Causes of Acid Reflux: Lower Esophageal Sphincter

Gastro esophageal reflux disease, also known as acid reflux disease, is cause by a variety of things, the lower esophageal sphincter being one of them. While some think that fatty foods or high cholesterol foods are the reason for acid reflux, there may be much larger problems than your diet. One possibility is that, in some patience, excess acid may be produced. When your body does not use all the acid it produces, the acid needs to go somewhere, so it goes up, causing heartburn. There may be other factors at work; following is what you need to know about the lower esophageal sphincter.

The lower esophageal sphincter is the tube of muscle that goes from the bottom of the throat to the stomach and is one of the biggest factors in acid reflux. In the majority of individuals, this area is active most of the time. The lower esophageal sphincter is a gatekeeper of sorts, between the stomach where the food is digested, and the esophagus where the food travels after it is swallowed.

What happens to cause acid reflux is that the lower esophageal sphincter is actually malfunctioning. When everything works right, the sphincter will open to let food through to the stomach, then close tightly afterward. When you suffer from gastro esophageal reflux disease, the lower esophageal sphincter does not function correctly and does not shut tight, this lets partially digested food out of the stomach, causing heartburn.

There are a couple of ways that the abnormally functions causing the reflux. A weak contraction of the muscle is one way. When the muscle does not close tightly, the reflux prevention is reduced. The second way the lower esophageal sphincter can malfunction, or not function properly is when the it does not close tightly for a prolonged period and it gets too relaxed, and this allows acid reflux to occur more often than normal.

When you eat a meal or snack, your stomach has to distend to accommodate the new material. When you eat a large meal, the stomach can stretch too much, the lower esophageal sphincter then becomes too active and acid reflux can occur. Even if you don?t usually suffer from acid reflux, can sometime suffer after a large meal, because the lower esophageal sphincter has become too active.

Jill Seimer reports on health issues at RefluxLife.com and wrote on acid reflux disorder symptoms from her experience with heartburn and acid reflux.

What Are The Symptoms of Infant Acid Reflux

Medical conditions strike often without regard to age, gender, or nationality. Young and old alike often suffer from the same ailments. Acid reflux disease, medically termed Gastro Esophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) seems to be one of those holds no discrimination for age. The lower end of the esophagus is protected by a flap or valve that is referred to as the Lower Esophageal Sphincter (LES). This valve opens in order to allow food to flow from the esophagus into the stomach. It should then close in order to keep the stomach acids from 'boiling over' into the lining of the esophagus.

There are several conditions that hinder the valve from operating properly and allow the contents of the stomach to enter the esophagus. Very much like adults, infants occasionally suffer from the pains of heartburn. In infants, heartburn is often the result of their essentially liquid diets that are high in dairy proteins. The sad things for the little ones is that unlike adults, they can't exactly tell you they have heartburn so GERD isn't exactly easy to diagnose.

Infant GERD is often the combination of many factors than the sole responsibility of one indicator. Most of the factors that would contribute to acid reflux are aggravated because infants spend much of their days lying down in addition to the fact that their diets are almost entirely liquid. There are however, physical reasons that infants much sometimes endure the suffering that this brings about. These could be any of the following: improper or incomplete development of the lower esophageal sphincter while developing, food allergies, poor diet, and being overweight. There are other factors but these are some of the most common.

Since infants can't complain about their symptoms like adults can, it is important to watch for certain clues that may indicate a problem. If you notice any of the following symptoms, it is wise to consult your pediatrician and have a closer examination: trouble sleeping, weight loss, frequently spitting up, coughing, excessive crying, an apparent sore throat or chest pain, bad breath, and unusual crankiness.

GERD can also cause respiratory problems such as pneumonia, malnourishment, and strictures or ulcerations on the esophageal wall. These signs may or may not indicate GERD but definitely warrant a visit to your pediatrician.

Keeping your child upright for a good portion of the day, particularly after feeding is one of the best things you can do for him or her in order to minimize the risk of acid reflux, also be sure to watch for signs of chest pain and any of the other symptoms listed above. Prevention is always the best cure, but if you notice symptoms, see a doctor immediately.

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How is acid reflux surgery performed and who needs it

There are many ways to treat acid reflux, and the simplest way is to make some changes in your lifestyle and diet. But this will not cure your illness, it will only prevent the acid from the stomach pass the valve that separates it from the esophagus and get inside the esophagus which does not have any protection against the acid, therefore damaging it.

A good method of permanently curing acid reflux is acid reflux surgery. Surgery is the last thing that doctors recommend, because in many cases medication that stops the stomach from producing to much acid works just fine. But sometimes medication does not give any results. If two months pass after the patient started taking medication and no improvements are noticed then doctors recommend acid reflux surgery.

Surgery tries to fix the defective valve in order to stop the acids from leaking through it. The procedure is called fundoplication and it pulls the hiatal hernial sacs under the diaphragm bone and makes it stay there by stitching it. Furthermore, the opening through which food passes is narrowed so the chance that acids leak through it decreases.

In other words, a part of the stomach is placed around the lowest part of the esophagus and fixed under the diaphragm bone.

This seriously tightens and strengthens the border between the stomach and the esophagus and it also creates a new valve that only allows food to go from the esophagus into the stomach and not otherwise.

Acid reflux surgery is very efficient in stopping acid reflux, more that 95% of the patients reported that they had no more problems after it and the heartburn sensation was completely gone.

The surgery is performed through a small incision that the surgeon does in the abdominal area, and uses a laparoscope. The laparoscope is a small device used in many surgeries that is remote-controlled and that also has a small camera attached to it. The doctor inserts small surgical tools through the incision and then performs the surgery by looking at the images from the laparoscope camera. This way the scars left will be as small as possible, a major incision would have been required for the doctor to see the operation without the camera.

Sometimes, depending on how severe the acid reflux is, the patient will still have to take the medication after the surgery.
In some cases light complications appear after the surgery because larger chunks of food can't pass the narrowed canal anymore, but this is temporary, food will eventually go down.

After one or two days the patient can return to his/her normal activities and never worry about acid reflux anymore.

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Children And Acid Reflux

Acid reflux is a condition normally associated with adults. Sadly, many children also suffer the effects of acid reflux.

This desease, also referred to as gastro-esophageal reflux, occurs when stomach contents churn and rise up into the esophagus, the tube connecting the stomach with the mouth. A muscle between the esophagus and the stomach, known as the lower esophageal sphincter, is responsible for keeping the stomach closed off until food is swallowed. The lower esophageal sphincter then opens up and allows the food into the stomach before closing again. Although Acid reflux can begin during infancy, it can carry over into early childhood.

Though quite common in children, most people are not aware of it's occurrence. In most cases, the process of gastro-esophageal reflux occurs quickly, the acid comes up into the esophagus and then rapidly goes back down into the stomach. In this case, the esophagus suffers no damage. However, if the stomach acid stays in the esophagus, it damages the esophagus lining. In some cases, the stomach contents rise up all the way into the mouth, only to be swallowed again. This process causes a number of symptoms such as a chronic cough, or a hoarse voice. More serious symptoms can include difficulty in swallowing, wheezing, and chronic pneumonia.

Anyone who suspects that their child is afflicted with acid reflux, should have the child seen by his or her pediatrician. After examining the child and evaluating the symptoms, the doctor may run tests to diagnose whether acid reflux is present. Often, the doctor will begin treatment before testing for acid reflux.

In one of the tests, called an upper GI-series X-ray, the child's X-ray is taken after being given a glass of barium to drink. This particular test is successfully used to locate hiatal hernias, blockages, and other gastrointestinal problems.

Another test, thought to be more effective than the X-ray, is the endoscopy. Typically, the child is sedated and put to sleep during the test. An endoscope, which is a thin, flexible plastic tube with a camera attached to the end, is then placed inside the throat. With the help of endoscope, the doctor is directly able to examine the esophagus lining, stomach, and a portion of the small intestine. The endoscopy also allows the doctor to perform a biopsy rather painlessly.

Yet another test, the esophageal pH probe, may also be used. This test consists of using an extremely light, and ultra-thin wire with an acid sensor tip and inserting it through the patient's nose and into the lower esophagus. This method is used to detect and record the presense of stomach acid in the esophagus.
Hanif Khaki is the acclaimed author of numerous health related articles and the founder of the popular acid reflux site http://www.acid-reflux.expert-health.com

Acid reflux chokes me awake at night

by Drew Harris http://www.acid-refluxsite.com

Acid reflux has forced me to suddenly wake up countless times, in a state of panic, choking on my own acid and gasping for breath.

Nothing can really describe the burning bile feeling, or the taste it leaves in your mouth as you try not to gag and throw-up. I have had to stick a pinch of toothpaste into my mouth and leave it there to try and cut the bile taste.

I was diagnosed with a hiatal hernia as a teenager, which may contribute to acid reflux. The burning acid had left me alone for most of my 20's. However, a high stress job and a subsequent gain in weight and lack of exercise brought the acid reflux back on with a vengeance in my 30's.

When I started having almost constant waves of heartburn and acid indigestion, sitting upright at my desk, I knew it was time to see the doctor.

At that time, I had never heard of acid reflux.

He told me that more than 60 million people suffer from frequent heartburn, acid indigestion or GERD (Gastroesophogeal Reflux Disease).

Acid reflux describes the regurgitation of acid back up the throat. It can also lead to more serious medical conditions that may require hospitalization.

My doctor explained this happens when the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) does not close properly and stomach contents leak back, or reflux, into the esophagus. The LES is a ring of muscle at the bottom of the esophagus that acts like a valve between the esophagus and stomach. The esophagus carries food from the mouth to the stomach.

When refluxed stomach acid touches the lining of the esophagus, it causes a burning sensation in the chest or throat called heartburn. The fluid may even be tasted in the back of the mouth, which is called acid indigestion. Heartburn that occurs more than twice a week may be considered GERD, and it can eventually lead to more serious health problems.

When I finally went and saw my doctor, I was having almost constant heartburn and acid indigestion.

He further explained that symptoms are usually worse at night when the person is lying flat and acid flows easily from the stomach back up the esophagus.

Anyone, including infants, children, and pregnant women, can have GERD.

I was told to make some lifestyle and dietary changes. They included:

1. Using a wedge pillow to elevate my body at bedtime 2. Eating plenty of fiber and drinking lots of fluids. 3. Eating small meals and eating slowly. 4. Not lying down for at least 1-2 hours after eating. 5. Losing extra pounds. Added weight causes extra pressure on your stomach and can irritate symptoms. 6. Wearing loose clothing. Tightly fitting clothes put extra pressure on your stomach. 7. Not exercising for at least one hour after eating. 8. Avoiding the following: alcohol, tobacco, caffeine, chocolate, carbonated beverages, spices, fried and fatty foods, tomato products, citrus, and peppermint.

I am a non smoker and I don't drink that much. I do drink a fair bit of coffee however. The real culprit for me though has been drinking fruit juice of any kind before bed. When I have, my acid reflux has been significantly worse.

As I have made many of these changes to my lifestyle, I have seen some relief.

The elevated pillow works wonderfully. I have also started taking proton pump inhibitor medication, which reduces acid production in my stomach. I have been told surgery may be an option down the road.

Drew Harris owns and operates Acid-refluxsite.com, a one-stop-shop directory for those looking for information on acid reflux and its related issues. Multiple pages of resources, referrals and expert articles. http://acid-refluxsite.com