Title: Acid Reflux Disease, Causes and Effects Word Count: 546 Summary: To counter the surge in the

prevalence of acid reflux, lots of over the counter medications have been churned out of our pharmaceutical companies. A lot of theo ries abound, medically and naturally, about the root cause of this disease. Keywords: acid reflux Article Body: The first explanation for the cause of this condition is that because of the inc ompetence of the Lower Esophageal Sphincter (LES) acidic contents of the stomach are allowed up into the esophagus, which results in a burning sensation. The LE S is a valve that is found at the lower end of the esophagus and separates it fr om the stomach and its contents but when this valve becomes dysfunctional, it al lows the acidic content of the stomach to be regurgitated into the esophagus. A separate school of thought believes that acidic reflux disease is caused by ou r eating habits. As it's often said, living in the civilized world entails eatin g more junk food and packaged and processed food than the stomach can digest. So , when we put so much into the stomach, most of the food ends up undigested. The se undigested food materials turn into acidic waste in the stomach. This waste c auses stomach spasms or twitching that causes an increase in stomach gas that po ps open the LES valve between the esophagus and stomach sending acidic contents up the esophagus. Yet, acidic reflux disease can be traced to aging in adults. It is believed in s ome quarters that as we age, the activity of the stomach reduces, so also its ab ility to produce hydrochloric acid. The reduction in the stomach activity and ac id content of the stomach creates a breeding ground for infections which in them selves cause stomach pain and acid production leading to further symptoms of aci d reflux. Whatever the cause of acid reflux disease, what is constant about it, is the fac t that it is a chronic disease. Most medicines, which inhibit production of acid in the stomach, only help to relieve the burning effect and other symptoms and not actually cure the condition. As a matter of fact, these drugs help in reliev ing the symptoms quite effectively, but the other side of the coin is that these drugs also cause several side effects in the body by cutting down the acid prod uction in your stomach. Some of their side effects are that they reduce the abil ity of the stomach to digest food efficiently, they make you more vulnerable to diseases and microbes transmitted through food, increases the risk of food poiso ning and a host of others. While there are many medications and natural methods to rid yourself of that bur ning sensation that accompanies each acid reflux bout, the first line of action should be a thorough assessment of the your food and lifestyle. Some food materi als are known to aggravate acid reflux, some of the foods include; citrus, caffe ine, chocolate, fatty fried foods, garlic, and onions. Cutting down or avoiding these foods as much as possible is a good first attempt at preventing future aci d reflux bouts. Additional lifestyle assessment and modification that can help reduce acid reflu

x episodes include: Losing weight if you are overweight Cutting down alcohol to the barest minimum Eating just enough food to keep hunger away Don't go to bed until at least three hours after eating Raise your bed head six to eight inches

These very simple lifestyle improvements can keep you off those acid blockers an d other acid reflux medications that cause almost the same amount of damage as t he good they do to your body.