Severe or prolonged acid reflux heartburn symptoms that do not respond to natural remedies need to be addressed by your physician. This should be done well before complications arise as a result of a more serious condition. Remember you can ignore acid reflux heartburn for a short time but the symptoms will not go away without treatment. You need to take action and get help now.



First You need to contact your family physician. A correct diagnosis of your condition will lead your doctor to prescribe medications that will assist you in curing your acid relux heartburn. Occassionally he may also prescribe additional test. Commonly an EMS or esophageal motility study will be performed. The test will allow the doctor to closely examine the function of the valve between the stomach and the esophagus.

During the test the doctor or physicians assistant will run a catheter into the nose, guiding it down the esophagus and into the stomach. Also during the test you will told to take deep breaths as well as drink small amounts of water. The catheter will be withdrawn slowly and pressure readings will be taken during this process. It is critical to measure the ability fo the sphincter valve to function correctly. Only then can your acid reflux heartburn condtition be addressed.

Depending on the individual the motility test can be frightening and uncomfortable. It is seldom painful and the key is to remain as relaxed as possible. A small amount of gagging or coughing is normal during the initial phase of the test. Normally the test is completed in less than a hour and after a short period of recovery many people return to work or home. You may suffer from a slight sore throat for a short time but this is usually gone within 24 hours.

Now days this process is frequently done using a small fiber optic cable attached to a camera or monitor. This has special advantages in that it can also observe damage to the esophagus and sphincter caused by acid reflux. It also can detect other problems associated with esophagus like GERD, cancer or possible hernia.

Remember not contacting your physician about your severe acid reflux problem may lead to a more serious condition. Simple outpatient testing may be required to get a good diagnosis of your problem. Most of the time you can cure your acid reflux by using natural remedies in conjunction with changes in your lifestyle. If you continue to have serious symptoms you need to get help. There is no reason to suffer from the pain of acid reflux heartburn.