After diagnosing your condition, your doctor will recommend the appropriate treatment. Treatment for your individual condition may include one or a combination of the following:.

Lifestyle changes may be helpful in relieving some GERD symptoms. Your doctor may ask you to avoid certain foods that can make your symptoms worse, such as chocolate, alcohol, coffee, citrus, and tomato-based products.

Other recommendations may include losing weight, raising the head of your bed and quitting smoking. Laproscopic antireflux is a minimally invasive surgery that was pioneered at U-M combining the features of a Collis gastroplasty and Nissen fundoplication procedures.

This procedure reduces the risk of recurrent gastroesophageal reflux that may be encountered after the more traditional treatments and when symptoms are poorly controlled by medical therapy or have associated complications such as esophageal stricture or relative shortening of the esophagus.

Average hospital stay is two days, and patients are able to return a normal lifestyle within one week. To schedule an appointment to discuss your need for treatment for GERD, call us at Updated visitor policies.

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GERD Symptoms and Risk Factors You may be at risk for developing GERD if you are overweight or if your job or lifestyle requires stooping, bending, or heavy lifting.

Typical symptoms of GERD include: Heartburn burning behind the breastbone traveling toward the neck Regurgitation effortless movement of stomach contents into the chest Unusual symptoms if presenting without the typical symptoms above: Excess saliva Sensation of a lump in the back of the throat Coughing Hoarseness Sore throat Contact your doctor if you have any of the following symptoms: Unexplained weight loss Trouble swallowing Choking Blood in the stools Vomiting Pain with swallowing Diagnosing GERD To diagnose GERD, your doctor will ask questions to thoroughly understand your symptoms.

Testing may include: Upper endoscopy, also known as an esophagogastroduodenoscopy or EGD, uses an endoscope—a lighted, flexible tube, about the thickness of a finger—to examine the upper gastrointestinal tract while you are sedated.

The EGD examines the esophagus, stomach, and duodenum, which is the first part of the small intestine. A special instrument may be passed through the tube to take a small piece of tissue a biopsy for examination in the laboratory.

The recorder measures the amount of reflux both acidic and non-acidic traveling into the esophagus. GERD can also be caused by a hiatal hernia, which occurs when the LES and the upper portion of your stomach move above your diaphragm.

Your diaphragm, a muscle that separates your stomach and your chest, typically helps keep stomach acid in the stomach where it belongs. When a hiatal hernia pushes above your diaphragm, it allows stomach acid to flow into your esophagus.

Treatment for GERD depends on whether or not you have a hiatal hernia and can include medication, certain outpatient procedures, or minimally invasive surgery. Learn more about our procedures and surgical options. There are several changes you can make at home to prevent reflux symptoms or ease your discomfort once they begin.

For some mild cases of reflux, these lifestyle changes may be all you need to keep symptoms at bay. Skip to main content. HF Main Menu. Reflux and GERD Feel free of gastroesophageal pain and discomfort.

Acid reflux vs GERD. Wondering if you are at risk for GERD? Find out now. Take our reflux quiz Acid reflux. Treatment for acid reflux often includes over-the-counter or prescription medication. Symptoms of acid reflux.

Tasting food or acid in the back of your mouth or throat. GERD, which stands for gastroesophageal reflux disease, is a severe, chronic form of reflux. Severe reflux symptoms.

Heartburn several times a week. Nausea or vomiting.

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Can watching sports be bad for your health? Beyond the usual suspects for healthy resolutions. May 22, If you are sounding a little hoarse and have a sore throat, you may be bracing for a cold or a bout of the flu. What is GERD?

Symptoms of GERD can include: heartburn — pain in the upper abdomen and chest — is the most common symptom of GERD regurgitation, or stomach contents coming back up through your esophagus and into your throat or mouth, which may cause you to taste food or stomach acid chest pain nausea problems swallowing or pain while swallowing symptoms of complications in the mouth, throat, or lungs, such as chronic cough or hoarseness.

How to get rid of acid reflux If you've been having repeated episodes of heartburn — or any other symptoms of acid reflux — you might try the following: 1. Eat sparingly and slowly When the stomach is very full, there can be more reflux into the esophagus. Avoid certain foods People with acid reflux were once instructed to eliminate all but the blandest foods from their diets.

But there are still some foods that are more likely than others to trigger reflux, including: mint fatty foods spicy food tomatoes onions garlic coffee tea chocolate alcohol. Don't drink carbonated beverages They make you burp, which sends acid into the esophagus. Stay up after eating When you're standing, or even sitting, gravity alone helps keeps acid in the stomach, where it belongs.

Don't move too fast Avoid vigorous exercise for a couple of hours after eating. Sleep on an incline Ideally, your head should be six to eight inches higher than your feet. Lose weight if it's advised Increased weight spreads the muscular structure that supports the lower esophageal sphincter, decreasing the pressure that holds the sphincter closed.

If you smoke, quit Nicotine may relax the lower esophageal sphincter. Check your medications Some — including postmenopausal estrogen, tricyclic antidepressants, and anti-inflammatory painkillers — can relax the sphincter, while others — particularly bisphosphonates like alendronate Fosamax , ibandronate Boniva , or risedronate Actonel , which are taken to increase bone density — can irritate the esophagus.

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Cooling Heartburn Heartburn can be difficult to cope with but many people manage it quite well. Free Healthbeat Signup Get the latest in health news delivered to your inbox!

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Severe reflux symptoms. Heartburn several times a week. Nausea or vomiting. Difficulty swallowing. Difficulty speaking. Dry cough. Shortness of breath. Chest pain that worsens when laying down. How to manage your reflux. Avoid certain foods that cause reflux or make it worse, including coffee, chocolate, tomatoes and spicy or greasy food.

Eat smaller meals. Avoid eating two to three hours before bedtime. Do not smoke, or look into quitting. Avoid wearing tight fitting clothes and belts. Acid reflux occurs when the sphincter muscle at the lower end of your esophagus relaxes at the wrong time, allowing stomach acid to back up into your esophagus.

This can cause heartburn and other signs and symptoms. Frequent or constant reflux can lead to GERD. Gastroesophageal reflux disease GERD occurs when stomach acid repeatedly flows back into the tube connecting your mouth and stomach esophagus.

This backwash acid reflux can irritate the lining of your esophagus. Many people experience acid reflux from time to time. However, when acid reflux happens repeatedly over time, it can cause GERD. Most people are able to manage the discomfort of GERD with lifestyle changes and medications.

And though it's uncommon, some may need surgery to ease symptoms. Seek immediate medical care if you have chest pain, especially if you also have shortness of breath, or jaw or arm pain. These may be signs and symptoms of a heart attack.

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GERD is caused by frequent acid reflux or reflux of nonacidic content from the stomach. When you swallow, a circular band of muscle around the bottom of your esophagus lower esophageal sphincter relaxes to allow food and liquid to flow into your stomach.

Then the sphincter closes again. If the sphincter does not relax as it should or it weakens, stomach acid can flow back into your esophagus.

This constant backwash of acid irritates the lining of your esophagus, often causing it to become inflamed. A hiatal hernia occurs when the upper part of your stomach bulges through your diaphragm into your chest cavity.

Conditions that can increase your risk of GERD include:. Gastroesophageal reflux disease GERD care at Mayo Clinic. Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products.

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