You may already know that acid reflux is a common disease produced by the stomach, but there are some surprising facts about the condition that you may not be aware of. A top search query on the internet, acid reflux is something that many people suffer with and recognising the symptoms is essential for treatment. So to provide you with better awareness about the disease itself, here are some things you probably didn’t know about acid reflux!
1. Acid Reflux Affects Everyone
Originally, acid reflux disease was thought to only affect white males over 50, however that is no longer the case. In America, about a third of the population suffers from acid reflux including every race, gender and adult age group.
2.There Are Two Types
Reflux can occur either in the throat (throat burn) or as heartburn. Essentially, throat burn is a form of acid reflux but without any heartburn issues. The medical term for heartburn is known as GERD (gastro-esophageal reflux disease) and for throat burn it is LPR (laryngopharyngeal reflux).
3. Acid Reflux Can Lead To Serious Problems
If left untreated, the disease can lead to severe inflammation of the esophagus, stomach, lungs and throat. In some rare cases, acid reflux can progress to esophageal cancer, a fast growing condition in America and Europe.
4. Avoid Acidic Foods
Although more obvious diet changes are essential for treatment such as losing weight and stopping smoking, you should also try to avoid acidic foods such as caffeine, mint, alcohol, tomato, honey and garlic. This is because acidic foods affect the muscle between the stomach and the esophagus.
5. You Can Add Alkaline Foods To Your Diet
It is best to eat healthy acidic foods with more alkaline items such as unsweetened almond milk which can be added to berries and honey.
6. Acid Reflux Can Be Diagnosed Without Sedation
Originally, the way to diagnose acid reflux was to place a large camera in the mouth when patients were sedated in order to avoid the effects of gag reflux. These days, the procedure is much safer since the diagnosis can take place with an ultra thin camera whilst the patient is awake.
Although we are not medical experts here at CosyCo, we hope that these unusual facts will give you a bit more insight into the condition. In addition, we recognise the symptoms and discomfort of reflux and aim to supply you with high quality products to help treat it.
