Khim Lim asked:


Many used the terms indigestion and acid reflux interchangeably and to mean the same thing. However, in reality, there are a number of differences between the two conditions. Although acid reflux symptoms are similar to those that you experienced with indigestion, they are more often than not a lot more severe and can last more than a few hours.

In its most serious form, acid reflux is known as Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD). GERD is characterised by pain in the oesophagus and throat where the acid from the stomach causes damage to the lining. These symptoms can often only be relieved with medications and so it is important that anyone suffering from prolonged pain to consult the doctor with little delay.

If left untreated the acid reflux symptoms can become unbearable as the lining of the oesophagus is slowly eroded away by the stomach acid. The worst case scenario is that oesophageal cancer or any of the other serious and potentially life-threatening throat conditions develop which are a lot harder to treat than the initial complaint.

Indigestion is often thought to be a milder version although this is not technically true. Some of the symptoms are similar however indigestion has a number of symptoms not experienced in acid reflux and vice versa. For example, one of the most common symptoms of indigestion is gassy episodes and often these episodes are felt by sufferers of true acid reflux. Indigestion sufferers may also have an uncomfortable feeling around the chest and shoulder area that is not relieved by burping.

If you over-eat or eat too quickly, there is a good chance of getting indigestion. Basically, you have just bombarded your stomach with food and acid is produced in large quantities. Acid reflux however is caused when the sphincter at the top of the stomach is weakened and the stomach acid is allowed to travel up the oesophagus and often into the throat. Because of different causes, you feel the major symptoms of the two conditions in different parts of the body; that is, the chest in indigestion and the throat/oesophagus in acid reflux.

Whether you are having indigestion or acid reflux, you are likely to experience pain and a great deal of discomfort. The good news is that both can be managed with changing your eating and lifestyle habits. Making a few changes can help you to alleviate the pain that accompany their symptoms. Where you experience extreme pain, despite making these lifestyle changes, you should see a doctor quickly.



Floyd

Khim Lim asked:


Indigestion regularly affect over 35% of all Americans. Indigestion can happen due to eating too quickly and eating too much at one go. There are many home indigestion remedy ideas that have been used to combat the painful symptoms associated with the condition. Here are a couple of them for you to consider.

Baking soda has been shown to be a popular and effective home remedy. In fact, there are many of the indigestion remedy products for sale in the pharmacies are based on sodium bicarbonate (baking soda). By dissolving a small amount of baking soda in water and drinking it the excess acid in the stomach which causes the pain can be neutralized. This indigestion remedy is good for occasional indigestion however using it on a regular basis can lead to water retention and alkalinity of the blood which are undoubtedly much more serious conditions than the original acid reflux!

Trapped gas in the stomach makes the pain of acid reflux worse as the acid is pushed out of the stomach and up the oesophagus with more force. Therefore some Americans do their best to burp the excess gas out and so relieve the pressure and pain. One extreme way to do this is to lie on the floor on your stomach so applying maximum pressure to the area. This however is not advisable, especially just after a meal as vomiting and other related pain i.e. in the intestines and bladder, can often occur.

Continuing with the burping theme, other individuals have found that drinking fizzy beverages and in particular ginger ale helps to relieve trapped gas and so they used the drink as an indigestion remedy. While this is more preferable to lying on the stomach it is still an odd treatment and should only be tried if you know you are not sensitive to fizzy drinks i.e. if you know that fizzy drinks make your acid reflux worse then do not try this remedy in order to burp out trapped gas.

This last home indigestion remedy idea is the most bizarre. According to some, blowing tobacco smoke into the stomach of an acid reflux sufferer can drive out the evil spirits that are causing the pain. Whether this is because the sufferer is physically sick from the smoke and so expels the excess acid remains to be seen. But it sure is an idea that you may dismiss as a myth .



Albert