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[I269]Infant Acid Reflux Treatment

by Keith George, Kei

Almost everyone has occasional heartburn. But if these symptoms occur two or more days a week for at least three months, you may have acid reflux. Acid reflux occurs when the lower esophageal sphincter, the valve separating the esophagus and stomach, does not close properly, allowing acid to back up into the esophagus.

Heartburn is in most cases harmless, even if you are not comfortable with it. It is common during pregnancy and is not dangerous.

Many also get a feeling of sickness, have a hollow feeling in the stomach and diffuse pain in the stomach or the chest combined with the heartburn. The acid reflux may cause you to cough during nighttime.

If the heartburn comes back often and you wake up with acid refluxes you should see this as a warning signal. You should watch your habits, for example what and how often you eat and drink.

Pregnancy and heartburn

It is common with heartburn during pregnancy, do not worry. Some day it's more, other days less. The reason for heartburn during pregnancy is that the pregnancy hormones make the uterus softer and easier to stretch out. The stomach, the upper part of the stomach, and the bowels are effected in the same way.

Acidity of the stomach can then come up in esophagus and cause heartburn. When uterus grows it will also push on the stomach. If you have serious problems, talk to your midwife.

What can You do - Prevention

Avoid bigger meals and much drinking late on the evening.
Avoid strong, spicy food and also fat food.
Quit smoking and be cautious with alcohol.
Try to avoid stress.
Eat on specific times and add something between meals.
Check your coffee- and tee-drinking.
Try to avoid heavy lifting and forward bending.

Medical examinations

If your doctor suspects that your problems are caused by a disease your doctor will do an endoscopy which can be performed in a hospital or the doctor's office. The doctor will spray your throat to numb it and slide down a thin, flexible plastic tube, the endoscope. A tiny camera in the endoscope allows the doctor to see the surface of the esophagus and to search for abnormalities.
With the endoscope one can also take a specimen.

Treatment

Some treatment is easy to say but perhaps not so easy to stick to.
- raise the head of your bed by six inches to allow gravity to help keep the stomach's contents in the stomach
- eat meals at least three to four hours before lying down and avoid bedtime snacks - eat smaller meals
- limit your consumption of fat foods, chocolate, peppermint, coffee, tea, colas, and alcohol and also, avoid tomatoes and citrus fruits or juices, which contribute additional acid that can irritate the esophagus
- quit smoking
- wear loose belts and clothing
- try to find your own way to raise your pH. Milk is good for some but not proved to work for everyone.

Your doctor may recommend over-the-counter antacids, which you can buy without a prescription. The doctor can also prescribe medications that stop acid production or help the muscles that empty your stomach.

Surgery is also an option when medicine and lifestyle changes do not work. It may also be a reasonable alternative to a lifetime of drugs and discomfort.

For those of you who have always thought that acid reflux just affects adults, well, think again. Infant acid reflux is believed to be one of the most terrible health conditions that often occur in babies.The disease is a body condition which allows stomach content to flow back into the throat via the esophagus.This brings about a burning sensation as the content comprises of body acid which is corrosive in nature. This condition is characterized by various causes, symptoms and even possible treatment.

The main symptoms of infant acid reflux include spitting up, frequent unexplainable crying and burping accompanied by the baby vomiting.When acid finds its way into the throat a painful sensation is felt and naturally the baby reacts by spitting up to try and remove the sour solution from the body and relieve himself of the painful ordeal and for this reason, the baby is seen to be spitting most of the time especially after meals.Unlike adults who are able to say and explain whatever is bothering them,most infants do not have words to put across.Therefore, the baby resorts to crying when he is subjected to intense pain caused by this health problem as it is almost the
only sure way for him to catch your attention and be provided with necessary help.

Vomiting and burping is another symptom of infant acid reflux used by many parents to confirm that their babies are suffering from the disease.It occurs after stuff from the stomach comes along with gas back to the throat. When this happens,a body reflex is triggered and gas comes out through the mouth andÂ burping is what follows next.If the stomach content is not able to be separated from the gas, then it will come out with it in the form of vomit.

One major cause of this terrible body condition is believed to be an underdeveloped digestive system. Ingested food does not get properly digested and this reduces the rate of food metabolism significantly.A lot of discomfort is brought about to the infant as the stomach is kept full and pressure within it increases as a result of the action. When much pressure is developed, the food content together with gastric acid from the stomach is forced to go up the esophagus and possibly find its way into the throat.The infant gets a terrible feeling due to acid subjecting the tender tissues to some form of burning and this automatically does not go down well with the baby.

Another cause of infant acid reflux is the presence of a defective valve that covers the top of the esophagus. The valve is supposed to work by only allowing content from the mouth to move down to the stomach and not the other way round. When the valve is defective enough to allow substance coming from the stomach to pass and enter the throat area, body acid takes the opportunity also to pass.A reaction coming from the corrosive acid and the baby's tender tissues brings with it a burning sensation and naturally the infant will react the best way it knows how.

Having stated the above causes of this disease,it is almost second nature to want to know about the treatment of infant acid reflux. Few remedies like elevating the baby's upper body part when sleeping could be used to restrain the acid from reaching the throat area due to gravitational forces coming from the stomach pulling it down. Another remedy is to ensure that the baby gets to take a lot of water which will help him flash and clear away any presence of acid in the esophagus hence preventing it from ever reaching the throat.You will notice that no major treatment is being mentioned here.The reason is that, infant acid reflux is said to disappear on its own when the baby reaches the age of about one year and if it persists, then medical attention should be sought and after learning about this disease,ensure that your baby does not suffer from it.

Wangeci Kinyanjui has been researching and reporting on Health Matters for years.For more information on infant acid reflux visit her site at

Article Source : Pg. 9

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Both Keith George & Wangeci Kinyanjui are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Keith George has sinced written about articles on various topics from Golf Guide, Legal Matters and Science. Keith George always writes about valuable news & reviews.A related resource is Further information can be found at. Keith George's top article generates over 450000 views. to your Favourites.

Wangeci Kinyanjui has sinced written about articles on various topics from Yeast Infection, Infections and Yeast Infection. Wangeci Kinyanjui is an expert on research and reporting on Health Matters for years.To get more information visit her site at . Wangeci Kinyanjui's top article generates over 14800 views. to your Favourites.