Acid Reflux
February 17, 2012 by Chris
Filed under Acid reflux
Have you ever wondered why your breath smells bad? Of course the answer would be yes. Maybe, when you have noticed even the first sign of bad breath, the first thing that will come in your mind is cure, remedy, treatment, and anything that will take this bad breath away. However, resorting to all kind of remedies and treatments cannot promise immediate cure to your bad breath. You must know the cause first before curing; but if you have acid reflux, this might be the cause of bad breath.
Acid reflux happens when the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) does not close and allows acid from the stomach to go up to the esophagus. The lining in the stomach can contain acids but the esophagus cannot. This happens to everyone once in a while, but if acid reflux occurs almost every day, the person might be suffering from gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERD. This acid which goes up is the chemical that causes the bad breath.
So as you can see, to cure bad breath caused by acid reflux, we must first cure acid reflux itself. This will let you prevent bad breath even before it happens. One can recognize that he has an acid reflux when he frequently experiences heart burn. Heartburn is the sensation of pain in the chest or abdomen area. Regurgitation or bitter taste in the mouth from the throat is also a sign of acid reflux. When one suffers dysphalgia or difficulty in swallowing, one cause of it may be acid reflux.
The main cause of acid reflux is the failure of the LES to close and stop acid from coming up to the esophagus. However, there are some daily practices of a person that induces the failure of LES to close. First is lying down immediately after a heavy meal. After a meal, the stomach releases acid to digest the food, if the person immediately lies down, there is a possibility that if the LES opens, the acid secreted in the stomach goes up to the esophagus. Food and beverages contributing to acid reflux are fatty foods, chocolate, citrus fruits, spicy foods, tomato, onion, garlic and garlic. Drinks with caffeine, alcohol, and carbonated drinks also cause acid reflux.
To cure or treat acid reflux and cure bad breath as well, eat only in small amounts throughout the day. Also remember not to immediately lie down after a meal. Avoiding the food and beverages mentioned earlier are also ways to get rid of acid reflux. Acid suppressants like histamine2-receptor antagonists and over-the-counter antacids are medications that might work.
Like any other disease, the three step mantra of knowing you have the disease, knowing the cause of the disease, and curing the disease will never let you down.
