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Introduction
Heartburn affects most adults at some point, whether it strikes after consuming a certain type of meal or during pregnancy. However, its symptoms can be very uncomfortable.
The burning is usually in your chest and back of the throat; that can be nearly intolerable at times.
However, you need not worry; just like numerous chronic heartburn diseases, different remedies can resolve your issue.
One of the major steps is to consult with a GERD or gastroesophageal reflux disease professional. They will help you diagnose acid reflux based on a history of symptoms and physical examination.
In this article, we will emphasize different treatment procedures that an acid reflux specialist will use to help you manage chronic heartburn.
What Are The Symptoms Of Heartburn?
There are a few chronic symptoms that will help you distinguish between esophageal disorder or heartburn from a heart attack. Here are some common symptoms that you need to be alert of:
- A sour taste in the mouth.
- Burping.
- Nausea.
- Regurgitation of food.
- Stomach bloating.
- Hiccups.
- Chronic cough.
- Sore throat.
- Worsening asthma.
- Chest pain is like angina.
- Difficulty in swallowing.
- Feeling a lump in your throat.
Ways Specialists Can Help Manage Chronic Heartburn
Here are important suggestions that an acid reflux specialist will help you get treated.
1. Prescribe Antacids
A specialist can first prescribe antacids like Rolaids and Tums. These medicines help neutralize stomach acids so that when reflux occurs, it is not acidic to your esophagus.
Therefore, they often have ingredients that may treat other symptoms as well. For instance, simethicone will help you treat gas, and magnesium will help you relieve mild constipation.
Furthermore, the medicines work effectively if you are suffering from occasional heartburn. But they can have side effects if you take them too often.
2. Provide PPIs
If you have signs of tissue damage in your esophagus, it is highly recommended that you consult a specialist immediately.
Relative to this chronic suffering, your specialist might consult to undergo PPIs.
PPIs or Proton Pump Inhibitors are stronger acid blockers that help to heal the tissues of your stomach lining.
Therefore, if your heartburn is relatively severe, your acid reflux professional may prescribe you first-line treatment. This procedure is 90% effective in reducing acid reflux.
So, if you have esophageal ulcers, there is only medicine that will help you heal them.
3. Suggest Fundoplication
If an acid reflux specialist detects no response from the medication of ongoing treatment, then you might be suggested fundoplication.
There are two types of fundoplication procedures, and they are:
- Nissen fundoplication: This minor surgical procedure tightens the junction between the esophagus and stomach. Thus, it is very effective in treating GRED and its symptoms.
- LXN Device: This form of treatment is another minimally invasive surgery that implants an LNX device. It is an alarm of tiny magnets that assist in the junction between the esophagus and stomach closed to reflux.
- Transoral incisionless fundoplication: This is nonsurgical and the same method as nissen fundoplication.
Therefore, if you are looking for a long-term prescription, consult Dr. Jamie Koufman. She is a world-renowned respiratory reflex expert who is confined to conventional medication.
4. Endoscopic Treatment
The aim of this treatment procedure is the same as that of surgery.
Instead, the doctors emphasize a thin tube called an endoscope down the throat and into the esophagus.
Therefore, the specialist uses stitches and heat to create scar tissue to tighten the sphincter and stop the stomach from leaking acid.
Furthermore, new treatment procedures are available, like using implants to keep the acid from seeping out of the stomach. The specialist might suggest the LINX system, which will include titanium beads linked to a retaining wall.
In addition, transoral incisionless fundoplication is a new form of therapy that a specialist might perform. This procedure is effective for short-term results.
5. Functional Diagnosis
In order to detect heartburn, your professional might suggest you get diagnosed first.
Firstly, you might be suggested to have an x-ray. This will help them view the shape and condition of the stomach and esophagus.
Secondly, an endoscopy. The test results will help the specialist view your esophagus with a tiny camera to check for irregularities. The tissue samples may be taken for analysis.
Lastly, acid reflux might suggest that you undergo esophageal motility testing. This will help the doctor anticipate and measure movement and pressure in the esophagus.
GERD Treatment: Lifestyle And Dietary Changes
The first steps specialists recommend when treating chronic heartburn are lifecycle and dietary changes.
Therefore, there are certain foods that make GERD worse. We suggest you help alleviate symptoms, which include:
- Lose weight if you are overweight.
- Avoid food that includes the level of acid in your stomach. This includes caffeinated beverages.
- Avoid large meals.
- Do not lie down immediately after a meal.
- Elevate the level of the head when you lie down.
- Quit smoking.
- Stop eating foods that affect peristalsis, such as acid liquids, coffee, and alcohol.
- Avoid food that slows gastric emptying, such as fatty foods.
Consult A Specialist Today
Occasional heartburn is common; most people can manage it with small adjustments. But, if you are suffering frequently, it is time you may need medical care.
Thus, for some of you, the specialist recommends seeing a gastroenterologist. The professional will help you undergo the right treatment and lead a healthier lifestyle.
Do not leave chronic heartburn untreated. Consider booking your appointment today with a renowned specialist.