Heartburn Medication can WORSEN Your Acid Reflux

Conventional treatments are often used for relief by millions of individuals enduring the pain and discomfort of symptoms of gastro esophageal disease, the most widespread of which is in all certainty heartburn. Very popular at the moment, one of these heartburn medications, Nexium, even scored as the number three worldwide for drug sales, amassing up over $5.7 billion in 2005.

1. The upward trend in the number of GERD (Acid Reflux) patients in the western world is set to continue. There are approximately 25 million acid reflux victims with recurrent heartburn in 2006 alone in America.

2. Drugs for GERD are backed by huge marketing resources, publicity campaigns and by doctors prescribing them to patients.

3. Consumers now obtain such drugs with ease, buying them over the counter where a prescription was required before. About ten years previously, the Food and Drug Administration gave its sign-off for over the counter commerce of Pepcid AC, Tagamet HB, Zantac 75 and a number of other medicaments also came of the prescription-only list.

Before any definitive opinion on the subject, let quickly review the nature of acid reflux disease and heartburn, its most frequent outer sign. With the rising popularity of conventional heartburn medicine, one can question the results of using such medicine is whether such drugs have the desired results when it comes to resolving the basic cause of this medical problem and if the alleviation justifies the secondary effects.

In physiological terms, GERD is the consequence of an excessively high exposure of the esophagus to stomach juices. This problem comes about because of a weakened LES or lower esophageal sphincter. The LES is a circular valve made of muscle closing off the esophagus from the stomach. In cases of acid reflux disease, the LES fails to shut as it should, and stomach content finds its way back into the esophagus, resulting in heartburn. Another factor that degrades conditions for GERD is poor esophageal evacuation of gastric juices.

As well as those local reasons for acid reflux, other causes include genetic characteristics (not under our control) and other hidden factors and co-factors that create the context that encourages acid reflux (i. e. Candida overgrowth, dietary choices, sluggish digestion, emotional stress, inadequate sleep etc.). These underlying factors must be treated. If not, there is no long-term answer for this medical ailment.

Any GERD medication will come from one of four categories:

1. Antacids, an example being Alka-Seltzer, bringing relief of a few hours by the neutralization of acid in the esophagus. Upon taking the antacid, the neutralization of the stomach acid begins instantaneously, to limit the esophageal corrosion.

2. Alginates relieve symptoms by creating a that wraps around the stomach contents to decrease reflux.

3. H2-receptor antagonists such as HB, Zantac 75 and Pepcid AC are preventing the stomach cells from leaking acid, actually stop the gastric system and the stomach from producing acid. Patients must use H2-receptor antagonists ahead of any heartburn if relief is to be effected.

4. Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPI) such as Nexium, which stop the pump in gastric cells from functioning in order to prevent acid being generated.

In the end, adopting medication as the only solution to treat heartburn is an unsatisfactory approach, only working on the symptoms but missing the root cause of GERD. Neglect of causes such as these can degrade your condition over time and even result in further medical complications. Such treatments for heartburn may also have serious side effects. Headaches, diarrhea and in some cases osteoporosis are among the additional ailments possible. Also, their long-term impact is weak and the chance of physical long-term dependency therefore more pronounced.

Using a holistic plan, with the use of particular herbal and vitamin additions, and by adhering to a complete set of dietary principles, eliminating toxins and using Candida control protocols, your medical problem can receive a natural and lasting cure. Did you hear that your discomforting and painful heartburn symptoms of GERD could be eliminated in a lasting and holistic way without the use of medication for heartburn?