Do you have trouble sleeping? Do you wake up at night with a sour taste in your mouth, choking and having difficulty breathing? Do you have recurring heartburn – a burning sensation rising from the stomach or lower chest up towards the neck?
If you answered “yes” to the above ...Do you have trouble sleeping? Do you wake up at night with a sour taste in your mouth, choking and having difficulty breathing? Do you have recurring heartburn – a burning sensation rising from the stomach or lower chest up towards the neck?
If you answered “yes” to the above questions, chances are you have gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), a serious condition that affects millions of people worldwide.
GERD is a benign disorder of the upper digestive tract characterized by the reflux or backward flow of stomach acid into the esophagus or food pipe. Heartburn is the primary symptom of GERD that is experienced by 34 to 44 percent of the population in western countries. All of us experience heartburn from time to time, especially after meals. However, frequent heartburn may signal the presence of GERD.
In the United States alone, 60 million people suffer twice a month because of GERD while 25 million experience its annoying symptoms daily. Recent reports also show that GERD is becoming a common health problem in Asia, particularly among urban dwellers.
Unfortunately, many people with GERD are unaware of their problem because the condition is often dismissed as a minor stomach problem or misdiagnosed as indigestion. A study of 1,700 Europeans with the symptoms of GERD showed that only five percent consulted their doctors about the problem. While the majority of GERD sufferers don’t require urgent medical care, repeated episodes of GERD can have a major impact on the person’s quality of life.
Just how serious is GERD? Participants to Digestive Disease Week in San Francisco reported that “the physical and mental qualities of life of patients who suffer from GERD are of the same scale as those with acute cardiovascular diseases.” Indeed, the condition can be alarming to most patients since it mimics angina pectoris (chest pain due to heart disease).
The physical suffering experienced by GERD patients is due to stomach and/or chest discomfort after meals that may radiate to the left shoulder and arm, a sour taste in the mouth, the inability to sleep well at night, fatigue, and difficult or painful swallowing.
The mental anguish of GERD sufferers comes from not knowing what the disease is and non-relief of symptoms in spite of the high cost of treatment due to misdiagnosis. Untreated, the disease can lead to esophagitis (inflammation of the esophagus) and other complications like cancer.
Since GERD is becoming a major health problem, we must be aware of its symptoms and seek effective medical treatment. This will save us from the physical and mental anguish that the disease brings, unnecessary costly tests, and life-threatening complications.
One way of avoiding GERD is to lay off fatty and spicy foods, alcohol, and large meals. This will not only prevent the condition but will help you maintain an ideal weight. To lose those extra pounds, take Phenocal - a safe and natural weight loss supplement that will boost your metabolism, suppress your appetite, increase energy levels, and help you lose unwanted pounds. Check out http://tinyurl.com/8jkw6ma for details.
Janet Martin is an avid health and fitness enthusiast and published author. Many of her insightful articles can be found at the premiere online news magazine www.thearticleinsiders.com.