GERD
- Overview
- Introduction
- Symptoms
- Causes
- Complications
- Homoeopathic Treatment
- Do's and Don'ts
- Diet and Nutrition
What is GERD?
Gastro esophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a chronic disease that occurs when stomach acid or occasionally, bile flows back (refluxes) into the food pipe (esophagus).
GERD has become quite a common digestive trouble today with 10-20% of the Western population being affected by it.
Normally, a ring like structure called Lower Esophageal Sphincter (LES) allows food to pass into the stomach and closes to avoid food contents and stomach juices to go back into the esophagus. GE Reflux occurs when this muscular ring gets weak or relaxes incompletely, allowing the back flow (reflux) of stomach contents into the esophagus.
This back flow of acid irritates the inner lining of the food pipe which causes the signs and symptoms of GERD. View causes of GERD.
What happens in GERD?
- Heartburn, commonly referred to as acidity, felt in the middle of the chest, specially post meals
- Regurgitation, i.e. appearance food contents in the mouth
- Nausea with or without vomiting
May produce lot of mucus which may mimic Pharyngitis."
Know more about symptoms of GERD.
What can GERD lead to?
If not treated, GERD can complicate into:
- Ulcers: Inflammation of the esophagus can cause ulceration and may lead to bleeding.
- Stricture: After healing of the ulcers, scars are formed leading to strictures (narrowing of the food pipe).
- Barrett's Esophagus: GERD of very long duration may cause changes in the cells of the oesophagus leading to Barrett's Esophagus that is a strong precursor to Cancer.
- Respiratory Troubles: Long-standing GERD may precipitate cough and asthma, and may also cause inflammation of throat.
How well homeopathy works in Gastro-Esophageal Reflux Disease
- Homeopathy is very efficient in managing symptoms of GERD and has excellent success rate in the treatment for GERD.
- Moreover, it also helps in preventing relapse of the condition.
- Homeopathy is natural, safe and without any side-effects, and one can enjoy complete freedom from acid reflux.
- GERD is predominantly because of stress, strain and the life style. Homeopathic medicines help in relieving the stress, thus decreasing acid reflux.
- Homeopathic treatment for GERD has more than 100 natural, side-effect free remedies in its treasury for the treatment of this condition.
Few of our amazing remedies include:
- NUX VOMICA: Good for almost all kinds of stomach troubles arising from improper eating habits.
- CARBO-VEG: Heartburn accompanied by belching, bloating, heaviness in abdomen and chest, and difficulty in digesting even simple food.
- IRIS: Effective when the symptoms of reflux are accompanied by headache.
Do you have trouble in digesting even simplest of food? Are you suffering from repeated acidity and pain in the stomach? You might be suffering from Gastro-esophageal reflux disease.
GERD is fast becoming one of the most common and troublesome lifestyle-related digestive disorders because of sedentary lifestyle, abrupt meal time and unhealthy eating habits.
Fast foods, processed and frozen foods are gaining popularity among the urban population and there is a persistent exposure to stress-inducing factors leading to anger, anxiety, depression, etc.
It is always better to start your treatment as soon as possible before it starts hampering your day-to-day activities and leads to complications.
The good news is that Homeopathy has excellent success rate in the treatment of GERD.
Know more about Homeopathic Treatment.
statistics shows that around 10-20% of the global population suffer from GERD and its prevalence is increasing day by day at an alarming rate.
- Heartburn, commonly referred to as acidity, felt in the middle of the chest, specially post meals
- Regurgitation, i.e. appearance food contents in the mouth
- Nausea with or without vomiting
- Occasionally, pain Or discomfort in the abdomen with heaviness of head
- Excess production of mucus, mimicking Pharyngitis
Heartburn:
- This is the primary feature amongst symptoms of GERD.
- Reverse flow of acid into esophagus leads to heartburn, usually described as burning pain in the middle of the chest.
- It may also start high up in the abdomen.
- Heartburn occurs usually post meals. Sometimes, the pain can also mimic a heart attack, sparking panic.
Regurgitation:
- In most cases of GERD, back flow of the stomach contents remain in the lower part of the esophagus.
- Sometimes refluxed content may cross the upper esophageal sphincter (i.e. a muscular ring) and enter the mouth.
Nausea:
In certain cases, patients may develop nausea with or without vomiting along with other symptoms of GERD.
Difficulty in swallowing:
The acidic nature of regurgitated contents can cause damage to the delicate inner lining of esophagus causing difficulty in swallowing.
Lump Sensation in Throat:
This is one of the most disturbing symptoms of GERD. Repeated trauma of refluxed contents on the inner esophagus can induce a sensation of something being stuck in the throat, even if nothing is actually there.
- Lower Esophageal Stricture Abnormalities (LES):
LES is a very important ring-like muscular structure of the food pipe that prevents the backflow of stomach contents. It is present at the junction where the esophagus enters the stomach. The LES can contribute as one of the causes of GERD either if it is not contracting as strongly as it should or if it is relaxing more than it should. - Hiatal Hernia:
Normally, LES is located at the level of the diaphragm (a muscular partition separating the chest and the abdomen). This diaphragm also helps LES to prevent reflux. However, in a hiatal hernia, a small portion of esophagus and the stomach is pushed upwards into the chest and the function of LES is compromised, playing a part in the causes of GERD. - Abnormal Esophageal Contractions:
Usually when we swallow a morsel of food, the esophagus generates a successive series of contractions, in the form of waves, which help to push the food into the stomach. But, in some cases, the esophagus fails to contract effectively and food gets accumulated. - Slow or delayed emptying of the Stomach:
Normally, it takes 1-3 hours for the stomach to empty its contents in the intestines. 70% of the food consumed can be digested in 3 hours. In certain cases prolonged or delayed emptying of stomach may cause stomach distension and thus transient LES relaxations. - In some individuals, the stomach on its own produces more acid than required, thus contributing as one of the causes of GERD.
- Certain medications may also figure in the causes of GERD because of their side effects. These include
- Beta-blockers, commonly used to treat high blood pressure
- Calcium channel blockers, also prescribed for high blood pressure
- Bronchodilators, used in management of Asthma
- Tricyclic anti-depressants, frequently prescribed drugs for Depression
- Dopamine-active drugs, given in cases of parkinsonism
- Ulcers: The refluxed gastric acidic contents may damage the cells of the inner lining of the esophagus. In response to this, there is inflammation of the esophagus. Persistent inflammation and damaged cells can cause ulceration and may or may not lead to bleeding.
- Stricture: After healing of the ulcers, scars are formed. This scarred tissue causes narrowing of the internal cavity of the esophagus, and this scarred narrowing can lead to strictures.
- Barrett's Esophagus: : GERD of very long duration may cause changes in the cells of the Esophagus. These changes are pre-cancerous and usually convert to cancerous tumours. This is known as Barrett's Esophagus.
- Respiratory Troubles: Long Standing GERD may precipitate dry cough and asthma, and may also cause inflammation of throat and larynx causing hoarseness of throat.
- Homeopathy is very proficient in managing the symptoms of GERD and has an excellent success rate in homeopathic treatment for GERD.
- Moreover, it also helps in preventing the relapse of the condition. Homoeopathic treatment for GERD provides complete holistic well being to the patient by boosting the immune system and assisting recovery in the safest and most natural way.
- Homeopathic treatment for GERD is natural, safe and without any side-effects, and one can enjoy immense relief from acid reflux. It is a patient-oriented science and medicines are prescribed on the characteristics of the individual rather than just the symptoms of the disease.
Few of our amazing remedies in Homeopathic treatment for GERD include:
- Nux Vomica: Good for almost all kinds of stomach troubles arising from improper eating habits.
- Carbo-Veg: Heartburn accompanied by belching, bloating, heaviness in abdomen and chest, and difficulty in digesting even simple food.
- Iris: Effective when the symptoms of reflux are accompanied by headache.
- Have a look at some of the remedies used in homeopathic treatment for GERD. The treatment given by our Experts is highly specific for the individual we treat and not limited to 2 or 3 drugs. Homeopathic treatment for GERD offers a minimum of 100 remedies effective against GERD.
ACID, REFLUX, ESOPHAGUS: :1 Anan, 3 Arum-t, ,1 Aur, 2 Bar-c, ,1 Bell, 1 Bism, 1 Canth, 2 Carb-ac, ,3 Carb-v, ,2 Bar-c, ,1 Bell, 1 Bism, 1 Canth, 2 Caust, ,3 Chin, , 1 Chin-s, 1 Cupr, 2 Cur, ,1 Gels, 1 Hyos, 1 Ign, 1 Kali-bi,2 Kali-ma, 2 Lac-ac, ,3 Lac-c, 3 Lach, 3 Lyc, ,2 Lyss, 2 Merc, 2 Merc-c, 2 Merc-cy, 2 Mur-ac, 2 Nat-m, ,1 Nat-p, 1 Petr, 1 Phos, 2 Phyt, 2 Plb,1 Puls, 1 Sil, 2 Sul-ac
HEARTBURN, Pregnancy,during: ,2 Merc
HEARTBURN, Beer,after: ,1 Phos
HEARTBURN, Drunkards,in: , 2 Nux-v, 2 Sul-ac
HEARTBURN, Tobacco,from: ,1 Chel, 1 Staph, 1 Tarax
- 4 marks- most effective,
- 3 marks- quite effective,
- 2 marks- less effective,
- 1 mark- least effective.
It is, however, worthwhile to remember that self-medication is not recommended. Consult one of our Experts Now for freedom from GERD for yourself or your loved one!,
Do’s
- Make sure that you maintain a healthy diet and include food enriched with fibre. It helps relieving the heartburn.
- Shed those extra kilos if you are overweight. Losing weight can actually solve half of your problem.
- Try to maintain a fixed time to have your food and make sure that your meal at night is light.
- Sleep on your left side and elevate your bed just a few inches.
Don’ts
- Do not smoke and refrain from alcohol.
- Do not sleep immediately after having food, wait for at least 2-3 hours.
- Include fibre-rich foods like oats for your breakfast
- Include herbs like fennel, celery and parsley in your diet.
- Have a gluten-free diet. Avoid wheat, refined flour and semolina.
- Include millets in your diet.
- Fruits like melons and bananas relieve GERD.
- Aloe vera juice is also useful.
- Avoid oily, fatty and spicy food
- Having a healthy nutritious diet boosts your immunity and helps fight your disease faster.