Symptoms of Acid Reflux:

What Is It, Anyway?

There seems to be some confusion regarding what acid reflux actually is, mainly because there are a number of related terms that are used interchangeably -- like heartburn, indigestion, and GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease) -- even though they don't mean the same thing.

So to help you better understand what you may be experiencing, here's an explanation of the most common terms:

• Acid Reflux -- Acid reflux occurs when hydrochloric acid from the stomach --instrumental in digesting food -- leaks into the esophagus. This happens either because the valve that separates the stomach and esophagus isn't closing fully, or because the acids in your body are out of balance. The result of this acid in your esophagus is the familiar burning pain in your chest and bitter taste in your mouth.
• Heartburn -- Heartburn is simply a symptom of acid reflux, rather than an actual condition of its own. It's the word used to describe the sensation you feel when stomach acid escapes up into your esophagus.
• Acid Indigestion -- This is just another name for heartburn.
• GERD (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease) -- While the occasional bout of acid reflux is common, particularly after eating certain types of food, if you experience acid reflux more than twice each week, you may have a more chronic form of acid reflux, GERD. If left untreated, GERD can cause some fairly severe medical issues, including esophageal cancer.

The Common Symptoms of Acid Reflux

The symptoms of acid reflux occur most often after eating a heavy meal, laying down on your back, exercising or lifting heavy objects, or bending over, and include:

Heartburn

Despite its name, heartburn has nothing to do with your heart. It refers to the burning pain you typically experience in your chest -- or even your abdomen or throat -- during a bout of acid reflux. As mentioned previously, heartburn is a symptom of acid reflux, not a condition in itself.

Regurgitation

A second symptom typical of acid reflux is regurgitation. This is when the acid actually backs up into your throat or mouth. This in turn creates a sour or bitter taste in your mouth, and can even lead to vomiting.

Stomach Discomfort (Dyspepsia)

Many people who have acid reflux suffer with a range of symptoms that are included under the term dyspepsia, which refers to a general stomach discomfort. These symptoms include:

• burping
• stomach fullness or bloating
• nausea after eating
• upper abdominal pain and discomfort

Other General Symptoms

Not all symptoms of acid reflux are directly related to stomach discomfort. You may have other symptoms that you don't even recognize as being caused by acid reflux, including:

• asthma-like symptoms, such as wheezing or dry cough
• hoarseness, especially in the morning
• chronic sore throat
• extended bouts of hiccups
• nausea

If you experience any of the above symptoms for longer than two weeks, be sure to contact your doctor, who can evaluate your condition and recommend the appropriate course of action.

More Severe Symptoms

While many of the symptoms of acid reflux are easy to overlook, some symptoms are far more severe. These include:

• weight loss
• vomit that contains blood
• black, tarry, or maroon-colored stools
• difficulty or pain with swallowing

If you experience any of these more severe symptoms, be sure to contact your doctor immediately for a complete medical evaluation.

How Acid Reflux Occurs:

A Look At The Digestive System

To understand how acid reflux occurs, it's helpful to first have a general understanding of how your digestive system works.

In their natural state, the foods we eat are not in a form that our bodies can use to create energy. The foods must first be broken down into smaller molecules, so that they can be absorbed into the blood, then carried to cells throughout the body.

Digestion is the process by which this happens.

Your digestive system consists of the digestive tract (mouth, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, rectum, and anus) and other organs (liver, pancreas, gallbladder), which all work together to help your body break down food and absorb nutrients.

• Your mouth, stomach, and small intestine contain glands that produce digestive enzymes, which help to break down the food.
• Your liver and pancreas produce more digestive enzymes, which are stored in the gallbladder, and passed along to the intestine when needed.
• The digestive tract also contains muscle that helps move the food, and is protected by a lining called the mucosa.

Digestive Enzymes and Acids

Your body contains four main types of enzymes which, along with hydrochloric acid produced in the stomach, are necessary for digestion.

Each group of enzymes is classified by the molecules upon which they act. During digestion, all four groups work together to break down proteins, fats, sugars, and carbohydrates into nutrients that the cells can absorb.

These four main enzyme groups are:

1. 
   

   Amylase -- The enzymes in this group are produced by your salivary and pancreatic glands. Their main function is to break down carbohydrates from foods like bread, potatoes, pastries, rice, and pasta into a form that your body can use for energy.

   First, the amylase in the saliva and pancreatic juice breaks the starch into molecules called maltose. Then, an enzyme in the lining of the small intestine, called maltase, splits the maltose into glucose molecules that can be absorbed into the blood.

2. 
   

   Protease -- These digestive enzymes are produced in your stomach and pancreas, and mix with the hydrochloric acid that your stomach produces. Combined, they break down proteins in foods such as meat, eggs, and beans, into amino acids, called peptides, which are essential for the health of every cell in your body.

   
   

   These peptides can be absorbed from the hollow of the small intestine into the blood and then be carried to all parts of the body to build the walls and other parts of cells.

3. 
   

   Lipase -- These are a group of digestive enzymes produced primarily in the pancreas, but also found in the mouth and stomach. Their purpose is to break down fats -- also known as lipids -- into glycerol and fatty acids.

   The bile acids combine with the fatty acids and cholesterol and help these molecules to move into the cells of the mucosa, where they're formed back into large molecules, most of which pass into vessels (called lymphatics) near the intestine. These small vessels carry the reformed fat to the veins of the chest, and the blood carries the fat to storage depots in different parts of the body.

4. 
   
   

   Nuclease -- The fourth group of digestive enzymes is produced by the pancreas. Their function is to break down sugars into nucleic acids, the building blocks of all living organisms.

The Mechanics of Digestion

Digestion starts in your mouth, when you chew and swallow.

The swallowed food is pushed into your esophagus, which connects the throat above with the stomach below. Where your esophagus and stomach join, there is a ring-like muscle, called the lower esophageal sphincter. Once the food passes into your stomach, the ring closes to keep the two separate.

The stomach stores the swallowed food and liquid, then mixes it with the hydrochloric acid it produces, to continue breaking it down. The stomach then empties its contents slowly into the small intestine.

As the food dissolves into the juices from the pancreas, liver, and intestine, the contents of the intestine are mixed and pushed forward to allow further digestion.

Finally, the digested nutrients are absorbed through the intestinal walls and transported throughout the body. The waste products of this process include undigested parts of the food, known as fibre, and older cells that have been shed from the mucosa. These materials are pushed into the colon, where they remain until the feces are expelled by a bowel movement.

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How Acid Reflux Occurs

As previously outlined, acid reflux occurs when hydrochloric acid from the stomach -- instrumental in digesting food -- leaks into the esophagus.

There are a couple of different ways this can happen:

Cause #1 - Failure of the lower esophageal sphincter

If your acid reflux has been ongoing, or you're experiencing more severe symptoms that may include weight loss, vomiting blood, black stools, or painful swallowing...

... Then you should see a medical professional *immediately*.

It may be a sign that your acid reflux is caused by a failure of the lower esophageal sphincter, and left untreated, it can lead to some extreme medical conditions including esophageal cancer, narrowing of the esophagus, asthma, and dental problems.

If your acid reflux/GERD/heartburn is caused by a failure of your lower esophageal sphincter, which isn't closing fully and allowing the contents of your stomach to reach the esophagus, you will require treatment by trained medical professionals.

Talk to your doctor before discontinuing any recommended treatment program or prescription.

Cause #2 - Not enough digestive enzymes

Digestive enzymes, along with hydrochloric acid, are absolutely *essential* for the digestion and metabolism of food you eat.

Unfortunately, factors like age, poor diet, stress, antibiotics, poor health, and eating too fast can all contribute to our bodies producing fewer and fewer digestive enzymes, throwing off the delicate balance of enzymes and acid in our stomachs.

And this can kick off a vicious cycle:

As you can see, if you've only been dealing with the PAIN of your acid reflux until now, you may have only been dealing with a SYMPTOM, not the real cause!

And it's quite possible that you've been making your acid reflux WORSE through use of antacids, which create a hostile environment for critical digestive enzymes!

So what's the answer? Why not skip the antacids and try rebalancing your digestive enzymes to bring down your hydrochloric acid production and enjoy better overall digestive health!

Why You MUST Deal With Your Acid Reflux

For most people, an occasional bout of acid reflux is viewed more as an inconvenience than a medical issue, and so they ignore it, or take an antacid or two.

But it's important to understand that ongoing, chronic acid reflux, when left untreated, can lead to some very harmful medical conditions, including:

Esophagitis, Barrett's Esophagus, and Esophageal Cancer

Backed-up stomach acids can injure the sensitive lining of the esophagus, which leads to a painful inflammation called esophagitis. Eventually, the acid wears away at the esophagus, causing bleeding. If the bleeding is heavy enough, blood can pass into the digestive tract and show up as dark, tarry stools.

In a small percentage of people, long-term acid exposure from GERD leads to a condition called Barrett's esophagus (BE). With this condition, new cells form to take the place of those damaged by acid reflux. These new cells, however, are abnormal, and have the potential to turn cancerous.

Narrowing of the Esophagus

Damage to the esophagus over time also can produce scarring, called strictures, which narrow the opening of the esophagus. These narrowed passages can make swallowing difficult and interfere with food and liquids getting into the stomach.

Asthma and Other Respiratory Problems

Asthma and heartburn are often interconnected. One possible explanation of the connection between GERD and asthma is that acid that backs up from the stomach gets into the airways. Chronic acid reflux has also been linked to several other respiratory conditions, including:

• chronic bronchitis
• chronic cough
• chronic sinusitis
• emphysema
• pulmonary fibrosis (lung scarring)
• recurrent pneumonia

Voice and Throat Problems

Acids can affect the throat, leading to hoarseness and laryngitis. Some people, particularly those with very severe acid reflux, have reported voice changes.

Dental Problems

When harsh acids make their way into the mouth, they can break down tooth enamel. A number of studies have noted that people with GERD have more dental erosion than normal. The condition can also lead to bad breath and an increase in saliva production.