Video: Treatment For Heartburn and GERD

This video will share with you more about over-the-counter and prescription medication to manage heartburn and GERD.

Video: Treatment For Heartburn and GERD

Medications
For occasional cases of mild heartburn, "over the counter" medicines may work for you .

Antacids help to neutralize stomach acid and can provide quick relief.

H-2 Receptor Blockers - These medications are a stronger type of antacid. If you have GERD, they can help to reduce or eliminate symptoms, as well as heal an inflamed esophagus. H-2 receptor blockers can actually reduce the production of acid in your stomach. They are available in over-the-counter and prescription strength for GERD. They don't act as quickly as regular antacids, but they do last longer.

Proton Pump Inhibitors - These medications can block acid production completely and allow time for a damaged esophagus to heal. This medication was only available by prescription, but is now also available in an over-the-counter strength.

These, like all medications, can cause some side effects, so talk to your doctor about which option is best for you.

Surgery
If have a severe case of GERD, your doctor may recommend surgery. The most common procedure is called fundoplication surgery, which applies pressure to the LES valve and reduces reflux. In many cases this can be done without large incisions by performing a laparoscopic operation.

It's important to know that the symptoms of heartburn can mimic other more serious problems, including heart attacks. So, if your symptoms seem like more than just reflux, or if you’re losing weight or having trouble swallowing or breathing, you should discuss it with your doctor.

Medicine and surgery are not the only ways to get rid of your heartburn problem. If you prefer trying a more holistic and natural therapy, you can check out Jeff Martin's holistic approach to Heartburn No More.

Gastric Band Weight-Loss Surgery Can Help Obese Acid Reflux Patient

Recently, there is interesting discovery that gastric banding which is a surgical procedure designed to combat obesity can help to lose weight and  also help to control of acid reflux symptoms

Dr. Frank K. Friedenberg, an associate professor in the section of gastroenterology at Temple University School of Medicine, Philadelphia and his colleagues published their findings in the August issue of The American Journal of Gastroenterology.

The popular gastric banding surgery, which involves the placement of a band to divide and reduce the size of the stomach, initially debuted in 1993. It has proven effective in helping patients feel satiated earlier, spurring weight loss.

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) occurs when a muscle at the end of the esophagus does not close properly, allowing irritating stomach contents to leak back into the esophagus. Symptoms include heartburn and acid indigestion.

According to the new analysis, involving numerous studies, a high body mass index (BMI) and/or high amounts of abdominal fat does appear to raise the odds for significant acid reflux.

The researchers also found that diet-induced weight loss can help minimize GERD symptoms.

Patients often did lose weight after banding, the researchers found, and this reduction in weight did not immediately encourage GERD. In fact, in some cases, post-procedure weight loss appeared to moderately reduce some reflux disease symptoms, the researchers said.

Starpoli cautioned. "Both bypass and banding are not without their set of complications. And this study illustrates that while solving one problem, perhaps you worsen another. So, I would say that if you're going into any of these procedures to deal with obesity, and you have significant reflux, you definitely first need to have an appropriate evaluation as if you were considering an anti-reflux procedure."

More information
There's more on GERD at U.S. National Institutes of Health.

[Source: USNews]

If you are interested to learn more, click here to find out many different ways to overcome your heartburn acid reflux problem using natural holistic method.

Video: Preventing GERD

For the past 2 weeks, you have learnt from videos what heartburn and GERD are and a true life story about how a simple heartburn problem could become a life-threatening GERD case.

Today, you will learn from this video what are the various ways to prevent heartburn symptoms and GERD.

Video: Prevent GERD


If you are interested to learn more about heartburn remedies, you can check out this blog:-

How To Remedy Heartburn