Pinpoint the Reason for Your Acid Reflux Disorder Before You Select a Remedy
To some people, heartburn or acid reflux may seem normal after eating. Acidic stomach contents can often move up the esophagus in the direction of the mouth. The acid attacks the lining of the esophagus and mouth creating a burning sensation. This refluxed food may cause bad breath, choking, as well as hoarseness.
Most people have suffered from an occasional reflux of food, especially after eating a big meal. But, a few people experience these burning sensations far too frequently.
If you seek to get rid of heartburn, you’ll need to know the reason for your heartburn or acid reflux.
There are three well known causes of heartburn or acid reflux disorder you need to learn about.
The main cause occurs if the lower esophageal sphincter muscle will not shut tightly enough to hold partly digested foods inside the stomach. This sphincter muscle circles the esophagus just over the stomach. It’s purpose is to shut the esophagus and prevent the contents in the stomach from going back into the esophagus. It is supposed to loosen up only for a short time to allow food in the esophagus enter the stomach.
In a few people, however, this lower esophageal sphincter muscle is just too weak to shut tightly enough to keep the contents in the stomach from returning into the esophagus. In other cases, the muscle relaxes for a couple of minutes when it should stay constricted. These relaxations are momentary and take place often when the stomach is full. While the lower esophageal sphincter muscle is relaxed, the acidic contents in the stomach can reflux up into the esophagus.
Acid reflux also can come about as a result of a hiatal hernia. To understand this you need to be familiar with a little about the structure of the body. Your diaphragm is a curved sheet of muscle that separates your upper chest from your belly. When the diaphragm contracts it expands the lungs so that you inhale. When the diaphragm is relaxed, your lungs are reduced in volume and you exhale. The esophagus goes through the diaphragm and connects to the stomach just under the diaphragm. The lower esophageal sphincter muscle ought to be localed right at the diaphragm. But, in a few people, some of the stomach has been pushed up above the diaphragm.
Typically, the diaphragm helps the lower esophageal sphincter muscle close off the stomach. However, with the hiatal hernia, the upper portion of the stomach and the lower esophageal sphincter muscle are above the diaphragm. Here the sphincter muscle must work by itself to seal off the stomach and this seal is far less secure. Normally the top of the stomach is slightly angled and a flap also helps hold the contents in the stomach. But, with the stomach extending straight up through the diaphragm, the flap often does not function. This also makes reflux more probable.
Finally, the regular peristalsis waves that force food down through the esophagus may not completely function. These peristalsis waves also help to force any reflex back into the stomach. With a partial loss of function of these waves, there is certainly a greater chance for any refluxed foods to move upward through the esophagus in the direction of the mouth.
You can do something to reduce the possibility of acid reflux as well as reduce the acid content in your stomach to cut back on the burning sensation when reflux does take place. You should check with your family general practitioner for a strategy that will help you the most.
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