1. Change Up Diet to Get Rid of GERD
Before considering other options, your doctor should recommend lifestyle changes to treat your GERD. Research shows that different types of foods that we eat influence acid reflux production. Avoid reflux inducing foods such as fatty foods and carbonated beverages. Fast food burgers, fries and onion rings aggravate reflux sufferers. Many people find they can treat GERD by simply cutting out spicy and acidic food items, like oranges and tomatoes. Eat food high in complex carbs instead, like whole grain pastas, breads and rice.
2. Sleeping Wrong Can Cause GERD
Many GERD patients find their symptoms are especially bad at night. Due to gravity, stomach acid makes its way up into the esophagus more easily when in a prone position. If you lay flat on your back during sleep, you may feel significant discomfort from your GERD. To fight this problem, sleep with your upper body elevated by using a sleep wedge or pillow placed underneath you.
3. Kick the Habit, Lose the GERD
Smoking causes your body to make excess amounts of acid. Treat your reflux by taking active steps to quit this bad habit. Chew gum instead to not only help you quit, but reduce acid production as well. When you chew gum, your body makes more saliva. This saliva makes its way down to your throat and neutralizes the acid in your esophagus.
4. A-N-T-A-C-I-D Spells Relief
Lifestyle changes may not always effectively treat GERD. However, most GERD patients do find relief through over-the-counter or prescription medications. Taking antacids, such as Rolaids and Tums, after meals often eliminates GERD symptoms. If you often have acid reflux symptoms after eating, pop an antacid within the hour. For sustainable acid control, you may need a longer lasting medication and your doctor may recommend a daily dose of proton pump inhibitors (PPIS).
5. It May Come Down to Surgery
In rare cases, other GERD treatments may not prove successful at treating GERD symptoms. At this point, your doctor may decide you should have anti-reflux surgery as a way to stop your acid reflux problem. The surgeon most often recommends a procedure called fundoplication, in which he operates on the esophagus and upper part of the stomach to tighten the area. After getting the surgery done, you should no longer experience severe GERD symptoms.
