What’s your favorite food? Is it a thick, juicy burger topped with caramelized onions and Swiss cheese? Or is it sensational sweet and sour Asian cuisine, immersed in delicious noodles and tangy sauce that you slurp happily? Heartburn feels extremely uncomfortable. You can’t enjoy your food fully because you know you’re going to pay for it later.
Heartburn Causes and Symptoms
If the heartburn is frequent, it could be acid reflux disease, also known as GERD. Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is caused when the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) valve doesn’t close completely at the stomach opening, causing stomach acid to repeatedly rise into the esophagus. And when that occurs repeatedly, acid reflux becomes the problem.
Food isn’t the only thing that causes heartburn. There are a variety of factors that both contribute to and exacerbate heartburn and the weakening of the LES: coffee, cigarettes, acidic foods, fried or fatty foods, medical conditions like diabetes or asthma, alcohol, and having a heavier body weight.
Fortunately, if you suffer from the occasional heartburn, there are simple solutions that if put into practice, can ease your discomfort. Avoiding frequent consumption of greasy foods, or any of the items mentioned would be a good start. Additionally, consuming smaller and more frequent meals helps alleviate the pain associated with heartburn. It’s also good to stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water since this assists with digestion. Overall, maintaining a balanced diet is your first step to finding relief.
However, if you find that after putting the previous tips into action, there isn’t a significant difference in your discomfort level, it may be a good idea to talk to your doctor. Barrets or BE, is when GERD is so severe, it permanently changes the esophageal lining due to the frequency of acid reflux. If left untreated, it could potentially lead to cancer.
Diagnosis and Treatments
We provide heartburn treatment options that could help. Such as scar-less treatments, and BE surgeries. Besides this, we offer the TIF Procedure. Our surgeons safely performed the procedure with relatively minimal patient downtime. The EsophyX device is introduced into the body through the mouth. Rather than through an abdominal incision, making TIF completely incisionless. There are several advantages of incision-less surgery over conventional laparoscopic or open GERD surgery. It includes a shorter hospital stay, reduced discomfort, shortened recovery, and no visible scars.
Call us or schedule a teleconsultation to inquire further about available heartburn diagnoses and procedures. Additionally, you can also try our online GERD Quiz to determine your GERD symptoms and stages.
