Health Bop

The painful condition where the contents of the stomach want to flow back the way they came to cause heartburn is something we may all have experienced in our lives: it is called acid reflux. This complaint affects the food pathways or digestive tract but is often called other names. The digestive system uses hydrochloric acid to digest and process food. When stomach contents try to go back up the esophagus, it causes the feeling of heartburn.

The stomach contains a valve which opens to allow food into it which should then close so stomach fluids cannot go back up the esophagus. It is when the esophageal sphincter doesn't close after food has passed through that the stomach fluids try to escape upwards and that is why it is called acid reflux. This condition is also known as GERD which is the shortened version of the correct medical name: gastro esophageal reflux disorder. Though the root causes are often unclear, perhaps the most prevalent acid reflux treatment is to eat healthly and avoid junk food; still, the volume of food that is consumed in any one sitting can also contribute because the digestive system becomes overwhelmed.