The Many Causes of Acid Reflux
If you wish to understand the causes of acid reflux, the foremost requirement is to know the functioning of the digestive system, which forms a part of the human anatomy. The mouth chews the food and it goes into the stomach via a pipe known as the esophagus. The stomach has two valves on either ends which hold the food inside it for digestion. These valves are known as sphincter muscles. The causes of acid reflux are attributed to the improper functioning of the esophageal sphincter valve. Sometimes, the esophageal valve opens up. This causes the food and the digestive juices including the hydrochloric acid present in the stomach to pass out back in the esophagus. Such an action is the cause of acid reflux. Foods and Situations that are Causes of Acid Reflux Foods that are acidic in nature are the causes of acid reflux. Such foods contain acids that trigger the sphincter valve to open up under pressure. Food products rich in carbohydrate and protein are also the causes of acid reflux. Some such foods are red meat, dairy products, tomatoes etc. This disturbs the alkali acid balance of the stomach and therefore causes acid reflux. Grandmother's Pandora box may advice you to drink milk to avoid acidity or heartburn but this has proven to be wrong. Milk on the other hand is suspected to be one of the causes of acid reflux as it is acidic in nature. Consumption of caffeine, aerated drinks, alcohol, chocolates, carbonated beverages are known to be some other causes of acid reflux. A common reason why people continue to have acid reflux is that they completely ignore the symptoms. They would try to link the causes of acid reflux to be anything other than their wrong eating habits. Simple cooking methods such as boiling and tossing have been replaced with deep frying and shallow frying for the sake of better taste. While we are discussing the causes of acid reflux, it is also important to mention the problem of overeating. We normally overeat in parties and on festivities. This can lead to acid reflux as the food on these occasions is normally cooked with liberal use of oil and spices. Good sleep hygiene requires eating meals at least 2-3 hours prior to sleep. Drinking sufficient quantities of water and eating small simple meals can keep the causes of acid reflux at bay. One of the physiological causes of acid reflux is hiatal hernia, also known as diaphragmatic hernia. This happens when a part of the stomach protrudes into the lower chest causing weakening of the esophageal sphincter muscle and heartburn. This requires medical correction.
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