This category covers Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease or GERD for short. GERD is a severe form of acid reflux with the most common symptom being heartburn.
If you have acid reflux, the simple rule is to stop eating at least 3 hours before you lie down — and if your reflux is stubborn, pushing that to 3 to 4 hours is better still. That window gives your stomach time to empty most of its contents …
How Long Before Bed Should You Stop Eating? (Acid Reflux) Read More
Here’s the honest answer most people don’t expect: acid reflux usually isn’t diagnosed with a test at all. If you have classic symptoms like heartburn and regurgitation and no warning signs, doctors typically diagnose reflux from your symptoms and a trial of acid-suppressing medication — no camera, no probe …
How Is Acid Reflux Diagnosed? Tests & What to Expect Read More
Esophageal manometry is a test that measures how well the muscles of your esophagus are working — how strongly it squeezes to push food down, and how well the valve at the bottom (the lower esophageal sphincter) opens and closes. A thin, flexible tube goes through your nose and …
Esophageal Manometry: What It Is and What to Expect Read More
If your doctor has booked you in for a Bravo pH test, here’s the plain-English version of what it is: it’s the most accurate way to measure how much acid is actually refluxing into your oesophagus, using a tiny wireless capsule instead of the old-fashioned tube down your nose. …
The Bravo pH Test for Reflux: What It Is & What to Expect Read More
If you’ve got chest pain right now and you’re not sure whether it’s heartburn or a heart attack, don’t try to diagnose it from an article — if there’s any doubt, call your local emergency number (911 in the US) straight away. A heart attack is far safer to …
Heartburn or Heart Attack? How to Tell the Difference Read More
If you have COPD, acid reflux is worth paying attention to — not as a minor side issue, but as something that can genuinely affect how often you flare up. The two conditions turn out to be closely linked, and the relationship runs in both directions: COPD makes reflux …
Acid Reflux and COPD: How They’re Linked to Flare-Ups Read More