Navigating Healthcare: A Guide to Modern Medicine and Wellness

Acid Reflux

What is Indigestion?

During your high school and college years, pizza was your go-to food 24/7; you ate that hot and piping pizza pie when it was delivered, and ice cold the next morning.  Your stomach never rebelled one iota.  So …

Suddenly, that ooey-gooey crust or that tangy tomato sauce leaves you feeling like your innards are on fire.  After vowing to stop patronizing that pizza joint going forward, you might think “do they make pizza differently these days … or is it me?”  Well, if you really have to ask that question, perhaps it is time to make an appointment with a gastroenterologist to have your GI tract checked out to ensure everything is okay.  Gastroenterologists deal with all types of stomach ailments and should be able to quickly determine if your pain is caused by simple indigestion or is a symptom of a serious stomach condition.

But first, let’s delve a little into the topic of indigestion.

How to Reduce Acid Reflux

Reduce Acid RefluxMost people have had heartburn every now and again. It’s that painful, burning feeling you get in your chest that usually occurs after you’ve eaten something you likely know you shouldn’t have. It can also happen when you’ve overindulged in a food that wouldn’t normally give you heartburn … if only you’d eaten it in moderation. Occasional heartburn isn’t considered a medical problem. It’s when you start experiencing that painful, burning sensation on a regular or recurring basis that it can turn into a health concern. That’s when it turns from an infrequent occurrence to a medical condition known as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), more commonly referred to as ‘acid reflux.’ Acid reflux not only can cause discomfort and pain that can eventually become severe. It can also take a chunk out of your active lifestyle that you’re not willing to give. Top gastroenterologists  recommend taking some of the following steps toward reducing acid reflux in order to reduce the pain and additional symptoms that can accompany this medical condition.

What is Acid Reflux Disease?

If you’re like most, your busy schedule has you constantly on the go. You run from work to pick up the kids from school; then you take them to ballgames or ballet class. You don’t get home until late, and tomorrow you do it all again. Most nights, you’re running from one activity to another, and all that running around leaves you very little time to prepare healthy meals, and you end up grabbing whatever you can between the chaos. But all the eating on the go can bring on that red-hot pain in your chest that most of us call heartburn, but GI doctors call ‘acid reflux.’ And the busier your schedule, the more acid reflux you get, until it becomes a routine part of life. If you find yourself getting the symptoms of acid reflux more than once a week, it may be time to see a gastroenterologist, or GI doctor.