Friday, December 14, 2007

What is Gerd?

What is Gerd?
Gerd or Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease affects millions of
people each year. This catch-all term encompasses a wide
array of complaints ranging from "acid stomach", belching,
nausea, bloating, distention, heartburn, hoarseness,
esophagitis, gastritis, acid reflux, and asthma-like
symptoms.

If you look in a medical encyclopedia that is only a few
years old you will not find the word GERD or the term
"Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease". However you can break
the phrase up into separate words and find the definition
for each.

GASTROESOPHAGEAL - Pertaining to the stomach or the
esophagus.

REFLUX - A backward flow; regurgitation.

DISEASE - Any interruption of the normal function of any
body organ, part, or system that presents an abnormal state.

In other words you have an abnormal function of the stomach
or esophagus that is causing reflux.

Indigestion and belching would be considered an abnormal
function of the stomach and can make a person feel
out-of-sorts or not feeling so well for a short time. If a
condition is only temporary how can the medical community
label it as a disease? The truth of the matter is, it is
not a disease. It is a condition that can be corrected once
you find the root cause.

Belching is a natural function of the human body and it
happens to every person on the planet without exception.
This is also know as reflux!

The stomach is approximately 10 to 12 inches long and
approximately 5 inches wide. It holds between 2 and 3 pints
of liquid and when food or drink enter our stomach it
displaces the liquid contents and the level of liquid
rises which increases stomach pressure.

The increased stomach pressure is now exerting more
pressure on the Lower Esophageal Sphincter valve. This
increase in pressure will force the Lower Esophageal
Sphincter valve open and allow the reflux of acidic stomach
gases to enter the esophagus. If you feel pain or a burning
sensation in the chest cavity when these gases enter the
esophagus it is an indication that you have some esophageal
damage. This damage is usually in the form of tiny cuts or
lesions to the delicate cells of the esophagus, however it
can be corrected within 3 or 4 days by eliminating some
foods that are causing the problem.

The esophagus or feeding tube is approximately 10 inches
long and about 1inch wide and tends to expand when these
stomach gases reflux into it. This will cause chest
pressure and can even radiate to your left arm or your
back. When the acidic stomach gases are present in your
esophagus you might also experience a feeling of a lump in
your throat near the Adam's apple. This is referred to as
Globus Sensation and is quickly relieved once the gases
overcome the Upper Esophageal Sphincter and you belch.

To find the root cause of these problems you need to know
why your stomach has increased pressure that is causing the
reflux. Although there are many things that can cause an
increase in stomach pressure the most common one is a
person's pH balance is too acidic. The symptoms of being
too acidic are belching, bloating and flatulence more than
normal. Copyright 2006-2007


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Medical researcher William Lagadyn first unravelled the
mysteries of heartburn and acid reflux problems over 20
years ago, and since that time he has helped 1000's of
people completely solve their digestive problems. For more
information on how to solve your digestive problems such as
heartburn, acid reflux or GERD without the use of
potentially dangerous drugs forever, please visit his
website at http://www.cureyourheartburn.com

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