Esophageal Sphincter

Diet to Help With an Esophageal Sphincter

Your esophageal sphincters are muscular rings that surround the top and bottom of your esophagus, or food pipe. In people who have gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD, the lower esophageal sphincter fails to close properly, and food and...

Caffeine & Esophageal Sphincters

Caffeine may lower pressure on the lower esophageal sphincter, a ring-like muscle in the esophagus. The effect relaxes the muscle and worsens symptoms of acid reflux, the reflux of stomach contents into the esophagus. Acid reflux causes the...

Food List for Acid Reflux

Heartburn and acid reflux are extremely common, with 10 percent of the population experiencing them on a daily basis, according to Pennsylvania-based Jackson Siegelbaum Gastroenterology. Acid reflux occurs when the lower esophageal sphincter is...

Spicy Trigger Foods for GERD

GERD, or gastroesophageal reflux disease, is the occurrence of gastroesophageal reflux more than twice a week. Gastroesophageal reflux is when the lower esophageal sphincter spontaneously opens for periods of time allowing stomach contents and...

The Diaphragm & Heartburn

Heartburn is described as the burning sensation you experience in your chest after eating. It's a result of what's known as acid reflux, or gastroesophageal reflux, which is the backflow of stomach contents into your esophagus, according to the...

How to Eliminate Heartburn

Heartburn, or gastroesophageal reflux, occurs when stomach acid flows up the esophagus. As food enters the stomach, the lower esophageal sphincter closes, preventing stomach contents from returning to the esophagus. For some, the lower esophageal...

How to Get Acid Reflux Disease

Acid reflux (also known as heartburn) is the result of acid from the stomach traveling up into the esophagus. Acid is normally kept out of the esophagus by a ring of smooth muscle called the lower esophageal sphincter. In some cases, however, the...

Causes of Persistent Heartburn

When food or stomach acid backs up into the esophagus, a burning sensation called heartburn results. According to the National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse, heartburn has become a common problem with "more than 50 million Americans...

The Top 10 Trigger Foods for GERD

Learn which foods trigger gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD, to minimize uncomfortable symptoms. GERD is caused by acidic bile from the stomach flowing backwards up the esophagus, due to a weakened esophageal sphincter. Certain chemicals in...

Foods Affecting GERD

Heartburn is a pain -- but not in the heart. The discomfort known as heartburn occurs in the esophagus when digestive juices such as bile are regurgitated through a lax lower esophageal sphincter. A number of foods can increase pressure in the...

Foods to Avoid With Gastric Reflux

According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, gastric reflux occurs in approximately 10 percent of Americans every day. Symptoms of gastric reflux include heartburn, nausea, cough and regurgitation of food. Raising the head of the bed...

Severe Acid Reflux in Children

Gastroesophageal reflux is a common cause of vomiting in infants and children. It results from the failure of the lower esophageal sphincter to close appropriately. The lower esophageal sphincter prevents stomach acid from passing into the esophagus.

Can Vitamins Give You Reflux?

People take multivitamins daily to prevent vitamin deficiency, treat malnutrition, supplement existing health or to accommodate for bodily changes such as those experienced due to pregnancy and aging. Multivitamins generally have mild side effects...

Natural Cure for Heartburn

Heartburn is caused by backup of stomach acid in the esophagus. There is a circular band of muscle, called the esophageal sphincter, around the esophagus that restricts stomach acid from flowing upward. An excess of acid pushing upward on this...

Medications That Cause GERD

Certain prescription medications have been known to weaken the lower esophageal sphincter, which is the circular muscle at the bottom of the esophagus. This muscle prevents food and stomach acid from backing up into the esophagus, which causes the...

How to Help Acid Reflux

Acid reflux strikes soon after you eat, bringing with it heartburn, pain and an unpleasant taste in your mouth. Acid reflux, also called gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), occurs when the sphincter muscle at the bottom of the esophagus...

Heartburn From Eating Pizza

Heartburn is defined as burning pain in the chest just behind the breastbone. Although heartburn can be extremely uncomfortable, it is common and does not usually indicate an underlying medical condition. Due to the high acid content of tomatoes,...

What Are the Causes of Chronic Heartburn?

Stomach acid backup results in heartburn, a painful sensation in the upper chest and throat that may also bring a sour taste to the back of the mouth. The stomach acids rise up because the lower esophageal sphincter, a valve-like muscle in the...

Medicines Causing Heartburn

Heartburn, also called acid indigestion, is the burning sensation felt behind the breastbone. Despite the name, it has nothing to do with the heart. Heartburn is a symptom of gastroesophageal reflux (GER), which occurs when stomach acid rises into...

Acid Causes

Gastric acid is an important part of the body's natural processes to digest food particles into small enough pieces to be absorbed by the body. Unfortunately, this same acid can cause problems, ranging from simple heartburn to more serious chronic...

Burning in the Upper Chest After Eating

Burning in the upper chest after eating is a condition called heartburn. Some foods may cause terrible heartburn, while others do not cause any symptoms. The most common food triggers of heartburn include citrus fruits, chocolate, alcohol,...

Drinks to Avoid With GERD

Gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD, is responsible for causing symptoms such as heartburn, bile regurgitation, belching and difficult swallowing. If you have GERD, you may find that certain body positions, such as bending or lying down,...

What Causes Heartburn When Pregnant?

The burning sensation in the throat and chest that characterize heartburn, otherwise known as acid reflux, can range in intensity from annoying to excruciatingly painful. During pregnancy, women frequently experience heartburn as a result of the...

What Medications Increase GERD?

Gastroesophageal reflux disease, commonly called GERD, is the occurrence of stomach acid entering the esophagus two or more times per week. This is caused by the lower esophageal sphincter (a band of muscles between the esophagus and stomach)...

GERD Surgical Treatments

GERD, also known as gastroesophageal reflux, refers to a condition where food or bile (liquid made in your liver to help food digestion) backs up from your stomach and into your esophagus (tube that carries food to your stomach), says the Mayo...

How to Ease Persistent Heartburn

Heartburn occurs when the lower esophageal sphincter -- a band at the base of your esophagus -- weakens and allows acid to back up into the esophagus. Most people feel a burning sensation in their chest, which can worsen when they're lying down or...

How to Treat Baby Reflux

Gastroesophageal reflux in babies occurs when milk and other stomach contents back up into the esophagus when the lower esophageal sphincter muscle opens during coughing, crying, feeding or straining. The lower esophageal sphincter functions like...

Food with Acid Reflux

Acid reflux, also known as GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease) and sometimes referred to as heartburn, occurs when food travels in reverse from the stomach up through the lower esophageal sphincter and up the esophageal tract through the chest...

Foods to Avoid With Acid Reflux Disease

Acid reflux, also known as gastroesophageal reflux disease, is the movement of gastric contents into the esophagus. Normally, pressure on the lower esophageal sphincter prevents the backflow of gastric contents from the esophageal mucosa. An...

GERD Health Video (Video)

GERD or gastro esophageal reflux disease is a condition in which stomach acid or, occasionally, bile flows back into your food pipe. The constant backwash or acid reflux can irritate the lining of your esophagus and cause inflammation. Learn about...