Acid reflux is a condition that can lead to more serious health problems if left untreated. If you suspect that you might be suffering from acid reflux symptoms, a visit to the doctor should benefit you. The most common acid reflux symptoms are heartburn and acid regurgitation. Keep in mind that you can have acid reflux without suffering from heartburn. Instead, other acid reflux symptoms might be felt, including pain in the chest area, scratchy throat in the morning, or difficulty swallowing. It may feel as if you have food stuck in your throat. It might also feel as if your throat is tightening up, or that you're choking. Other acid reflux symptoms include dry cough and bad breath.
While there is no cure for acid reflux, you can successfully treat acid reflux symptoms. For example, an alternative treatment to drugs or medication is to supplement with digestive enzymes before meals. Taking digestive enzymes assist your stomach with food digestion and keep your stomach from working too hard. You can find digestive enzymes in health food stores.
Reducing your cold liquid intake during meals can help treat acid reflux. When you ingest cold liquids at mealtime, it decreases your stomach's digestive activity, causing your food to take longer to digest. Water, for example, dilutes the strength of the hydrochloric acid in your stomach. When you do need to drink during a meal, try drinking water at room temperature.
Increasing your vegetable intake can help with acid reflux symptoms. When you eat vegetables, especially fibrous vegetables like broccoli, lettuce, and sprouts, it takes up more room in your stomach without the bulk of meat. When the room is used up, you will tend to eat less of the bulky foods that are slower to digest and increase the pressure in your stomach. You can also eat multi-grain breads and other fibrous products to accomplish the same thing. Along the same lines, overeating is to be avoided.
If acid reflux symptoms persist, you should consult with your doctor. One of the things he might perform is a barium swallow radiograph. This diagnostic tool uses X-rays to locate anomalies, such as a severe inflammation of the esophagus, or a hiatal hernia. However, mild irritation of the esophagus will not be detected. Other problems such as esophageal narrowing or ulcers can be detected.
An upper endoscopy might also be performed. It is more accurate than the barium swallow radiograph. An anesthetic is used to numb your throat. Then an endoscope, or thin plastic tube, is inserted into your throat, where an attached camera will allow the doctor to examine the esophagus to find any anomalies that may be present.
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For more information about heartburn,please click What is Acid Reflux Disease and what does heartburn feel like .
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