Treatment for Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease
Depending on the severity of your GERD there are a variety of treatments that range from simple lifestyle changes to surgery. Most often a doctor will recommend small changes to see if that helps with the symptoms of GERD, but after an extended period of time if nothing is working, he may recommend more invasive measures.
One of the simplest treatments for GERD is lifestyle changes regarding eating, drinking and smoking. Since acid reflux is more prevalent at night, a simple treatment is to simply elevate your upper body. This raises the esophagus above the stomach and partially restores the effect of gravity that allows the acid to stay down. Other changes include the most common cause of GERD which is your diet and nutrition. Your reflux most likely is worse after meals because there is a distention between the stomach, the food you are digesting, and the acid. It is better to eat smaller meals, and earlier evening meals. This will allow for the total digestion in your food so that you have less reflux after your meals. It is also important to avoid foods such as chocolate, peppermint, alcohol, caffeinated drinks, fatty foods, and spicy foods, all of which can cause the acid to back up. Lastly, if you are overweight, you will most likely find instant relief once you start following a healthy diet which in turn will take off the extra pounds. Many overweight people see a lifelong improvement in their GERD if they lose the weight and keep it off.
Treatments you can use at home are antacids which neutralize the acid in the stomach so that there is no acid to reflux. The only downfall to antacids is that they only last a small amount of time before the acid starts to accumulate again. The best way to use antacids if you are using them strictly as your treatment, is to take them one hour after meals or as soon as the symptoms begin after you eat. It is more effective this way, especially if you follow it up with a second dose about two hours after you eat.
If the antacids only take care of your GERD short term and you are looking for something long term, you may want to ask your doctor about the medications that reduce acid in the stomach for a full day. These medications include H2 blockers which inhibit acid secretion in the stomach making it possible to keep the extra acid where it belongs and not in your esophagus. There is another medication which is called a pro-motility drug which stimulates the muscles of the GI tract which includes the esophagus, stomach, colon, and small intestine. This reduces reflux and speeds up the emptying of the stomach to further reduce the acid.
Finally you have surgery which should be a last effort to take care of your symptoms of GERD. If you have tried all of the lifestyle changes as well as medications then you may want to consider the surgery called fundoplication. It is a complicated surgery that opens the diaphragm and makes an artificial lower esophageal sphincter which treats the complications and symptoms of GERD. It can be done through a small incision in the abdomen and most patients say it is extremely effective at relieve symptoms for up to 10 years.