What is Acid Reflux & GERD?

When heartburn strikes, do you reach for the antacids or prescription medicines for relief?  None of these really solve the problem, though they may temporarily alleviate the symptoms.

You may be surprised to learn that a heartburn solution for many doesn’t come in the form of a pill.  Heartburn, indigestion, acid reflux and GERD all are essentially the same thing.  When digestive fluids leak from the stomach back into the esophagus they cause pain, swelling and irritation and damage to the mucus lining of the esophagus.

Allow our Crystal Lake chiropractors to relieve you of your heartburn pain by contacting us today.


Acid Reflux Symptoms

While a small Hiatal hernia typically will not cause pain or discomfort, if left untreated, these hernias get larger and cause symptoms such as:

  • Chest Pain
  • Heartburn
  • Acid Reflux
  • Difficulty swallowing

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Causes

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A hiatal (or hiatus) hernia is one cause that can develop, an anatomical abnormality that allows the upper part of the stomach to enter the chest cavity, by letting it push up through the diaphragm – this sometimes leads to GERD.

Pregnancy also sometimes causes acid contents from the stomach to be pushed up into the esophagus.

Other risk factors are controllable or directly linked to lifestyle or other factors that may be changed:

  • Obesity
  • Smoking (active or passive)
  • High intake of table salt
  • Low dietary fiber
  • Low physical exercise
  • Medications, including drugs for asthma, calcium-channel blockers, antihistamines, painkillers, sedatives, and antidepressants.

Diagnosis & Treatment

There are many disease processes that mimic the signs and symptoms of Acid reflux or heartburn. The underlying cause could be your central nervous system.  When there are interferences in the central nervous system (know as subluxations) the systems of the body are not able to function at peak levels.

Our chiropractic physicians have extensive training and experience with the central nervous system that allows us to diagnose, target and successfully treat underlying causes of health conditions such as Hiatal hernias.

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