{"id":256,"date":"2019-07-10T09:53:07","date_gmt":"2019-07-10T16:53:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/192.168.1.67\/sandiegoent\/throat\/reflux\/"},"modified":"2019-12-05T08:16:48","modified_gmt":"2019-12-05T16:16:48","slug":"reflux","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sandiegoent.com\/throat\/throat-overview\/reflux\/","title":{"rendered":"Reflux"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2>What is GERD?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Gastroesophageal reflux is\na chronic disease that occurs when stomach contents flow back (reflux) into the\nfood pipe (esophagus). It is a very common problem. It is usually caused by\nfailure of the muscle valve (called the lower esophageal sphincter) between the\nstomach and the esophagus to close properly. The backwash of stomach acid\nirritates the lining of the lower esophagus and causes the symptom of\nheartburn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1280\" height=\"723\" src=\"https:\/\/sandiegoent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/iStock-693694706-Converted-1280x723.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-444\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sandiegoent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/iStock-693694706-Converted-1280x723.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/sandiegoent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/iStock-693694706-Converted-768x434.jpg 768w, https:\/\/sandiegoent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/iStock-693694706-Converted.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/><figcaption>Acid reflux, heartburn and gerd infographic with medical illustration: stomach acid moving up into the esophagus causing acid reflux symptoms<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Heartburn, which is the\nmost common symptom of GERD, usually feels like a burning sensation behind the\nbreastbone, moving up to the neck and throat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2><strong>What Are the Risk Factors for GERD<\/strong>?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"column_md\"><li>Pregnancy<\/li><li>Smoking<\/li><li>Drinking\nalcohol<\/li><li>Being\noverweight<\/li><li>Eating\ncertain foods (fatty\/fried food, chocolate, mint, garlic, onions, tomato sauce,\ncitrus)<\/li><li>Drinking\ncertain drinks (juices, carbonated drinks)<\/li><li>Lying\ndown after a meal<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2>What Are the Warning Signs\nof GERD? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The most common symptoms of\nGERD are heartburn or regurgitation. Regurgitation is when liquid or food from\nthe stomach moves from the esophagus into the mouth. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2><strong>Other Symptoms May Include:<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"column_md\"><li>Chest pain<\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/sandiegoent.com\/throat\/voice-swallowing\/hoarseness\/\">Hoarseness<\/a> <\/li><li>Wheezing <\/li><li>Trouble breathing<\/li><li>Chronic cough<\/li><li>Difficulty swallowing<\/li><li>Excess throat mucus and throat clearing<\/li><li>Postnasal drip<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2>How Is GERD Diagnosed? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Your doctor will ask\nquestions about your medical history and symptoms. You may be diagnosed with\nGERD based on your symptoms or by taking medicine to see if your symptoms\nimprove. Your doctor may need to look inside of your esophagus. This is done by\npassing a long, thin tube called an endoscope through your mouth and stomach to\nlearn more about your symptoms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>How Is GERD Treated? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>For many patients,\nlifestyle changes can help improve symptoms. These changes include: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Avoiding foods or drinks that may cause GERD symptoms <\/li><li>Not lying down for 3 hours after meals and raising your head during sleep <\/li><li>Quitting smoking and avoiding alcohol <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Other treatments for GERD include: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Over-the-counter\nantacids <\/li><li>Prescription\nmedicines to lower stomach acid <\/li><li>Surgery,\nwhich may be needed by some people when other treatments do not help<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2><strong>What Are the Trigger Foods that Should Be Avoided<\/strong>?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Coffee\n(with or without caffeine) and caffeinated beverages relax the lower esophageal\nsphincter. <\/li><li>Citrus\nfruits and juices such as orange, grapefruit and pineapple have high acid\ncontent. <\/li><li>Tomatoes\nand processed tomato-based products such as tomato juice, and pasta and pizza\nsauces are highly acidic. <\/li><li>Carbonated\nbeverages (fizzy drinks) cause gaseous distension of the stomach (bloating),\nwhich increases pressure on the lower esophageal sphincter causing acid reflux.\n<\/li><li>Chocolate\ncontains a chemical called methylxanthine from the cocoa tree, which is similar\nto caffeine. It relaxes the lower esophageal sphincter, which causes acid\nreflux. <\/li><li>Peppermint,\ngarlic and onions relax the lower esophageal sphincter causing acid reflux. <\/li><li>Fatty,\nspicy or fried foods relax the lower esophageal sphincter as well as delay\nstomach emptying and therefore cause acid reflux<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1050\" height=\"850\" src=\"https:\/\/sandiegoent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Artboard-2-100.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-445\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sandiegoent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Artboard-2-100.jpg 1050w, https:\/\/sandiegoent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Artboard-2-100-768x622.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1050px) 100vw, 1050px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n<p>Call <span class=\"company-name \">San Diego ENT<\/span> at <a href=\"tel:+18589267010\" class=\"phone \"> <span class=\"phNum\">(858) 926-7010<\/span><\/a> for more information or to schedule an appointment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What is GERD? Gastroesophageal reflux is a chronic disease that occurs when stomach contents flow back (reflux) into the food pipe (esophagus). It is a very common problem. It is usually caused by failure of the muscle valve (called the lower esophageal sphincter) between the stomach and the esophagus to close properly. The backwash of&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":254,"menu_order":2,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","schema":"<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">\r\n{\r\n  \"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\",\r\n  \"@type\": \"FAQPage\",\r\n  \"mainEntity\": [{\r\n    \"@type\": \"Question\",\r\n    \"name\": \"What is GERD?\",\r\n    \"acceptedAnswer\": {\r\n      \"@type\": \"Answer\",\r\n      \"text\": \"Gastroesophageal reflux is a chronic disease that occurs when stomach contents flow back (reflux) into the food pipe (esophagus). It is a very common problem. It is usually caused by failure of the muscle valve (called the lower esophageal sphincter) between the stomach and the esophagus to close properly. 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It relaxes the lower esophageal sphincter, which causes acid reflux.\r\nPeppermint, garlic and onions relax the lower esophageal sphincter causing acid reflux.\r\nFatty, spicy or fried foods relax the lower esophageal sphincter as well as delay stomach emptying and therefore cause acid reflux\"}\r\n    }]\r\n  }\r\n<\/script>\r\n","fname":"","lname":"","position":"","credentials":"","placeID":"","no_match":false,"name":"","company":"","review":"","address":"","city":"","state":"","zip":"","lat":"","lng":"","phone1":"","phone2":"","fax":"","mon1":"","mon2":"","tue1":"","tue2":"","wed1":"","wed2":"","thu1":"","thu2":"","fri1":"","fri2":"","sat1":"","sat2":"","sun1":"","sun2":"","hours-note":""},"service_tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sandiegoent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/256"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sandiegoent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sandiegoent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sandiegoent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sandiegoent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=256"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sandiegoent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/256\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sandiegoent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/254"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sandiegoent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=256"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"service_tags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sandiegoent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/service_tags?post=256"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}