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.
Here is something that took me embarrassingly long to appreciate: your saliva is a genuine anti-reflux weapon. It is mildly alkaline, it is loaded with bicarbonate — the same buffering compound in antacid tablets — and every single time you swallow it, it neutralises acid clinging to your oesophagus …
Saliva, Bicarbonate & Acid Reflux: Why Dry Mouth Hurts Read More
If you have reflux, almost everything traces back to one small ring of muscle: the lower esophageal sphincter, or LES. It is the valve sitting between your esophagus and your stomach, and when it does its job, you never think about it. When it does not, you get heartburn, …
Lower Esophageal Sphincter (LES): How It Affects Acid Reflux Read More
If you keep coughing up small, foul-smelling white lumps and you also deal with reflux, it’s natural to wonder whether the two are connected. The honest answer is: probably, but not in the simple “reflux causes tonsil stones” way you’ll read elsewhere. No large study has proven that acid …
Acid Reflux and Tonsil Stones: The Real Connection Read More
If your reflux flares up no matter how carefully you eat, the problem might not be on your plate at all – it could be in your medicine cabinet. Several extremely common medications quietly make acid reflux and LPR worse, either by loosening the valve that’s meant to keep …
If you take antihistamines for allergies and also deal with acid reflux, you may have noticed the two seem connected — and there’s a real mechanism behind it, though it’s more subtle than “antihistamines cause reflux.” The strongest link runs through an unexpected route: dry mouth. Allergy antihistamines commonly …
Antihistamines and Acid Reflux: The Dry Mouth Link Read More
If you have irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and acid reflux, you’re not dealing with two unlucky coincidences — the two cluster together far more than chance would predict. Reflux-type symptoms are roughly four times more common in people with IBS than in those without it. The reason is that …
IBS and Acid Reflux: The Overlooked Gut-Brain Link Read More