Acid reflux is a problem that stays with someone for life. It’s caused by a weak lower esophageal sphincter and allows fluids to rise from the stomach into the esophagus which cause corrosive damage because of the acid content.

The most common symptom of acid reflux is the agony of heartburn, but there are other health risks associated with it such as Barrett’s esophagus, erosive esophagitis and esophageal cancer.

There is light on the horizon, however. There’s a new surgical procedure that is starting to get some traction for dealing with acid reflux. It’s known as the Plicator procedure and only takes about twenty minutes to complete. Sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it? Here is a basic explanation of what happen during the procedure.

- The Plicator, a small electronic device, is place on the end of an endoscopy tube. Endoscopies are procedures wherein a tube gets lowered into the digestive tract through the mouth while the patient is sedated, but conscious.

- Once the Plicator reaches the stomach, it is used to grab the tissue located between the stomach and the esophagus. It then closes its “arms”, crimping the tissue. A suture is placed to hold the tissue in place.

- This results in a tighter opening between the stomach and esophagus, helping the lower esophageal sphincter to maintain the passageway more easily.

Those who undergo this procedure usually don’t experience any unwanted side effects, and are often back to their normal activities the following day. Several studies have been done to measure the effectiveness of the procedure for eliminating heartburn.

These studies showed that prescription heartburn medications could be eliminated in 70% of the patients who had the procedure done. Plus, 80% of the patients who had the procedure done showed improvements in their reflux symptoms afterwards.

The effects of the surgery are seen very quickly. Within several days following the procedure, most people were able to decrease their heartburn medication. Sore throats and abdominal pain occurred in some patients, but only lasted for a few days. If this sounds like a procedure that would help you with your acid reflux, talk to your doctor about it and get their informed advice.

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With so many people suffering from acid reflux the medication market has exploded. But do all these medications work? Sure some of them do for some people. Have you been able to find one that works for you yet? Even if you do find one that works will it have side effects. Some medications certainly do.

One of the best ways to help relief acid reflux is to simply watch your lifestyle. Many people don’t watch what they eat or how much they eat. This creates a big problem for those who may be causing their acid reflux through a poor lifestyle and diet. Were going to take a look at 5 tips that can help you improve your acid reflux condition.

Tip 1: Stop smoking: Smoking is a major issue for many acid reflux sufferers. Smoking can reduce the production of saliva. This is a big problem because your saliva helps protect the esophagus. If you are a smoking this means you are more likely to get acid reflux.

Tip 2: Watch how much meat you eat: Lots of people will find that red meats may bother them when they have acid reflux. But it’s not always the meet. In some cases it may be whats on the meat, how it was cooked, and how fatty the meat is. As general rule you will be better off with white meats.

Tip 3: Stop drinking carbonated beverages (soft drinks): Carbonated beverages bother allot of people. Then can give you gas and cause bloating. I know some people think they help, but often they make it worse. As an acid reflux sufferer you need to make sure you keep your intake of these beverages to a minimum.

Tip 4: Don’t lie down after eating: You want to give your stomach a chance to digest. You particularly want to avoid lying down on your stomach. Lying on your stomach will put too much pressure on your esophageal sphincter. Instead, you should try lying on your back and keeping your head slightly tilted upwards.

Tip 5: Keep stress to a minimum: There are allot of bad things that come from stress. A high stress level can cause your stomach to become upset and can give you heart problems. When you feel stressed just stop what you are doing. Take a few minutes to breath and calm yourself down.

There is no doubt that acid reflux can trigger by how healthy of a lifestyle you live. But are you willing to make a few changes to improve your condition? I hope you are. You will find that making just a few changes will help your condition and even save you some money on those heartburn medications.

Tags: heartburn and stress, heartburn medicine, constant heartburn