Reflux comes from the refluere which means to recede or to flow back. This is what happens when we have an episode called acid reflux otherwise known as heartburn. This discomfort and pain is caused by your stomach acids flowing back to the esophagus. There are a lot of people wondering what causes acid reflux. Well to understand it better let's discuss the esophagus and dig in to the common causes of heartburn so that we can prevent future recurrences.
The esophagus is the tube that connects your mouth to your stomach. There is a part or a junction that connects the stomach and the esophagus which is called the esophageal sphincter which is like a valve opening to let food pass to the stomach from the esophagus and closes to prevent food and digestive fluid flowing back to the esophagus. The digestive fluid sometimes called as gastric juices are strong acids and enzymes produced by your stomach to aid in the digestion of the food. Your stomach has several mechanisms to protect itself from the acids but your esophagus does not that is why when the gastric juice flows to the esophagus, you will definitely feel a burning sensation. This usually happens when the sphincter becomes weaken.
Most of us experience acid reflux time and again, it is normal so it is harmless. It is harmful if it becomes recurring, persistent and left untreated. If untreated a disease called gastro esophageal reflux disease would be developed and in severe cases the esophagus could become scarred. When this happens the patient usually experiences difficulty in swallowing and the risk of having cancer of the esophagus becomes higher.
One of the most common causes of acid reflux is smoking. This is due to cigarettes stimulating the production of stomach acid, promotes the movement of bile salts from the intestine to your stomach making the stomach acids even more dangerous, weakens the sphincter, and slows digestion.
Pregnancy is also one of the common causes of acid reflux which usually occurs around the third trimester. This is because as the baby grows the baby is pressed against the mother's stomach creating more pressure and causing the food to back up into the esophagus. This is the reason why doctors do not usually prescribe antacids for pregnant women when it has been determined that the pain in the stomach is caused by the acid reflux. They are usually recommended to eat smaller meals but eat more meals in a day to lessen the occurrence of acid reflux.
Other causes include bending forward too frequently, asthma, peptic ulcers, alcohol and so much more.
If you experience acid reflux quite frequently then check out the causes, perhaps you can make adjustments in your diet, or quit smoking to lessen your painful experience with heartburn.
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