Yes, taking antacids for long periods can cause long-term side effects, although treatment for acid reflux has improved a great deal in recent times.
Acid reflux is the flow of stomach acid back into the esophagus, which is the tube which connects the stomach and throat. When you are afflicted with acid reflux, you can suffer heartburn or perhaps a bitter taste in your mouth. If your only symptom is occasional heartburn there may be no cause for concern as many people suffer from it occasionally after eating or drinking to excess.
This can be managed with lifestyle changes and antacid tablets.
Medical practitioners suggest that you use antacids for only short periods as they have been shown to create health problems following long term use. Magnesium hydroxide, calcium carbonate, and aluminum hydroxide which are common ingredients in antacid tablets have been linked to issues including diarrhea, kidney problems and even bone weakness. If your heartburn persists when use of antacids is stopped, it may be an indicator of a more serious problem, so a visit to your doctor is essential as you may have chronic reflux (GERD).
To determine the extent of your problem, an endoscopy will be performed. This is a procedure whereby a flexible tube is inserted into your esophagus and stomach through your mouth, so your doctor can examine the esophageal lining with a camera. Examinations such as these can indicate whether you have Barrett’s esophagus which can be identified by a change in the color and composition of the cells in the lower esophagus. Barrett’s esophagus can be a precursor to esophageal cancer.
If the examination of your esophagus does not indicate a condition such as Barrett’s esophagus you should explore the possibility of treating your reflux condition with natural products. Proton pump inhibitors which block acid production are another option for consideration in your quest to eliminate daily use of antacid tablets.
You should of course be guided by the advice of your doctor to determine the best alternative treatments.
Filed under Heartburn by Antony Wilton
Heartburn No More is a best-selling acid reflux treatment guide. The author claims that men and women of every age can cure themselves of acid reflux simply by using the step-by-step program it outlines. The promise is that you can accomplish this without the use of drugs or antacids.
That’s quite a claim. What’s the truth?
The program is put together by Jeff Martin. Like a lot of people Jeff suffered from acid reflux for years. Unlike a lot of people, he’s a certified nutritionists and health consultant so he had and management came to understanding why some programs work and other things didn’t. He’s making that knowledge available in this program.
From the very beginning, Jeff makes it clear that he’s interested in treating the underlying cause of heartburn not just treating the symptoms.
Too many people focus on treating symptoms only. By going for short-term relief they miss out on fixing the problem once and for all. This also may explain why you haven’t had the success you’ve been looking for in alleviating your heartburn and acid reflux problems.
There are five stages in the Heartburn No More program. There’s an overview followed by a detailed explanation of each stage.
Each stage builds upon the previous. This is a holistic system that attempts to address all aspects of the underlying problem.
The book is well illustrated. It contains a number of charts and graphs that outline what you need to do and will help you stay on track.
I am certain that someone who follows this system will find relief.
This program is not for anyone who’s looking for a magical cure or isn’t willing to put in some effort. The system doesn’t consist of just taking some secret herbal formula. Rather, you learn exactly what you need to do step-by-step to correct the underlying problem and rid yourself of reflux and the misery of heartburn once and for all.
The program works quickly, but you do need to follow all five steps.
The sheer amount of information the course provides may seem a little intimidating. I think this put some people off initially. Once you get started, though, you’ll find that everything is explained clearly in layman’s terms.
A surprising benefit of the program is that it doesn’t simply address heartburn. Again, since the whole premise of the program is to address first causes and obtain optimum G.I. health, it improves all aspects of G.I. function. People who’ve suffer from other G.I. disorders such as irritable bowel or excessive bloating report relief from following this system.
All in all, Heartburn No More lives up to the hype. If you’re suffering from heartburn, acid reflux or really any GI disorder, this program is well worth a try.
Filed under Heartburn by Sarah Wilson
July 21, 2009
The Acid Reflux Sore Throat Connection
Although many people don’t know it, acid reflux sore throat is very real. When you consider what reflux is, it shouldn’t be that surprising. It really is just a matter of how severe the reflux is.
As you probably know, acid reflux is what happens when acid from the stomach backs up into the esophagus. Since the esophagus wasn’t meant to contain acid, this backup causes damage.
Most commonly, the damage happens at the very end of the esophagus just before the stomach. The most common symptom associated with this is the burning pain of heartburn.
But the acid can back up further. In fact, it can back up all the way to the area of the larynx and the back of the throat.
Not surprisingly, acid in the back of the throat causes soreness. In other words, acid reflux sore throat is an acid burn.
often times, people with this problem knows more difficulty at night. This is because reflux tends to be worse when you’re lying down.
Acid has what people describe as a “metallic” taste (I haven’t been tempted taste acid myself to check this out -I’ll take their word for it). because of this, a sore throat associate with metallic taste suggest that it’s caused by acid reflux.
If you have acid reflux and a sore throat that never seems to go away it may well be that the two are related. That makes it all the more important that you address the acid reflux and get proper treatment.
People tend to think of heartburn is an annoying but harmless condition. Sometimes it is, but it’s also capable of causing very severe complications up to and including cancer. if you suffer from heartburn, and especially if you have a sore throat associated with it, it’s very important that you get all the information you can get proper treatment of the condition. Here are some resources to help you.
Filed under Heartburn by Joseph McCaffrey
July 20, 2009
Nighttime Heartburn: Don’t Let it Keep You Up
While heartburn can attack at any point during the day, when it happens in the night, it’s especially painful and bothersome. The majority of persons who are diagnosed with heartburn or an acid reflux condition are afflicted with nighttime heartburn. This is actually quite logical as remaining prone will make it easy for undigested food to move back up. For some, the loss of sleep is more dangerous to their health and sanity in the end than the actual heartburn.
One way to help avoid nighttime heartburn is being aware of at what time it’s safe to get into bed. You need your tummy to be as empty as possible prior to going to bed. The latest you are supposed to eat is two or three hours ahead of bedtime. This way you will not have too much digestive acid within your stomach. In addition, you must keep away from alcoholic drinks during this time of night, or possibly give it up completely. A number of individuals enjoy having a drink before bed to make them sleepy, however you won’t be doing much sleeping when nighttime heartburn attacks.
Another situation to stay away from is wearing body-hugging clothes to bed. It will put pressure on your body and exacerbate your problem. You might also want to keep your bedding loose if they tend to put pressure on you. As well, never sleep on your front if you can at all get around it. If you have a tendency to roll over while sleeping, you might need to place a pebble on the front of your pajamas to wake you up so you can return to the correct position.
Quite a few people get a lot of relief from heartburn throughout the night by piling up their pillows. This will help to guarantee that their neck, shoulders and head are higher, and it keeps the stomach acids from going into your esophagus. Then again, if you move around considerably in your sleep, then you’ll slide off of this mound. To fix this, purchase a special acid reflux pillow or wedge-shaped foam cushion to help you stay in position.
There are lots of antacids that you can take when heartburn awakens you in the middle of the night. Along with non-prescription remedies in pill, liquid or table formulations, there are also medicines prescribed by a doctor. It’s generally harmless to try a non-prescription antacid for up to a week. But if you’re continuing to suffer from nighttime heartburn a minimum of twice a week, you really ought to go to see your physician. Heartburn and acid reflux aren’t situations that go away on their own.
If you’re expecting a baby, however, you shouldn’t use heartburn medicine needlessly. Lots of medications, even non-prescription ones, might cause harm to your unborn child. You will need to talk to your doctor about the best technique to safely handle your condition.
Filed under Heartburn by Kim Archer
July 15, 2009
Infant Reflux Product For Babies
If you as an adult have ever experienced acid reflux, then you understand why infant reflux and sleep problems typically go hand in hand. It can be unbearable the amount of pain that acid reflux causes and so you often are not able to go to sleep and can barely even move when it is serious. The same goes for infants, and so if you are wondering why they are staying up at night and finding it hard to sleep, now you know.
Treatment
There are a few different treatment options that your doctor could choose to try to help with the infant reflux and sleep problems that your baby is experiencing. The first thing that they will probably tell you to do is try a different formula. More often than not, it is what you are feeding your baby that is causing them to spit up and be upset because of their acid reflux.
Treatment
There are a few different treatment options that your doctor could choose to try to help with the infant reflux and sleep problems that your baby is experiencing. The first thing that they will probably tell you to do is try a different formula. More often than not, it is what you are feeding your baby that is causing them to spit up and be upset because of their acid reflux.
Infant Reflux Pillow
If your baby is suffering from acid reflux, and you would rather not turn to an infant reflux medicine, at least not right away, then you should know that there are a few infant reflux product options that you could try, and which just may offer the relief for your baby that you are looking for. These infant reflux product options have worked for millions of babies around the world, and there are a few that you are definitely going to want to learn more about.
This is a great infant reflux product to try however you will have to be careful because doctors advise that you do not use pillows with babies while they are still that young. This is a specially designed pillow and so it does not pose threat as much as a normal pillow, but nonetheless while your baby is going through this difficult time you are going to want to keep an eye on them.
The Burp Rag
This is another infant reflux product, but one that is basically there to help with the mess. While adults usually do not spit up when they have acid reflux, unless it is very serious, with babies this is actually one of the main symptoms. With a burp rag around you are going to always have something that you can use to clean baby off, because the last thing that you want is this acidy spit up to be left on their face.
These are two great products, but if you want to learn about all the rest so that you can make sure that you are going to be getting the right products, along with appropriate treatment for your child, then you are going to want to talk to their doctor or another medical professional to make sure that you are getting what you need to help your baby here.
If you as an adult have ever experienced acid reflux, then you understand why infant reflux and sleep problems typically go hand in hand. It can be unbearable the amount of pain that acid reflux causes and so you often are not able to go to sleep and can barely even move when it is serious. The same goes for infants, and so if you are wondering why they are staying up at night and finding it hard to sleep, now you know.
Infant reflux and sleep problems are even more serious than in adults however, because babies are so tiny and they really need their sleep. Also, they do not understand what is going on and they don t know why they can t go to sleep and so they will just continue to get more frustrated and upset, and it is not their fault at all.
Filed under Heartburn by Robbie Cox

