GERD - 4 Different Ways It Can Be Treated!

Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GERD) refers to a health condition wherein the stomach acids tend to leak backwards from your stomach into the oesophagus, causing the latter to experience a good amount of irritation, thereby triggering a number of other problems. GERD has a way of affecting people irrespective of their age or gender.

Obese people are at higher risk of suffering from GERD. Excess belly fat causes pressure on stomach leading to the development of hiatan hernia, which prompts backflow of acid or hormonal changes like a increase in estrogen exposure that can take place in people who are suffering from obesity.

Symptoms

GERD is a condition that everyone has experienced at one point or the other in their lives. It generally happens when on burping you are left with a bit of an acid taste that lingers in your mouth, followed simultaneously by a case of heartburn. A sure way to ascertain this condition is to check for the following symptoms: 

1. Sudden and excessive rise in saliva
2. Acid regurgitation
3. Gums show inflammation
4. Sore throat that is chronic
5. Bad breath
6. Cavities
7. Encountering pain or difficulty while swallowing
8. Hoarseness or laryngitis
9. Chest pain

How can it be treated?

The prime treatment measure for GERD is to adopt necessary lifestyle changes so that you may nurture better health. In case you happen to be overweight, it is important that you look into the matter of weight loss.

1. Medicines must be taken along with a lot of water, and doctors must ensure that prescribed medications do not actually worsen your heartburn.
2. Over-the-counter medications and antacids can be used every once in a while after meals, but it does one good to remember that the effects don’t last for long. Side effects of excessive dosage of antacids include constipation or diarrhoea.
3. Proton pump inhibitors might also be recommended in acute cases of GERD to reduce the total amount of acid that is manufactured in your stomach. H2 blocker is another antidote that aims at reducing the level of acid that is released in your stomach.
4. Anti-reflux surgery is also prescribed for those people whose symptoms persist despite a change in medications and lifestyle patterns. An endoscopic surgery is another important procedure that may be opted for in order to correct GERD.