I am sure if you watch even a little television you will have seen plenty of adverts for products that treat acid reflux disease. This should tell you that acid reflux disease is a very common disorder and one that causes people a lot of discomfort

So we know acid reflux is a common and unpleasant condition but what exactly is it. The medical term for acid reflux is gastroesophageal reflux disease, shortened to GERD. It is easy to see why people prefer just to say acid reflux or even heartburn. Stomach acid causes acid reflux when it comes up from the stomach through to your esophagus. Not everyone suffers though, and this is because some people have a strong barrier at the base of their esophagus which protects it from the acid, and some unfortunately do not.

So, how do you know if you have GERD? Contrary to popular belief acid reflux disease and heartburn are not one and the same thing - heartburn is actually one of the main symptoms of GERD. The symptoms of GERD include the following:

- regular and painful heartburn

- problems swallowing

- chest pains

- esophageal inflammation

- coughing

- chronic ear aches

- hoarse voice

- nauseous episodes

- sinusitis

One of the best ways to reduce or eliminate acid reflux altogether is to eat the right foods. There are a several different kinds of foods that it is a good idea to try and avoid if you wish to stop acid reflux. These include:

- coffee

- alcoholic drinks

- fatty foods

- fizzy drinks

- chocolate

- oranges

- tomatoes

- milk and other dairy products

I've probably just listed many of your favorite foods. However, this is not reason to get too disheartened and think that you will have to give up everything that you enjoy eating. The key is to eat sensibly and in moderation and not gorging on all the wrong foods, especially soon before you go to bed.

There are other things aside from your diet that you can do to reduce GERD that you may not know of and may be surprised to learn. One of these is related to symptoms of acid reflux in the sleep. Anyone who has had these will testify that they can be a large problem in their efforts to achieve a good night of sleep. Some patients have reported that their symptoms have lessened due to sleeping on their left side or elevating their head more than normal. Another thing you can do to help to stop acid reflux is to make sure you wear loose fitting clothing. If you find that you are using the last hole in your belt then you should consider wearing looser trousers. The reason is that tight clothing literally puts extra pressure on your stomach, forcing the acids upwards towards your esophagus.

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