Learning About Acid Reflux Disease
Acid reflux disease is a condition that is crucial to be aware of. Since it affects millions of people around the world today, it is important that you understand what acid reflux disease is and how it can be treated.
What It Is
Acid reflux disease is a condition where gastric juices that contain acid are able to travel up from the stomach and result in causing a burning sensation in the sufferer, or heartburn. Acid reflux can get to be quite serious and incredibly painful, often so bad that the person is not even able to move.
There are a few symptoms that are very commonly associated with acid reflux disease. The most common include heartburn (which is a burning feeling rising from the stomach or lower chest up towards the throat); regurgitation; chest pain; and difficulty swallowing.
There are a few different causes of acid reflux, and although it has shown to run in families, genetics is not the only cause. Basically anyone who consumes a large amount of acidic foods can have mild to severe heartburn. It is particularly known to come on when a person is lifting, bending over, or taking a nap.
Treatment
If you suffer from acid reflux disease, then obviously one of the most important issues to you is treatment. This condition usually does not get better on its own. There are actually a few different options available to you here, and drug treatments are some of the most commonly used. Patients with moderate to severe symptoms that do not respond to lifestyle measures or who are diagnosed at a later stage may respond better to drug treatments here.
Nexium, Protonix, Prilosec, Prevacid, Zantac, Reglan, and Carafate are all drugs that are commonly prescribed for acid reflux disease. You will definitely have to discuss this matter with your doctor before going ahead with it, however, as you will need your condition assessed in order to determine what the best method of treatment is going to be for you.
Remember that although you may be frustrated and in a lot of pain, there are things that you can do to help relieve your symptoms and get back to feeling like your regular old self again in no time. Just remember that the more you get angry and frustrated, the more you are going to aggravate your condition and so you need to stay calm until you have received proper treatment.
