GERD in Children
and in Adults, Part One: The Symptoms and the TRUE Causes
Is frequent heartburn affecting your quality of life? If you experience
acid reflux and heartburn on a regular basis, then you might be suffering
from gastrosophageal reflux disase (GERD), a serious condition that
can lead to esophagitis.
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Do you feel burning pain, have bitter-tasting acid reflux or experience constant
belching and chronic coughing after you eat, and sometimes even in between
meals?
You might think that it's just heartburn. After all, heartburn after a big
meal can be your body's response to rich or heavy food. But more and more
people are reporting chronic heartburn that does not go away.
And for many folks, it's getting even worse!
While occasional heartburn affects nearly 20% of the population on a weekly
basis, some people are experiencing painful symptoms of this chronic disease
every day!
But heartburn every day is NOT normal; it's just one of the symptoms of GastroEsophageal
Reflux Disease, also known as GERD.
Gastroesophageal reflux disease is more common than you think, affecting
an estimated 5% to 7% of adults1 on a daily
basis. We often treat the symptoms of this disease with antacids, over-the-counter
and prescription medications, but symptoms of GERD can actually point to other
problems.
What Is Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease?
Gastroesophageal refers to your stomach and esophagus. Reflux
means the back-flow of acidic material from your stomach to your esophagus.
The stomach acid, bile and partially digested food flow up from your stomach
and into your esophagus causing heartburn. Sometimes erosions develop from
all the acid, so it's sometimes called erosive acid reflux disease or erosive
esophagitis.
No matter what you call it, GERD is painful and can seriously affect your
quality of life.
Symptoms of GERD
Gastroesophageal reflux disease is common among adults and even affects some
10% of kids2, and symptoms are not always
limited to heartburn.
Leonard Smith, M.D., is a renowned gastrointestinal, vascular and general
surgeon as well as an expert in the use of nutrition and natural supplementation.
As a surgeon, Dr. Smith has first-hand experience of the problems associated
with faulty digestion and the surgical necessities they can cause.
For the past 20 years, Dr. Smith has investigated many holistic medical
programs, including nutrition, exercise, chelation, stress management
and the relevance of mental and spiritual attitudes in healing. Acknowledging
the effectiveness of whole organic foods and nutritional supplementation,
Dr. Smith strives to stay on the leading edge of research and breakthroughs
in the field of functional nutrition.
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Some common symptoms of GERD include:3
- Belching
- Periodic heartburn
- Difficulty or pain when swallowing
- Excess saliva
- Feeling as if food sticks in your esophagus
- Chronic sore throat
- Laryngitis
- Gum inflammation
- Erosion of tooth enamel
- Chronic irritation in your throat
- Morning hoarseness
- Sour taste
- Bad breath
Pediatric sufferers of GERD sometimes experience different symptoms; however,
they can be more difficult to assess and to treat.
Pediatric symptoms of GERD may include:
- Frequent or recurrent vomiting
- Persistent cough
- Refusing to eat or difficulty eating
- Choking or gagging when trying to eat
- Heartburn
- Gas and abdominal pain
- Regurgitation and re-swallowing
Causes of GERD
Here are some of the contributing factors that may cause GERD:
- A weak lower esophageal sphincter high pressure zone (LESHPZ).
When working correctly, your lower esophageal sphincter high pressure zone
acts like a valve to keep food from traveling backwards from your stomach
into your esophagus. But if you experience regular acid reflux, the muscles
of your lower esophageal sphincter high pressure zone may be damaged, either
from a hernia or normal aging.
- Hiatal hernia. A hiatal hernia occurs when your diaphragmatic
muscle is loosened and will never be normal. Surgery repairs this chronic
condition.
- Normal aging. As you get older, your esophageal wall relaxes
more. You may or may not experience reflux, but combined with lower stomach
acid (also related to aging), GERD may be the result.
- Low stomach acid.
Low levels of hydrochloric acid (HCl) in your stomach may contribute to
acid reflux disease. This is a paradox because most medical doctors believe
that reducing stomach acid prevents heartburn and reflux. Read on
to learn why this is not always the case!
- Food allergies.
I estimate that 50% of GERD symptoms are due to food allergies. Your
body is talking to you about the food that hits your stomach. Your body
may be seeing your food as the enemy and responds with heartburn.
- Constipation.
If you are constipated, the natural peristaltic waves from the intestinal
tract may be impaired and indirectly effect gastric emptying, which could
contribute to reflux. .
- Excess abdominal fat.
Too much fat around your middle creates pressure that can cause GERD.
- Stress and lifestyle.
The pylorus is a muscular ring at the lower part of your stomach,
where the stomach joins the duodenum. Since It's a muscle, which can
become tight, especially in response to stress.
What's more,if you eat too quickly, the food bolus (containing acid, enzymes
and bile) may then back up into the lower esophagus, causing heart burn.
Digesting Food and Digesting Life
As a gastrointestinal surgeon, I have seen many patients who suffer from
acid reflux. To make matters worse, there is no question in my mind that
there is an overuse of acid-blocking medicines to fight the symptoms.
While such medicines can be helpful in the short term to give people relief
from pain and allow the esophagus to heal, it's better to take a preventative
approach that is natural and effective over the long term.
Basically, I link GERD with poor eating habits, food sensitivities, some
medications and psycho-emotional stress.
I have seen patients who are unable to digest their food, possibly because
they can't even "stomach" some aspects of their lives. The pylorus
can't relax, and they may vomit or even develop anorexia.
From a hormonal standpoint, the level of cortisol
(a stress hormone) in your body can impact the function of your intestines.
Cortisol is essential for your fight-or-flight response, but with too
much chronic stress, elevated cortisol triggers the brain's release of corticotrophin
releasing hormone (CRH), which has been shown to impair the function of your
pylorus. It has also been shown to effect motility of the small intestine
and colon.
There are now well-known dysmotility syndromes that involve the stomach,
small intestine and colon.
Sometimes the conditions are so severe that pacemakers have been surgically
placed to help get the intestinal tract moving again.
Creating a foundation for wealth may be the best way to treat and
prevent GERD. Learn more about the Body Ecology approach to healing
in The
Body Ecology Diet, the seminal book for a holistic approach to your
health.
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Acute vs. Chronic Reflux
Keep in mind that acid reflux can come and go for both children and adults.
If you or someone you love experiences GERD on a less frequent basis, they
may have acute reflux caused by food sensitivity, eating too much,
or pathogenic bacteria in food.
When acute reflux is the diagnosis, I recommend following foundational
health guidelines that support digestive wellness. I will be talking more
about this in part 2 of this series on GERD.
In the meantime, here is a great resource for how Body Ecology can support
foundational digestive health: The
Quick and Easy Guide to Improving Your Health on the Body Ecology Program
Part I: The First 7 Steps to Great Health.
Chronic reflux, on the other hand, is just that: a chronic condition
that occurs regularly. Now that you are familiar with the causes and symptoms
of GERD, stay tuned for the next installment.
In Part 2 of this series on GERD, I'll discuss the natural ways to treat
and prevent gastroesophageal reflux disease.
Sources:
AboutGerd.org
2 Pediatric GERD, ENTNet.org. http://www.entnet.org/KidsENT/GERD.cfm
3 AboutGerd.org
4 Pediatric GERD, ENTNet.org. http://www.entnet.org/KidsENT/GERD.cfm
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