Acid reflux, also known as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), is a condition characterized by a burning sensation in the chest or stomach heartburn. Stomach acid is at risk for adults and children. What are other symptoms of stomach acid?
Stomach acid is not life threatening, but don’t take it lightly. Recognizing the symptoms of stomach acid is important so that it can be treated quickly and precisely, and does not become a complication. What are the symptoms of stomach acid to watch out for? Check out the full information in this article.
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Symptoms of Stomach Acid
Symptoms of stomach acid are at risk of occurring after drinking caffeinated drinks or lying down, namely chest pain like a burning sensation or heartburn and discomfort in the stomach. This symptom makes stomach acid often considered a symptom of heart disease which has almost the same characteristics, namely chest pain.
Quoted from American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunologythere are a number of other symptoms of stomach acid, namely frequent belching, nausea, fullness quickly, sore throat, vomiting, bad breath, cough without phlegm, and excessive salivation.
Symptoms of stomach acid are classified as harmless if they only occur 1-2 times a month, don’t occur for days, and symptoms of stomach acid occur after you eat spicy and fatty foods.
However, stomach acid can be a symptom of certain diseases if it occurs frequently, lasts a long duration, pain spreads to the jaw, triggers vomiting of blood, and is accompanied by shortness of breath. If you experience these symptoms, contact your doctor immediately to get the right treatment.
Causes of Stomach Acid
Gastric acid is a condition when the esophagus muscles weaken, thus triggering stomach acid to rise back up into the esophagus. There are a number of risk factors for stomach acid, for example, aging, pregnancy, obesity, alcoholics, active smokers, eating too much spicy food, and stress that is not managed properly. Apart from that, stomach acid is also triggered by various diseases, such as scleroderma, hiatal hernia, and gastroparesis.
To prevent stomach acid, adopt a healthy lifestyle by eating nutritious food and exercising regularly. In addition, you should not eat foods that trigger sore throat and adequate nutritional intake by taking additional supplements.
Treatment of Stomach Acid
Here are a number of independent treatments that can be applied to cure symptoms of stomach acid that are relatively mild:
1. Eat foods that don’t trigger stomach acid to rise, namely:
- Non-acidic fruits, such as apples, pears, melons and bananas.
- Green vegetables, such as beans, broccoli, asparagus, cauliflower, cucumbers and potatoes.
- Oatmeal and whole wheat bread.
- Lean meats, such as fish, chicken and low-fat seafood.
2. Implement a number of preventive measures, for example:
- Do not smoke.
- Do not consume foods and drinks that are at risk of triggering stomach acid to rise, for example caffeinated drinks, alcohol, chocolate and spicy foods.
- Sleep well and quality, at least 7-9 hours every night.
- Sleep with your chest and head elevated.
- Not wearing tight pants or clothes to prevent pressure on the stomach that irritates the stomach.
If you have applied the methods above, but stomach acid does not heal, and even gets worse, you should contact your doctor to examine the cause, so that treatment is given according to your conditions and needs.
