Conventional treatments are often used for relief by millions of individuals enduring the pain and discomfort of symptoms of gastro esophageal disease, the most widespread of which is in all certainty heartburn. Very popular at the moment, one of these heartburn medications, Nexium, even scored as the number three worldwide for drug sales, amassing up over $5.7 billion in 2005.

1. The mounting number of GERD (Acid Reflux) patients in the western world will only continue. In 2006 alone, there were approximately 25 million acid reflux patients with recurrent heartburn in America. 2.Drugs for GERD are marketed with huge financial resources, advertising and publicity, and by physicians prescribing them to patients. 3. Consumers can now purchase such drugs over the counter, a big change from the prescription that was required before. A decade ago, the Food and Drug Administration agreed to over the counter sales of Pepcid AC, Tagamet HB, Zantac 75 and extended a number of other medicaments from the prescription-only list.

Before any definitive opinion on the subject, let's quickly review the nature of acid reflux disease and heartburn, its most frequent outer sign. With the rising popularity of conventional heartburn medicine, one can question the results of using such medicine is whether such drugs have the desired results when it comes to resolving the basic cause of this medical problem and if the alleviation justifies the secondary effects.

Another factor that encouraging conditions for GERD is when the esophagus fails to evacuate gastric juices. In physiological terms, GERD is the after effect of the esophagus having excessively high exposure to stomach juices. This problem comes about because of a weakened LES or lower esophageal sphincter. The LES muscle is a circular valve separating the esophagus from the stomach. In cases of acid reflux disease, the LES does not close correctly, and stomach contents moves back up into the esophagus, giving symptoms of heartburn.

These hidden elements must be treated. If not, there is no permanent answer for this medical problem. It turns out that as well as local reasons for acid reflux, other reasons include genetic characteristics (independent of our control) and other hidden factors and co-factors that creating the context that triggers acid reflux.

Any GERD medication will be one of four kinds:

1. Antacids, an example being Alka-Seltzer, bringing relief of a few hours by the neutralization of acid in the esophagus. Upon taking the antacid, the neutralization of the stomach acid begins instantaneously, to limit the esophageal corrosion. 2. Alginates relieve symptoms by creating a "wrapper" that wraps around the stomach contents to decrease reflux. 3. H2-receptor antagonists such as HB, Zantac 75 and Pepcid AC are preventing the stomach cells from leaking acid, actually stop the gastric system and the stomach from producing acid. Patients must use H2-receptor antagonists ahead of any heartburn if relief is to be effected. 4. Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPI) such as Nexium, which stop the "proton pump" in gastric cells from functioning in order to prevent acid being generated.

In the end, adopting medication as the only solution to treat heartburn is an unsatisfactory approach, only working on the symptoms but missing the root cause of GERD. Neglect of causes such as these can degrade your condition over time and even result in further medical complications. Such treatments for heartburn may also have serious side effects. Headaches, diarrhea and in some cases osteoporosis are among the additional ailments possible. Also, their long-term impact is weak and the chance of physical long-term dependency therefore more pronounced.

Using a holistic agenda, with particular herbal and vitamin elements, and by sticking to a complete set of dietary principles, getting rid of toxins and using Candida control protocols, a natural and lasting cure is available for your medical problem. Now you know that your discomforting and painful heartburn symptoms of GERD can be eradicated in a lasting and holistic way without recourse to medication for heartburn.