The term GERD (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease) has been labeled nonulcer dyspepsia and acid reflux.
All acid reflux disease sufferers do not have the same symptoms, but many experience some or even all of the following:
- Heartburn (the most common symptom, a rising, burning sensation in the chest)
- Sour or bitter taste from regurgitation of stomach contents
- Difficult or painful swallowing
It is important to realize that symptoms can overlap with a hiatel hernia and gallbladder disease.
These include a dull aching, uncomfortable fullness, or a feeling that everything you have eaten is sitting there and ballooning. Or you may experience burning or pain with or without nausea and vomiting.
Approximately one-third of the people in the US suffer from frequent heartburn with approximately 3 to 7 percent from acid reflux.
The conventional evaluation may include an esophagogastroduodenoscopy.
This test is helpful in determining:
- the cause of upper GI (gastrointestinal) bleeding
- the presence of ulcerations or inflammation
- the cause of abdominal pain
- the condition of the stomach and duodenum after an operation
- the presence of tumors or other abnormalities of the upper GI tract
inflammation, narrowing, or tumors of the esophagus
Conventional Medical Treatment
The two classes of drug therapies generally prescribed to treat these disorders are H2 receptor antagonists and proton pump inhibitors H2 receptor antagonists reduce the amount of acid produced in the stomach.
Marketed as Zantac, Tagamet and Pepcid, they eliminate symptoms and allow healing of the esophagus in only about 50 percent of patients. And remission is maintained in only about 25 percent those patients.
More powerful and effective than the H2's are the proton pump inhibitors. Marketed as Prilosec, Prevacid, AcipHex and Protonix, they block stomach acids from splashing up into the esophagus.
This quickly resolves symptoms and allows healing of the esophagus in 80 percent to 90 percent of patients. These medications are effective while you take them, but once you discontinue their use, your problem often recurs.
Alternative Medical Treatment:
As with many medications, the improvement experienced by the patient has it’s share of draw-backs.
The first being the long term side-effects one may experience.
Adverse effects of the drug cisapride, which was marketed as Propulsid, prompted Janssen Pharmaceutica to stop marketing Propulsid in the United States.
The question that an individual should be asking is...
“Why am I suffering with this problem?”
Doesn't that make sense?
Unfortunately, traditional medicine focuses on the symptomatic relief of a condition rather than investigate the reasons why the patient has the problem in the first place.
Food allergies are the most common cause of GERD and acid reflux.
It goes without saying that you should avoid known allergens that may be contributing or causing your condition.
Helicobacter pylori and candida infection have been linked as being a sole cause of this condition.
Some drugs have been linked to increase the potential of developing GERD: birth control pills, nicotine, provera & progesterone.
Stress may also be a primary factor.
My advice is to investigate the underlying factors that may be causing your problem. The following tests are recommended for a thorough evaluation of acid reflux/GERD.
- Helicobacter pylori evaluation
- Candida Infection evaluation
- Food Allergies/Sensitivities
** For information on a physician or lab that performs the above test, please feel free to contact me at drgrisanti@charter.net
Dr. Grisanti's Comment:
As the public is indoctrinated with advertisements offering "temporary relief" of acid reflux, heartburn and related upper GI health problems, it deeply concerns me that this problem will continue to escalate as one of the top 5 health problems of the century.
If you are one of millions of individuals suffering with acid reflux, I want to urge you to investigate the underlying factors that have led to your condition.
Continued use of many of the prescribed medications such as Prilosec, Prevacid etc. will only prolong your condition and open the door for more SERIOUS disease.
The pure satisfaction to STOP the pain, can give way to more serious underlying conditions that are percolating below the surface.
References
Rogers, Sherry, No More Heartburn, New York, NY; Kensington Publishing Corp., 2000; 131-133
Lipski, Elizabeth, Digestive Wellness, Lincolnwood, Illinois; Keats Publishing, 2000: 205-209
Golan, Ralph, Optimal Wellness, New York, NY; Random House, 1995: 373-374
Nichols, Trent, Optimal Digestion, New York, NY; Avon Books, 1999: 579-584
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