Reflux Surgeon In Atlanta Suggests How To Control GERD Symptoms With Diet And Lifestyle Changes

One out of 5 Americans suffers from GERD or Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease. It is a condition, where acidic contents from your stomach constantly leak up in your esophagus tube that connects the throat and stomach. When a valve at the bottom of the esophagus called the lower esophageal sphincter fails to close properly after food enters the stomach and digestion starts, the acid backwash flows towards the throat and gives your mouth a sour taste. Acid reflux occurs at some point, but when it occurs frequently, then you need to visit your doctor. 

The experienced doctors at Peachtree Surgical & Bariatrics offer reflux surgery in Atlanta to patients struggling with chronic acid reflux. Nevertheless, there is also a need to make lifestyle and diet changes so you can avoid surgery by keeping indigestion at bay. 

The main symptoms of chronic acid reflux are constant acid regurgitation and heartburn. Some people don’t feel heartburn but experience chest pain, trouble swallowing, or hoarseness when they wake in the morning. Your throat may also feel tight and choked. GERD even causes bad breath and dry cough. 

Anti-Reflux Diet 

Some studies report how simple dietary changes have helped sufferers to reduce their GERD symptoms significantly. 

● Be conscious in choosing food and beverages. Monitor the kind of food and drinks that agitate your symptoms often. Avoid the ones that trigger your symptoms. Common foods that trigger acid reflux include carbonated beverages, tea, coffee, spicy foods, fatty, and fried foods. Even tomatoes, citrus fruits, onions, garlic, chocolate, and peppermint aggravate GERD symptoms. 

● Large meals take a long time to leave the stomach and can stress the valve between the esophagus and stomach. Therefore, eat small meals frequently. 

● According to research, beer and white wine induce reflux, so avoid alcohol. 

Lifestyle Changes 

● Excess weight increases the possibility of distorting valve anatomy, which can trigger reflux. 

● Never lie down flat within 3 hours of eating. As the valve is not working properly, the stomach's acidic content flows back towards your throat. Therefore, don’t recline for 3 hours after eating. 

● According to research, resting at a little inclined position facilitates the gravity to work. Therefore, raise the head side of the bed by 7 to 8 inches, so that the nighttime reflux episodes get reduced. 

● Maintain a healthy weight to reduce stomach pressure because an increase can trigger GERD symptoms. 

● Nicotine weakens the connecting valve between the esophagus and stomach, so refrain from smoking. 

Recover Your Life From Recurring Reflux

Reflux occurrence now and then is normal, but if it disturbs your life, visit an experienced Bariatric surgeon in Atlanta. Keep these tips in mind to help get rid of GERD and reduce reflux. Reflux doesn't have to rule your life!

Here Is Everything You Ought To Know About Acid Reflux

According to statistics, approximately 15 million people experience heartburn daily, while more than 60 million experience the effects once a month in the United States. Therefore, acid reflux is a common problem that affects a large population of people. If left untreated, the symptoms could lead to more severe consequences. Also, if you do not note improvements after treatments, it may be time to seek help from an expert surgeon in the field. Book an appointment with a Casper acid reflux specialist for advanced procedures to eliminate your problem. 

What Is The Cause Of Acid Reflux? 

The word heartburn may be confused to have some association with the heart. However, this is not the case. Acid reflux occurs when acidic stomach content flows up the food tract. Normally, the stomach contains a very strong acid known as hydrochloric acid that it is already adapted to by having a protective lining. When the acid touches the unprotected esophagus, patients begin to feel burning sensations, hence the name heartburn. 

What Are The Risk Factors Of Acid Reflux? 

You are likely to experience acid reflux if you are pregnant, overweight, or have delayed stomach emptying. Additionally, smoking, drinking specific beverages like coffee or taking certain medication like aspirin, and eating large meals at night also increases the chances of having heartburn. Pregnancy and obesity result in acid reflux because the weight exerts extra pressure on the internal organs forcing stomach contents to flow up the digestive tract. 

What Are The Symptoms Of Acid Reflux? 

If you have acid reflux disease, you are likely to experience one or more of the following: 

· Heartburn: This is the most common symptom of acid reflux in the body. Patients feel a burning discomfort that moves from the stomach to the chest. Sometimes, the sensation can travel as far as the throat. 

· Regurgitation: This is a bitter or sour taste that travels back from the stomach to the mouth and throat. 

· Other Symptoms: People living with this condition are also likely to experience bloating, bloody stools or vomit, hiccups, nausea, and unexplained weight loss. 

Diagnosing Acid Reflux 

Doctors perform a series of tests if they suspect that you could be having acid reflux disease. They may also enquire to know if you are experiencing any of the symptoms mentioned above. They use the following: 

· Barium Swallow: You are instructed to drink a barium solution that is then used in examining the tract with the help of X-ray imaging. 

· Upper Endoscopy: Doctors use a flexible tube fitted with a tiny camera to examine the esophagus and collect samples for further testing. 

· pH Monitoring: Doctors test the pH in your esophagus to determine whether stomach acid has entered the area. 

When To Seek Treatment 

You should seek treatment for acid reflux from a qualified doctor if the over-the-counter antacids do not help alleviate the discomfort. Additionally, if you experience shortness of breath, chest pains, and arm pain, it could also be a sign of complications that should be examined by a doctor. Book an appointment with Wyoming Medical Associates for expert consultation and treatment on heartburn an indigestion.

How To Treat Acid Reflux And Heartburn At Home

The sensation of heartburn is not only uncomfortable, but also painful. It feels like your stomach contents are coming back into your esophagus and mouth. Many people in Lima use home remedies for heartburn and acid reflux. The following are a few remedies for Lima acid reflux prevention and hearburn or indigestion prevention. 

Top 10 Home Treatments For Acid Reflux And Heartburn 

1. Baking Soda 

Baking soda is a good remedy for heartburn. It works by reducing the level of acidity in your stomach. Even though it may not taste as good as over-the-counter antacid tablets, it works just as well. If you have some baking soda in your pantry, use it for relief when you are desperate. 

2. Apple Cider Vinegar 

Apple cider works better for some people than others. Mix a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar with some water and swallow it. It may reduce the levels of acidity in your stomach. 

3. Bananas 

Bananas are not only a healthy and delicious snack, but also a good remedy for heartburn and acid reflux. The fruit has low acid concentration and it has vitamins that can stop gastrointestinal spasms. 

4. Aloe Vera Juice 

Aloe Vera juice may not taste great but it can soothe your heartburn. It reduces stomach acidity and reduces irritation. However, there is no research to explain how it works. Get your aloe vera from trusted sources to ensure that it is safe and pure. 

5. Probiotics 

Probiotics are great for acid reflux and a wide range of gastrointestinal problems, like bloating and diarrhea. Get your probiotics from reliable supplement manufacturers. 

6. Quit Smoking 

If you are a smoker, heartburn is another reason to quit. The smoking aggravates your esophagus and makes your symptoms worse. If you have just started smoking, you may notice that your acid reflux is getting worse. Quitting may be the best option to treat it. 

7. Sugarless Chewing Gum 

Consider using sugarless chewing gum to ease your acid reflux. Chew gum for about 30 minutes after dinner or lunch to reduce the acidity levels. Avoid spearmint and peppermint flavors as they make the symptoms worse for some people. 

8. Peppermint 

Peppermint may relax your stomach and reduce acidity levels. It loosens your muscles and ensures that the liquids do not flow back into your esophagus. However, it does not work for everyone. If it does not work for you, ginger may be a good alternative. Peppermint or ginger tea may ease bloating and diarrhea as well. 

9. Lifestyle Changes 

If you are overweight, consider making lifestyle changes to relieve your heartburn. Increase your physical activity and make diet changes. You may need to avoid trigger foods like chocolate, spicy foods, carbonated drinks, and alcohol. 

10. Elevate Your Head When Sleeping 

If you experience acid reflux at night, elevate your head with a pillow. Raising the head of your bed may also be an effective strategy of reducing heartburn at night. It's simply using gravity to help reduce the acid reflux and indigestion naturally! 

Settle Your Stomach

In conclusion, a few changes to your diet and lifestyle may ease the symptoms of acid reflux and heartburn. If, however, home remedies do not work for your indigestion condition, you should seek professional medical help.

How Acidic & Alkaline Foods Affect Your Body

Submitted By Helen Chin Lui of Healing Place Medfield

A recent focus in the field of natural healthcare, is the pH or acid-alkali balance of the body and the impact it has on almost every aspect of your well-being and health. Acidity is a major factor in congestion and inflammation, it weakens the immune system and aggravates most chronic conditions. Body pH is affected by what we eat and is key in preventative medicine.

What is pH?
pH is the scientific term representing level of acidity. It is a calculation based on the concentration of hydrogen (“H” or “H+”) ions present in a liquid. The pH scale runs from 1 (or lower, for extremely strong acids) to 14.
7 is neutral pH (neither acid nor alkali);
pH under 7 is acid;
pH over 7 is alkali.
Water is generally considered safe to drink so long as the pH is between 5 and 9. The human body operates within a normal, “safe” pH range. Within that range, however, there can be some change due to diet and stress factors. When pH is at the acidic end of the safe range, the body becomes more inviting to viruses and bacteria, as well as more vulnerable to mucus, congestion, and other chronic or “mysteriously” recurring health issues such as sore throat, persistent headaches, cold/flu, fatigue, gout, chronic pain and achiness or arthritis.

What Makes the Body Acidic?Most scientific models conceive the ideal pH of the human body as 7.4, slightly alkaline, although hair, skin, and saliva are all normally acidic.
Internal biochemical factors can combine to alter pH, but in most cases it is dietary factors that imbalance the pH of the human body. Every food has a specific impact on the pH of the body, due the pH of that food’s “ash.”

Acid Ash and Alkali Ash
If you’re thinking that acidic foods like coffee, oranges, vinegar and lemons make the body acidic, you’re right in part, although it’s not quite so simple. Almost every food we consume enters the body as an acidic substance. Yet many foods have the ability to increase alkalinity by absorbing or neutralizing acidity. Lemons, in particular, are remarkably able to balance the pH of the body. They enter the body as an acid, but through the digestive process, they are transformed into an alkali-ash food, so named because the process of digestion is similar to combustion. When lemon juice is “burned” or digested, the product is an “alkali ash.”
The impact of a food on the pH of the human body is due not to its original chemical composition, but its acid or alkali ash.

All root vegetablesStored Potatoes +2.0

Meat, Poultry, And FishPork -38.0
Veal -35.0
Beef -34.5
Ocean Fish -20.0
Chicken (to -22) -18.0
Eggs (to -22)
Oysters -5.0
Liver -3.0
Organ Meats -3.0

Milk And Milk ProductsHard Cheese -18.1
Cream -3.9
Homogenized Milk -1.0
Buttermilk +1.3

Bread, Biscuits (Stored Grains/Risen Dough)White Bread -10.0 White Biscuit -6.5
Whole-Meal Bread -6.5
Whole-Grain Bread -4.5
Rye Bread -2.5

NutsPistachios -16.6
Peanuts -12.8
Cashews -9.3

FatsMargarine -7.5
Corn Oil -6.5
Butter -3.9

Sweets
Artificial Sweetners -26.5
Chocolate -24.6
White Sugar -17.6
Beet Sugar -15.1
Molasses -14.6
Dr. Bronner’s Barley
Malt Sweetner -9.8
Dried Sugar Cane Juice -18.0
(Sucanat) -9.6
Barley Malt Syrup -9.3
Fructose -9.5
Milk Sugar -9.4
Turbinado Sugar -9.5
Brown Rice Syrup 8.7
Honey -7.6

Condiments
Ketchup -12.4
Mayonaise -12.5
Mustard -19.2
Soy Sauce -36.2
Vinegar -39.4
Beverages
Liquor -38.7
Wine -16.4
Beer -26.8
Coffee -25.1
Fruit Juice, Packaged, Natural -8.7
Fruit Juice Sweetened With
White Sugar -33.6
Tea (Black) -27.1

MiscellaneousCanned Foods
Processed Foods

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Body Inflammation Prevention And Treatment Information

What is Body Inflammation?

Inflammation is your body's first response of the immune system to an infection or irritation - whether from your diet, lifestyle or environment. Think of what happens when you catch a cold. You may experience inflammation in the form of a fever as your body heats up to eradicate the effects of the invading virus.

Did you know that inflammation is the common link between such debilitating conditions as Alzheimers, heart disease, cancer and arthritis?Did you know inflammation is thought to be the culprit behind the visible signs of aging?Inflammation is a wellness buzz-word these days, and for good reason. If you reduce inflammation in your body, you'll not only look and feel younger, but you'll significantly lower your risk for chronic disease!

Research has shown that eating the wrong foods can cause inflammation within our bodies. Being overweight itself can be the cause of inflammation.

What Can Cause Inflammation? 

It is believed that one of the main causes of inflammation is low-grade bacterial, viral, and fungal infections in the bloodstream and organs like the stomach and gastrointestinal tract.

Body Fat

Fatty tissues of the body secrete hormones that regulate the immune system and inflammation, but in the case of an overweight individual this can become out of control. Three of the hormones that play a role in metabolism are leptin, resistin and adiponectin.

• Leptin is a hormone that is involved in appetite control.
• Resistin is a hormone that increases insulin resistance.
• Adiponectin lowers the blood sugar by making your body more insulin sensitive.

The fact that it is the fatty tissue that produces these hormones makes the fat self regulating, as the hormones should act to bring the increased fat under control. Bodies with more fat will produce more leptin bringing the appetite under control. However in cases where the body is inflamed there is often a problem with leptin resistance, and the self regulation of fat does not occur. Leptin resistance is where the body stops responding to the appetite controlling effects of the hormone.

In addition to these metabolism regulating hormones, your fatty tissue also produces chemicals that cause inflammation and this can make the problem of leptin resistance worse. This is why obesity can cause an increase of these inflammatory chemicals which in turn inhibit the correct balancing function of the weight controlling hormones. This results in a vicious circle of weight gain causing inflammation which inhibits hormone function thereby causing further weight gain.  

Other causes of inflammation include:

• Chronic low-grade food allergies or food sensitivities that may cause few symptoms.
• An imbalance of bacteria and fungi in your gastrointestinal tract, also known as Dysbiosis. This causes your immune system to overreact to bacteria in your gut and can be without notable symptoms.
• Stress! Constant psychological, emotional or physical stress raises the level of cortisol, creating inflammation.
• Environmental toxicity from our air, water, food pollutants and toxic metals like mercury and lead all contribute to inflammation and have been linked to diseases as varied as endometriosis and cancer.
• Diet and lifestyle: too much fat, sugar, and protein in your diet, constant dehydration, consumption of too many sodas, caffeine, and alcohol, too much dairy and gluten products, inactivity, and lack of sleep can all increase inflammation in your body.   

Symptoms of inflammation include:

• Visible signs of aging like wrinkles.
• Susceptibility to bacterial, fungal, and viral infections.
• Acid reflux
• Cancer
• Skin conditions like psoriasis and acne.
• Arthritic joints
• Bronchitis
• Chronic pain
• Diabetes
• High blood pressure
• Osteoporosis
• Heart disease
• Candidiasis
• Urinary tract infections

How to Reduce Inflammation?

To restore your body's balance, we recommend going "back to basics" with both diet and lifestyle.

• Increase mineral and antioxident intake.
• Reduce or eliminate sugar and processed foods.
• Get plenty of sleep
• Soak up the Sun - Vitamin D, available from sunlight, is an easy way to effectively stop inflammation. 15 minutes daily of unprotected sunlight.
• Exercise  is one of the greatest ways to counter inflammation.

Foods that reduce Body Inflammation -

Vegetables: bell peppers, bok choy, broccoli, broccoli sprouts, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, chard, collards, fennel bulb, garlic, green beans, green/spring onions, kale, leeks, olives, spinach, sweet potatoes, turnip greens

Fruits: Acerola (west Indian) cherries, apples, avocados, black currants, blueberries, fresh pineapple, guavas, kiwifruit, kumquats, lemons, limes, mulberries, oranges, papaya, raspberries, rhubarb, strawberries and tomatoes

Fish: cod, halibut, herring, oysters, rainbow trout, salmon, sardines, snapper, striped bass, tuna and whitefish

Nuts & Seeds: almonds, flaxseed and linseed, hazelnuts, sunflower seeds and walnuts

Herbs & Spices: basil, cayenne and chili pepper, cinnamon, cloves, cocoa (at least 70%), licorice, mint, oregano, parsley, rosemary, thyme and turmeric

Oils: extra virgin olive oil and avocado oil

Beverages: green tea with ECGC

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I hope you enjoyed this article about how to live healthier on a frugal budget and maximize your performance!

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