GERD Symptoms and How to Avoid GERD

Chest pain is a symptom of GERD that many people complain about. This happens if the person does not maintain eating and drinking patterns.

Eating too much or consuming acidic foods can trigger stomach acid to rise. If the condition of the stomach is too acidic, it will cause pain. In addition, the chest will also feel like it is burning.

Some acidic foods and drinks that should be avoided or reduced are coffee, soda, alcohol, spicy foods, fatty foods, chocolate, tomatoes, and citrus fruit families such as oranges and lemons. This food and drink group is certainly not friendly to the stomach of GERD sufferers.

Nutritionist Sally Kuzemchak, MS, RD, also explained GERD and stomach acid, quoted from WebMD.

She explained several health conditions more susceptible to gastric acid, such as overweight or obese, smokers, or pregnant women.

So, people with this condition must pay more attention to the type and pattern of their diet so they don't get acid reflux.

"Hernia sufferers also have the potential to be exposed to acid reflux greater than healthy ones," added Sally.

Apart from food factors, Sally added that acid reflux could also be triggered by drugs such as NSAIDs, asthma medications, and several anti-depressants.

However, that does not mean people with it should not take medication. When the pain recurs, sufferers can take antacids to reduce and relieve symptoms. This drug can reduce flatulence and also bloating.

Although chest pain due to reflux acid is excruciating, this disease does not cause death.

However, it will differ from patients who have experienced GERD too often or have experienced complications. Carrying out further examinations to the doctor is highly recommended to get help from a healthcare professional.

For those who still have a healthy body or who are experiencing the early stages of it, Sally shares some tips to avoid this disease.

The first thing to pay attention to is diet. Avoid eating too much.

"It would be better to eat small portions, but often every 2-3 hours. Also, avoid eating or drinking acidic things. Then, walking after eating can also prevent getting reflux acid," she said.

The second thing that is no less important is to avoid sleeping after eating, especially after lunch or dinner.

Give a break between the time after eating and sleeping so the stomach can digest the food and drinks that have just been consumed.

"If you want to sleep, try sleeping with your head higher than your body. This can prevent stomach acid from rising," suggested Sally.

Image source: Gerd Illustrations | klikdokter.com-GERD