Virtually everyone has experienced heartburn at one time or another, and usually having a case of indigestion or heartburn is not going to cause you a lot of problems or be something so serious that it requires medical intervention.  However, it’s important to know the acid reflux symptoms and when an occasional bout of heartburn or indigestion should be considered acid reflux, because this disease is actually very serious and needs to be addressed.

Acid reflux symptoms typically mimic those of heartburn.  There is a burning sensation that can radiate anywhere from the stomach to the mouth.  This burning feeling can be slightly uncomfortable to downright painful.  It may actually happen in the chest area closer to the throat than just along the stomach area.  Other acid reflux symptoms, along with the burning, include pressure and squeezing in the chest, especially after you’ve eaten.  This pressure can also radiate from the stomach all the way up to the throat and can be slightly uncomfortable to downright debilitating.  Some report that the pressure is so bad that they have a hard time even moving, as this just increases the discomfort in this area.  Many acid reflux symptoms are like that – they cause discomfort to the point where the sufferer does not want to move so as to not make the pain any worse.

Other acid reflux symptoms include a pressure or choking sensation when you swallow food.  Patients report being very aware of the food moving down the esophagus, something that you shouldn’t be feeling.  This is usually happening when a person develops strictures, which are tiny holes or erosions in the esophagus due to acid reflux.  Strictures are actually very dangerous and can lead to ulcers and internal bleeding.  The biggest problem that most patients have with these acid reflux symptoms of strictures and holes in the esophagus is the pain they feel when eating.  Meals can be very uncomfortable and even downright painful, while eating and afterwards as well.  Sometimes patients begin to neglect good dietary habits as soft foods are less painful to swallow, and they soon start to lack the vitamins and amino acids they would get from protein and other such foods.

It’s also true that many acid reflux symptoms mimic those of a heart attack or other heart condition.  The pressure and squeezing one feels in the chest area can be mistaken for a heart attack, and vice versa – a person can be having heart problems but mistake those symptoms for acid reflux symptoms.  In either case, a patient can be subjected to unnecessary medical tests as emergency personnel assume he or she is having a heart attack, or a person can assume their heart attack is acid reflux.  Both scenarios are very dangerous.

If you have any acid reflux symptoms, it’s important that you speak to your doctor and have it treated properly.  You need to make sure your chest pains aren’t the signs of a heart attack, and also need to be sure you’re not doing untold damage to your digestive system.

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Article Written By J. Foley

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When considering what foods to avoid with acid reflux, there are two very important points to consider.  The first is that you want to make note of the foods that typically cause acid reflux flare-ups.  These are foods that are high in acid content themselves; their acid coupled with the acid from your stomach is going to overload your system and cause reflux.  Foods high in acid content include red meat of any variety, citrus fruits (limes, lemons, oranges, grapefruits, tomatoes), spicy foods such as garlic, onions, and peppers, cranberries, strawberries, raspberries, wine, coffee, tea, cola, and dairy products high in lactose content such as yogurt, milk, and ice cream.  Other foods to avoid with acid reflux are those cooked in heavy oils.  This mean fried foods of any sort, potato chips and other such snack items, and fries.  Also, most packaged foods use oil as a preservative, so you may also want to avoid toaster pastries and foods such as these.  Fast foods are typically also fried in oils, so drive-through hamburgers may need to be avoided.

The other consideration when it comes to foods to avoid with acid reflux is being mindful of what foods seem to cause a flare-up with you personally.  It’s a good idea to keep an eating diary for a few weeks, with notes about what you eat, how much, and when you’ve eaten it.  Also note your acid reflux flare-ups and the time.  This way you can compare the two – if you have a small bag of potato chips as a snack at 3:00 and note that you have a flare-up at 3:30, then you know you’re very sensitive to the oils used in those chips.  Some people need to add to their list of foods to avoid with acid reflux items such as yogurt, cheese, chocolate, certain grains such as macaroni or spaghetti, and desserts that are baked with a lot of oil such as cake, cookies, and brownies.

Everyone’s system is different and sensitive to different things; your list of foods to avoid with acid reflux might be very different than someone else’s.  Along those lines, if you note that strawberries and tomatoes don’t bother you, then of course you can indulge in these foods.

Cure Heartburn, Acid Reflux (Gerd) & Hiatal Hernia Naturally Using The Only Clinically Proven & Unique 5-Step Holistic Acid Reflux System. Click Here

Article Written By J. Foley

Technorati Tags: acid reflux, acid reflux and diet, acid reflux diet, Acid Reflux Disease, Foods to Avoid With Acid Reflux