by Frank Will

Created on: June 04, 2009   Last Updated: June 06, 2009

Acid Reflux Disease is caused by too much acid in your body, or is it? Could it actually be the opposite?

Also known as GERD or gastroesopageal reflux disease can be the most excoriating thirty minutes of your life if you can get it to go away in that amount if time. It can literally feel like you are having a heart attack and when it finally does subside, it can leave your entire body feeling like it just was ran over by a truck.

It is estimated that about 15 percent of Americans and about 20 percent of the population world wide will suffer from this condition at least once a week. Another 10 percent suffer from it daily. And several of the experts that discuss it will give you every reason under the sun for the cause, but there is no single cause as it affects people in different ways.

What is it?

Acid reflux disease is different than heartburn, which can and does affect almost everyone at some time, usually after a very large or a very spicy meal. But GERD happens much more frequently and in some cases it can be almost continual.

When it does strike what is happening is that esophageal sphincter, which is a circular band of muscle that closes the very small spaces of the esophagus and helps to prevent the backward flow of stomach contents, does not function properly. As a result, the pressure between the stomach and the esophagus becomes uneven.

When it is functioning properly, this band of muscles react with gravity to create just enough pressure to push food that we have eaten back down into our stomach. However, if the pressure is either too high or too low, this stomach acid flow backward or essentially splashes back up. A similar reaction to this condition is belching.

Why it happens:

Unlike the stomach which is heavily protected by thick layers of mucus, the esophagus is much more vulnerable, and is subject to this reverse flowing process. The lower esophageal sphincter remains closed most of the time and only opens to allow swallowed food or liquid to pass through it.

It acts like a one way control mechanism, but if it becomes weakened, it loses its control, and what should have been flowing down into the stomach does not. It has to go somewhere, so it comes back up. Again, exactly the same as when we belch, the air pressure is too strong and forces its way past this valve.

Symptoms:

There are a myriad of symptoms that you may face with acid reflex disease, and none of them are good. If fact they can be down right nasty in some cases.

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