By Nicholas Drahush, MD, FACS
Chattahoochee Surgical Group, a Northside Network Provider
Heartburn is something nearly all of us will experience at some point in life. For some, it will be an occasional discomfort, and others a severe daily (or nightly) occurrence. Persistent heartburn multiple times a week can be a sign of something more serious: Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD).
This condition typically occurs when the lower muscle of the esophagus does not close properly, allowing stomach acid or food to flow from the stomach back into the esophagus. If left untreated, it can cause serious problems including bleeding ulcers or Barretts esophagus, a precursor of esophageal cancer.
In many instances, lifestyle changes alone can help alleviate GERD symptoms. Here are a few:
Avoid foods or drinks that increase symptoms. Certain foods and drinks cause the lower esophageal muscle to relax, allowing acid to enter and irritate the lining of the esophagus. Avoidance of tomatoes, peppermints, chocolate, fatty/fried foods, and citrus drinks are recommended. Caffeine and alcohol are also major contributors to reflux and should be minimized in your diet.
Eat small meals. Eating large meals increases the amount of acid needed to digest the food. Try to eat six small meals a day instead of three large ones, and eat slowly. Also, avoid eating within two to three hours of bedtime.
Maintain a healthy weight. Weight loss often helps decrease GERD symptoms. Being overweight puts more pressure on your stomach and can cause symptoms.
Take an antacid. These medicines neutralize the acid in the stomach and esophagus, thus relieving symptoms. Before taking any medication, it is important to check with your health care provider.
Often people continue to experience symptoms despite making the above lifestyle changes and are prescribed acid suppressing medications such as Nexium, Prilosec or Zantac. These are helpful in decreasing symptoms by lowering the amount of acid produced, but do not fix the weakened lower esophageal muscle.
Anti-reflux surgeries are also an option for those patients with reflux despite medical treatment or patients that do not want to take these medications the rest of their lives. These surgeries are minimally invasive with just a few small incisions and patients typically go home the day of or day after surgery. The newest surgical option, the LINX procedure is now being offered at Northside Forsyth. This system consists of a flexible ring of small magnetic beads that is implanted around the lower esophagus. It expands to allow food to pass safely into the stomach but resists opening and prevents acid from pushing back into the esophagus. By restoring the function of the weakened lower esophageal muscle, the LINX implant decreases GERD.
If you experience heartburn or regurgitation, or suspect you may have GERD, you should contact a health care provider to be evaluated. To learn more about GERD and its treatment, please visit https://chattahoocheesurgical.com/gerd.
Read more:
Treating GERD | Sponsored - NorthFulton.com
