reflux and to prevent it from happening again.
About the Author:
Jeff Martin is a certified nutritionist and author of the #1 best-selling e-book, Heartburn No More . To Learn More About Heartburn Visit: What is Heartburn
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