That burning, pressurized sensation in your chest after eating has a lot of different names: heartburn, indigestion, acid reflux, GERD (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease).
Whatever you call it, it amounts to pain and discomfort for millions of people every single day. It keeps them from enjoying their food and even prevents some sufferers from sleeping well at night.
In the past, all you could do was self medicate with antacids and hope the heartburn went away quickly. Now, the focus has shifted towards prevention with products like Nexium entering the market and proving effective.
What Causes Heartburn and Acid Reflux
When stomach acids back up, they inflame and irritate the esophagus, the tube between the throat and stomach. Because the esophagus is just behind the heart, the condition came to be known as heartburn. (It’s also why the pain of heartburn is sometimes mistaken for a heart attack.)
These factors can increase your risk of having acid reflux:
* Smoking.
* Drinking alcohol.
* Obesity.
* Slouching, poor posture.
* A poor diet.
* Eating large meals shortly before bedtime.
* Certain medications.
* Certain health conditions like pregnancy, diabetes and hernia.
Having heartburn once in a while is normal. But having heartburn frequently (twice a week or more) could indicate that your esophagus has been damaged by stomach acids and you should seek treatment.
Heartburn / Acid Reflux Treatments
For minor heartburn, popping an antacid tablet might work just fine. But for serious acid reflux disease, you may need to try something more long term such as lifestyle changes and prescription medication.
Medical science has provided us with products that not only treat acid reflux, but help prevent it.
Preventing Acid Reflux Disease: Nexium
Nexium is a once-a-day pill that prevents acid reflux / heartburn attacks by reducing the amount of acid in the stomach. That, in turn, prevents stomach acids from backing up into and damaging the esophagus.
Nexium has been shown to be more effective than other prescription and over-the-counter formulas because it works for almost everyone. Other products only help about half of the people and only give short-term relief.
Nexium is tolerated well by most patients over short and long term use. Nexium also helps heal damage to the esophagus that can result from acid reflux disease. And now it’s been proven to help prevent stomach ulcers associated with taking certain kinds of pain relievers.
Nexium is tolerated well by most patients over short and long term use. Nexium also helps heal damage to the esophagus that can result from acid reflux disease. And now it’s been proven to help prevent stomach ulcers associated with taking certain kinds of pain relievers.
Lifestyle Changes
Another way to help prevent heartburn / acid reflux and alleviate the painful symptoms is to make some changes in your habits — changes that will also improve your overall health:
* Quit smoking.
* Lose weight.
* Reduce or stop drinking alcohol.
* Eat smaller meals.
* Don’t lie down immediately after eating… wait at least 3 hours.
* Don’t wear tight-fitting clothes.
* Raise the head of your bed about 6 inches off the floor so you’re lying at an angle.
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Posts Tagged ‘Prescription Medication’
The relief and treatment of heartburn, acid reflux, and GERD is a huge billion-dollar-a-year market, according to Tamas Bartfai, director of the Harold L. Dorris Neurological Research Center. Bartfai has had decades of experience as a consultant and executive in the Pharmaceutical industry, and has consulted with companies that are developing costly treatments for this common ailment.
With so much money being spent on medications to relieve heartburn and its companions, you would think at least one medication would be a cure. Sadly, this does not appear to be so. Heartburn medications seem to do nothing more than relieve symptoms. Some attempt to neutralize stomach acids. Others “turn off the pumps” that manufacture stomach acids.
The pharmaceutical community seems to offer nothing that will cure heartburn.
Glutamine for Heartburn
Glutamine for heartburn may be the answer. More specifically, L-glutamine for heartburn. L-glutamine for heartburn may not only be a cure, but be far less costly than other medications.
For example, In the U.S., L-glutamine can be purchased for about 5 cents per capsule. The prescription medication that “turns off the pumps” costs about $5.44 per capsule – at discount prices.
Why might glutamine be good for heartburn?
Cause of Heartburn
Heartburn appears to be a muscular problem.
Despite the pharmaceutical community’s emphasis on acids, the real cause of heartburn is a weakness in the lower esophageal sphincter (LES).
A sphincter is a circular band of muscle like a ring around a body passageway or opening. If you were teaching children about a sphincter, you might place a ring around one finger to illustrate.
The task of every sphincter is to relax or tighten as needed to open or close a natural body opening or passageway. If you made your illustrative ring of elastic, you would tighten and relax the elastic to show sphincter action.
1. A cow’s teat has a sphincter at the lower end. It relaxes to allow milk to flow, and tightens to stop the flow.
2. The human bladder has an involuntary sphincter at its neck. It relaxes to allow urine to flow, and tightens to stop the flow. A voluntary sphincter at the end of the urethra does the same.
3. An anal sphincter tightens to hold back waste, and relaxes to pass waste.
4. The lower esophageal sphincter (LES) relaxes to allow food to enter the stomach, and tightens to keep food and acid from flowing backward into the esophagus. It should prevent heartburn.
Weak Sphincter Problems
If the sphincter in any of the above becomes weak, problems can occur.
1. A milking machine can make a cow’s sphincter remain relaxed for two hours. This allows bacteria to enter the teat, and can result in mastitis.
2. A weakness in the bladder sphincter can cause urine to leak against your will.
3. When the anal sphincter weakens, fecal incontinence can occur.
4. A weakness in the LES allows stomach acids to reflux, flow backward into the esophagus. This causes heartburn.
When sphincters other than the LES weaken and cause problems, attention is turned to strengthening the weak sphincter. The cow’s sphincter is often subjected to cold after milking to tighten the muscle band. Exercise can tighten both weak bladder sphincters and weak anal sphincters. Biofeedback, electrical stimulation, and certain drugs also can be used to tighten these two sphincters.
Interestingly, none of these approaches seems to be used for the LES. Heartburn treatments address the symptoms, but neglect the weakened sphincter, which is the real problem.
Can Glutamine for Heartburn Help?
Glutamine for heartburn may be a solution.
Glutamine is an amino acid. Just as other amino acids are important constituents of proteins, so is glutamine. Glutamine occurs naturally in foods that are high in protein: beans, dairy products, fish, and red meat.
Glutamine as a supplement is used by weight lifters, body builders, and other athletes who want strong muscles. Glutamine as a supplement is also used to alleviate muscle cramps and pain, especially in older people. By replenishing the amino acids in the body, muscles are strengthened and pain relieved.
Glutamine has been shown to increase the body’s ability to dispose of damaged cells, and produce new cells. Glutamine is a powerful antioxidant, too. As such, it helps protect body cells from free radicals. Glutamine heals mucous membranes, including the lining of the esophagus that is being damaged by heartburn.
It is thought by some that glutamine for heartburn might strengthen the LES, improving its ability to tighten properly. This might completely prevent heartburn, acid reflux, and even GERD.
Glutamine for heartburn could possibly be a partial, if not a total cure.
Until heartburn, acid reflux, and GERD are understood and treated as the muscular problems they seem to be, physicians will continue to prescribe relief and treatments that address only the symptoms.
Disclaimer: The author does not sell glutamine in any form, nor will she profit from sales of glutamine for heartburn. The author is not a medical professional and offers this information for educational purposes only.
The enlargement of the prostate is a regular event for many men over the age of 50. As a man ages, the risk increases. While some men are more susceptible than others, it is still a very painful condition, which if left untreated can cause permanent damage. New medications are being approved on a constant basis in order to help treat an enlarged prostate. There are also alternative methods and surgical procedures.
If the enlargement is not severe, doctors will normally suggest medicines first, or an alternative treatment, without considering the use of surgery. Prescription medication to help improve the urine flow is usually prescribed to men with an enlarged prostate. These are also called alpha-blockers, and they act by relaxing the bladder. Some of the commercial brands have been found to cause eye disorders and are not recommended for men who are planning eye surgery or have undergone eye surgery.
Another popular medicine is Finasteride, also called Proscar. The drug has been found effective in shrinking the prostate. This type of treatment is only used if the condition is not severe. While this medication is slightly controversial, it has been proven to reduce the risk of prostate cancer. However, it has also been proven to accelerate the growth of tumors in men who have already been diagnosed with prostate cancer.
Most medications will come with the normal side effects, such as nausea or dizziness. In order to avoid this, it is recommended that you take medications with food. When taking medication, you should also be careful about the other substances that you intake. Alcohol should be limited, as well as caffeine. You should only use herbal supplements with the approval from your doctor. While this might be explanatory, over-the-counter medications can cause certain reactions, especially decongestants and antihistamines. The reason is the fact that these medications might affect the muscle control of the bladder.
Herbal remedies are often tried by men if they are trying to avoid the visit to the doctor. The only problem is that the remedies are not required to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration. This means that they are not required to go through testing in order to make sure that the remedies are safe for patients to use. This also means that the side effects of these remedies are not always understood or reported, and no one knows what the consequences of taking the remedies will be at a later time.
If you are not able to make it to the physician right away, there are several things that you can do at home to help take some of the pain or pressure from your bladder. One tip is to drink a less amount of fluids after 7 or 8PM. This will minimize the trips to the bathroom in the middle of the night. Cutting down on your alcohol consumption as well as caffeine is a good start as well, especially since you will be recommended to do this after you visit the doctor. As always, exercising regularly will help your condition as well.
A sore throat is an acute inflammation of the lower pharynx. This inflammation usually affects the mucous membrane and causes it to discharge secretions similar to sputum. In some cases, the throat can be very dry that coughing to discharge the secretions can be harsh on the throat. The tonsils and the soft palate may also become inflamed and cause pain when swallowing. A burning sensation and a tightness in the throat are also common occurrences when one has sore throat.
Some common causes of sore throat include colds, allergies, and habits like breathing through the mouth. A sore throat can also be an indication of a more serious disease if it is severe and chronic. However, for mild and random sore throats, the following sore throat relief ideas work effectively:
Consider the cause of your sore throat.
Determining the cause of your sore throat is necessary before you can administer the proper cure and relief treatment. If colds and flus are prevalent in your office or any place you frequent, these viruses are probably the cause of your sore throat. Excessive shouting and eating foods that are too spicy can also cause sore throats. However, if you suspect that your sore throat is caused by something more serious like strep throat, you must have it checked by your doctor.
Take prescription or over-the-counter painkillers.
Your doctor can prescribe prescription medication for your sore throat. Depending on the severity or the perceived cause, he or she can prescribe plain painkillers or one with antibacterial properties. You can also use over-the-counter painkillers like ibuprofen or naproxen to relieve the pain in your throat. You can also take an analgesic to reduce inflammation like aspirin and acetaminophen. Just be sure to inform your doctor of any medication you have taken or are currently taking. This way, you can avoid over-medicating and possibly adverse drug interactions.
Suck on throat lozenges.
Lozenges with zinc, menthol, benzocaine, or phenol are ideal to suck on since they can numb the throat. Menthol hard candies are also good substitutes if you cannot find lozenges. Sucking on lozenges promote saliva production which prevents dryness and scratching in the throat. Saliva production also reduces the chances of bacterial infections in the throat.
Gargle mouthwash or salt water frequently.
The alcohol in the mouthwash has antiseptic properties which can cleanse the throat if there are bacteria. It also disinfects scratches and lesions in the throat which might be caused by dry coughing. Salt water works the same way and is cheaper in comparison. Simply combine a teaspoon of salt in eight ounces of warm water. Gargle the mixture several times a day. This will increase the blood supply to the area by washing away mucus and dilating capillaries, thereby enabling better circulation of infection-fighting antibodies.
Eat a soft or liquid diet.
Instead of meals that require you to swallow solid food like meat, opt for soups, yogurts, and mashed vegetables to avoid irritating your throat further. Supplement this diet with lots of water and natural fruit juices to facilitate the development of antibodies. Remember to avoid too much spices in your meals as these can aggravate your sore throat.
Treating your allergies or asthma properly can be expensive. Statistics from the American Academy of Allergy have estimated the cost of treating allergic rhinitis (seasonal allergies or hayfever) and asthma is on the order of many billions of dollars per year in the U.S. The costs that patients face are both direct (medications, doctor visits, hospital stays etc…) and indirect (missed work or school, decreased productivity on the job etc…). Both add up rapidly to become a big part of health care costs for patients and insurance companies. As a practicing allergist, I have put together some suggestions for patients who are interested in saving money on their prescription medications. Working with your doctor is the best way to find ways to control spiraling prescription medication costs.
5 Ways to Save on Allergy and Asthma Medications
1. Take the medications as directed by your doctor. This may seem obvious, but it is probably the best long term way to save money. Many medications such as nasal steroid sprays (Flonase, Nasonex, Veramyst, Rhinocort AQ, Nasacort AQ) and inhaled steroids (Flovent, Asmanex, Qvar, Azmacort, Advair, Symbicort) and Leukotriene blockers (Singulair or Accolate) work best as “Controller Medications”. Controller means that taking the medicine daily prevents symptoms and illness. If you can prevent allergy symptoms, or a flare of asthma, you save health care dollars and money out of your pocket by not needing additional medications such as antibiotics, or incurring co-pays for sick visits. You and your kids will also miss less work and school, which makes you more productive in the long run.
2. Check with your insurance plan to see if ordering medication in bulk will be cheaper. Many insurance plans come with pharmacy benefits that offer discounts if you order ninety day supplies of medications. Since many allergy and asthma medications need to be taken on a preventative basis (“controller”), having several months supply of medication on hand makes sense, may allow for discounts, and will save you several trips to the pharmacy.
3. Research which medications are covered best by your insurance plan. Physicians have a difficult time keeping up with which medications are covered best by your insurance plan. Do your homework to see if your insurance plan has a list of medications, or formulary, which outlines which medications they cover at lower, or generic, co-pays and discuss this with your physician during a visit. Often times, physicians are happy to switch a patient to a medication that is covered well by their plan as long as it is safe and provides equal benefits.
4. Don’t just ask for samples. Ask your doctor if his office has any coupons for you medications. There is a trend now for pharmaceutical companies to provide fewer samples and more coupons or discount cards for their medications. Often these coupons will lower or totally eliminate the entire co-pay. Many coupon offers provide you a month’s free supply of medications and enroll you in future discount programs.
5. Research on the internet discount offers for medications. The website www.allergymedsites.com compiles many allergy and asthma medication coupon offers to help patients. Google coupons or discount offers for your allergy or asthma medications. A good place to start is the website of the pharmaceutical company that makes your medication or try typing in nameofyourmedication.com (e.g. advair.com). Often these coupons are not quite as good as what you can find at your doctor’s office, but they can save you a great deal of money and are easy to use.