Acid Reflux, like an epidemic

I am in the medical field and am amazed when taking historys how many people have acid reflux. Acid reflux meds are some of the most prescribed
drugs around the world.
In the last , fifty years or so it seems to have become something everyone has or gets. Over a period of time it can result in esophageal cancer

I wondered what some factors are that may be contributing to this outside the normal flow of thought, such as overeating. Whats differnt in the last 50 to 100 years in how we prepare and consume food ? Also the enviorment?

Some of my thoughts were Teflon type pans. Another thing was Pam type cooking sprays. What about microwaves? I bet a whole bunch of the board has acid reflux. I know I do. Come on guys ... Why are we bubbling up?

Don't know why, man, but I've been there for years now. Me and my GERD we go way back. I tend to blame my coffee habit, and because I don't stick with the low acid diet that was suggested back when it started becoming a problem. I've often wondered if it had something to do with all the chemicals and whatnot prevalent in our modern food supply.

I know one thing. Stopping the eating of little ceasars has improved my acid reflux dramatically. I've also stopped consuming alcoholic beverages. Marlborolights were also causing acid reflux as well

How about stress as a cause?

Stress, Junk food, and a hectic life that causes us to eat too quickly! I have a real problem with this...I eat extremely fast because I am used to scarfing down my lunch at work in 10 minutes so I can get back to work, plus my job is extremely stressful.....

I'd suggest that diet is probably the biggest factor in GERD aka Acid Reflux. Fatty, salty diets with huge portions, to be exact. It so secret that an excess of these foods cause weight problems, and guess what group of people have a high incidence of GERD? The overweight. A lifetime of poor eating adds up and those over 50 have a heck of a time. Coffee, tea and alcohol don't seem to be so much a cause of GERD as they are aggrivators to a pre-existing condition. GERD, or acid reflux, is caused when the sphincter muscle that keeps food in your stomach weakens and allows food and acid to slip back out of the stomach into your esophagus.

The existance of hiatal hernias is also on the rise, and hiatal hernias are known to be a factor in GERD also. Hiatal hernias are born when part of your stomach protrudes up though your diaphragm up into your chest cavity and can store pockets of gastric acid. That acid then backs up into your esophagus, and that backup is again GERD.

I also wonder if the amount of time we spend horizontal also is a factor. Aren't those who lay around more usually overweight and like to indulge on less healthful foods?

Its not surprising that eating well and staying active is a way to combat GERD and just about every other disease or condition. Why is everyone so surprised that health problems plague Americans and are on the rise?

[edit on 6-3-2005 by RedBalloon]

Originally posted by Tomorrow
Come on guys ... Why are we bubbling up?

my ?educated? un-educated? Guess: it is linked to Air-Conditioning!

think about the Legionaires Disease...and its' unlikely incubator

Originally posted by RedBalloon


The existance of hiatal hernias is also on the rise, and hiatal hernias are known to be a factor in GERD also. Hiatal hernias are born when part of your stomach protrudes up though your diaphragm up into your chest cavity and can store pockets of gastric acid.

I have one of those too, or had....I have no problem with it for a long while Now days, I live on "Sugar Busters" meaning I stay away from all white "rice, white flour, potatoes, sugar" though I am thinking of trying the one potato a day before bed for sleep.....


potatoe thread in case your wondering
www.abovetopsecret.com...

Guess: it is linked to Air-Conditioning!

think about the Legionaires Disease...and its' unlikely incubator

Uhh... I don't follow you here. How would air conditioning effect the stregnth of a sphincter muscle that holds acid in your stomach?

Legionaires Disease is more from hot-tubs than AC units. Have you been watching too much Medical Investigation on NBC? That turned out to be a fungi that the guy was inhaling on his herbal smokes. Anyway, bacteria from air conditioning would be more likely to effect the respiratory system than a digestive one. Stomach acid does a number on bacteria and I doubt the Legionaires would survive such a caustic environment.

edit: to add quote

[edit on 6-3-2005 by RedBalloon]

Originally posted by LadyV
[I have one of those too, or had....I have no problem with it for a long while Now days, I live on "Sugar Busters" meaning I stay away from all white "rice, white flour, potatoes, sugar" though I am thinking of trying the one potato a day before bed for sleep.....

I'd be willing to bet that eliminating those empty starches wasn't the only thing that changed with your diet. You probably knocked out many fried foods and junk foods at the same time, and that change in diet can have amazing effects on your overall health.

It's interesting that as I write all this about diet and health that I'm cramming my face with Hot Tamales as its the only thing I have in the house handy for breakfast. *RedBalloon puts down bag of Hot Tamales, looks at her red tounge, and goes to look for a banana.*

there's a guy I was listening to, I believe he might have been on the art bell show, not sure...but he suggests trying to take a teaspoon of vineger when having problems with acids...
he take is that the anti-acids will kill all the acids in your stomach, and at least some are needed to digest your food. So, well, you stomach now has a bunch of food in it, with no acid to digest it...
which then signals the brain to produce acid in overdrive...

don't know, but it might be something worth trying....

Originally posted by Tomorrow
I am in the medical field and am amazed when taking historys how many people have acid reflux. Acid reflux meds are some of the most prescribed
drugs around the world.

In a word, capitalism.

For-profit medicine. Pharmaceutical TV advertising. Power of suggestion. And doctors holding pharmaceutical stocks pushing pills.

Mine just gave me samples of Prevacid for no honking reason and offered me a prescription.

I was like Why?

You're at that age. It's just a good idea. Don't you ever get acid reflux?

No.

A little? Sometimes?

No.

Well just try the samples. If you like them I can write a prescription.

It wasn't suposed to be like this. :shk: I'm not discounting some actual environmental and lifestyle sources to somewhat of an actual increase, but really it's the advertising and pill pushing more than anything.

I think pharmaceutical commercials should be banned, and prescribing doctors prohibited from owning pharmaceutical stock as a potential conflict of interest to the fair practice of their chosen profession.

Originally posted by RedBalloon



I'd be willing to bet that eliminating those empty starches wasn't the only thing that changed with your diet. You probably knocked out many fried foods and junk foods at the same time, and that change in diet can have amazing effects on your overall health.

Exactly! I am a lover all things Italian (I'm 1/2) I love to cook also, and when I make my sauce I cook it over night...it's "real" Italian sauce....but these days I have it over whole wheat spaghetti....I was so surprised the first time I had it that way....you really can't tell! Now days when I want something sweet.....I mix a bit of low fat cream cheese with blueberries and splenda.......

Eating Processed food, sitting eating at your desk while still trying to get out the lastest report on time.
Lack of exercise, or time to relax and chill out.

It is true that the symptoms of too much acid are very much like the symptoms of not enough acid. The body need a balance.
Not enough acid makes your stomach too alkaline. Draino is alkaline, I make that statement because too much or not enough of either is not a good thing. If you are low in acid production a spoon of vinagar may help.
Most people as they age have a reduced acid production, along with some other things that slow down .

However I am wondering what has caused this in addition to the way we eat and the stress. How could it be possible for so many people to have this disorder? Do people in underdeveloped countries get it as much?
What do we have a lot of that they may not? Sugar? Milk and dairy?

One of the keys to avioding the reflux is to get the food moving out of the gut and into the small intestine as quickly as possible. Some of my patients
are belching what they ate 5 hours ago. Why is the food hanging out so long if there is so much acid to digest it? Imagine what happens when you take an acid reducer that brings the P.H. down to 4. Youve got
a garbage can!

Anyway , Thanks for the input. You guys are great thinking cells in the big brain of Above Top Secret.

Unfortunately,, most of the food we eat is pre-prepared and done so in a mean-spirited way. the natural goodness is processed out and we add chemicals like msg, white sugar, fats, and stuff I can't even pronounce (and I have a college education .. LOL ) processed flour, on and on...

I have simply gone back to simpler foods, salads, fruits and the like. And am finding myself losing weight as well. Although I do reserve a once a month, or once every other month opportunity to avail myself of a local Italian restaurant that serves the finest prime rib I have ever eaten....

What's really irritating to me is that it is less costly to eat all the food that has had so much processing done to it and far more expensive to eat naturally healthful foods that have no added chemicals, etc.

Carbs! Too many. I went on the Akins diet and my burning tummy stoped burning.

I also think I am allergic to wheat. No more bloating.

Roper

one of my friends who is 24 years old is a red neck hick who eats nothing but meat and drinks tasteless beer and smokes those nasty disgusting marlboro ciggarettes..

he to suffers from acid reflux too he takes medication for it as well he still gets it and the damn idiot claims he doesnt know what causes it..

i have some reflux maybe 3 times at most in my entire life..and i am 22 years old..

i dont smoke
i dont drink tasteless beer whether it be budweiser or bud light.
i eat what i want.
i dont excersize regularly either.

known fact of what causes acid reflux is.

beer
ciggarettes
over-eating of meats

and stupidity for doing all of the above..

Originally posted by Roper
Carbs! Too many. I went on the Akins diet and my burning tummy stoped burning.

I also think I am allergic to wheat. No more bloating.

DISCLAIMER: We are not talking about NO carb diets here, BTW! No one eats like that.

Same here. I attribute the low-carb lifestyle to a happier tummy.
Highly processed wheat products and white rice wee some of my favorite foods. I would be miserable every evening.
The fast-food, convenience food industy makes very little money off of us. We have also eliminated lots of chemicals from our diet.
We still use butter, olive oil and salt.
We still eats lots of beef, pork and other sources of protein.

RANT~~~~
Some good points you make.
I really, really, think they want us to have medical problems and take drugs to feed their greedy pockets.


[edit on 6-3-2005 by DontTreadOnMe]

I'm 22 not overweight (though I dont get as much exercise as I used to) and I suffer from this sometimes too. I generally find it's diet related. Removing stuff like hamburgers and other fast food from my diet definately helped. Alcohol and coffee don't help either (i rarely have alcohol and got my coffee down to 1 per day). I still get it though, I do tend to eat very quickly compared to most people, I've been trying to slow it down lately. Eating a light meal in smallish portions like a Tuna Salad with some fruit for desert is generally the best I find. Whereas something like a big Roast Lamb meal is the worst, big portions, fatty and lots of gravy, usually with a rich desert. I always get it bad after a roast, not as bad as after say a hamburger, but enough to know it's there.

I'd say Diet is big culprit.