GERD is the short form for Gastro Esophageal Reflux Disease. It is commonly referred to as the backflow of the gastric acid into the esophagus. Usually, it is the elderly people who get affected by this problem, though younger people too have a chance of suffering from this if they have unhealthy food eating habits. Basically, GERD happens because of heartburn after meals. If a person gets frequent heartburns, and the related problems get really serious, then it is referred to as GERD. It can also be called reflux esophagitis, or GORD (because the British call it Oesophagus instead of Esophagus).
When a person is suffering from GERD, he or she has problems in swallowing the food and also has pain the chest. There are also chances of developing some other problems, such as those of asthma, coughing, sore throat etc. The more number of problems arise, the more severe the condition of the patient becomes. It has been found that obesity, as well as pregnancy can be the two most common reasons for GERD.
Luckily, there are some home remedies that one can follow to ease the discomfort and to cure the problem faster. You must begin by drinking a lot of water, which not only takes the unwanted toxins out of your body, but also helps to main the body temperature levels and reduces the inflammation caused because of the frequent heartburns from GERD. Also, fat free milk should be consumed on a regular basis. After meals, you can take ginger root extract mixed with pure honey. For more relief, the water that you drink can contain cumin seeds.
An interesting and unique way to reduce the inflammation is to eat a cup of vanilla ice cream! Other things that you can include in your diet to reduce the heartburn include almonds, lemons and cloves.
Spicy foods and all items which have high amounts of condiments should be avoided, as they have a tendency to aggravate the situation and cause more discomfort. Focus on having a light diet which is easy to consume and easily digestible as well. Make the diet bland, if need be.
Also, it is important to make sure that you do not have heavy meals throughout the day as that might cause a bit of a problem. It is best to have light meals with less quantity of food after very 2-3 hours instead of having 3 to 4 solid big meals during the day. Avoid eating chocolates, onions and garlic. Also, you should quit smoking and drinking alcohol to prevent the situation from worsening further. Highly carbonated beverages and tomato sauce too can cause problems, so it is good to avoid those as well.
Rest, if the situation gets out of hand and there are problems with stools along with stomach cramps, then a check-up with your doctor is a must and should not be delayed even by a day. Follow tips and tricks given only by experts, and not from any random source.
Read about Home Remedies for GERD. Also know useful Home Remedies for Edema.