Medslant Acid Reflux Newsletter

Cure Acid Reflux With Diet, Exercise and Lifestyle Changes

Best Wishes for a Healthy and Happy New Year!

The new year is usually the time we all make resolutions and think about the changes we wish to make in our lives - gym memberships swell, and we all vow to take better care of our bodies and our minds.

According to all research on GERD, the single most important lifestyle change we can make to help control and hopefully eliminate acid reflux disease is to achieve and maintain a healthy weight and to exercise. I know, much easier said than done; resolutions are easy to make and easier to break, but even small steps toward this goal can be helpful.

The other important lifestyle changes are to identify and eliminate trigger foods and to sleep elevated so that gravity keeps acid down when you are lying down. Life coaches tell us that it is easier to keep a resolution if you have a long term goal on which to focus.

Is There A Perfect Cure For Gerd?

A study reported on in the December, 2009 Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology examined the difference in the results of patients treated with surgery and medicine. 255 GERD patients were studied; 122 had surgery to control their reflux and 133 took omeprazole (Prilosec) to control their reflux. The study was funded by AstraZenecca, maker and marketer of Prilosec. The study was intended to last five years but after 12 years, the researchers were still in regular touch with 53 patients from the surgery group and 71 patients from the drug group.

Generally, surgery was found to be better at controlling some symptoms such as heartburn and regurgitation but long tern drug use avoided postoperative difficulties in swallowing. Of the 53 surgery patients, 28 (53%) remained in continuous remission but post-op complaints did not decline and 38% of these patients eventually required meds. Of the 71 patients who took the medication 45% remained in continuous remission. Quality of life was similar in the two groups throughout the study.

After the 12 year follow-up, the researchers concluded that both treatments leave room for improvement and that most would probably conclude that dose adjusted meds are almost as effective as surgery. Stuart Jon Spechler, MD of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas concluded "I find it difficult to fathom why a typical GERD patient would opt for a potentially hazardous surgery to fix a problem managed almost as well by a reasonably safe medication."

Asthma, Chest Smptoms, And Heartburn

Heartburn can affect systems in your chest besides your mouth and your stomach. Food and air take similar paths as they move through your body before they eventually split up, each to go its separate way. Food moves to the back of your mouth and then takes a sharp turn to go down into the esophagus. When you breathe through your nose, the air enters the nasal passages and takes a similar path toward the lungs. Food and air actually share the same channel in the back of your mouth when they take the sharp turn downward; then the channel separates to send the air to your lungs and the food to your stomach.

The epiglottis valve directs air and food to the correct places. We are able to breathe through our nose and mouth because food and air share a passage. So, what does all this have to do with heartburn? The valve controlling the paths of food and air is very thin and the distance between the food pipe and windpipe is also very narrow. Because of this, reflux can affect any part of the lungs or airway. When refluxed acid contacts with your airway, it can cause persistent coughing and irritation of your throat - the feeling that you constantly have to clear your throat. When this irritation becomes severe, it affects your voice box and can cause a hoarse voice.

Research indicates that people whose airways are constantly affected by acid reflux often develop hypersensitive airways that may eventually lead to asthma or make existing asthma worse. As always, if you are experiencing these symptoms, your best option is to consult your physician or other health care professional for a diagnosis and treatment options.

Please keep the emails and phone calls coming to customerservice@medslant.com and 1.800.346.1850. I love hearing from you.

Wishing you a good night's sleep,

Adele

Customer Feedback: "I love your newsletters and since I work in research, I enjoy your science updates. I take my MedSlant with me wherever I go. Sleeping on it reduces the amount of medication I take. Thanks." CS, GA



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