Acid Reflux

Acid Reflux is most commonly known as "acidity" in common man's words. It is a state where the contents of your stomach flow backwards towards your throat causing hearts burns, hiccups, burning sensation etc.

After a heavy afternoon meal people usually take a nap or lie down and watch TV. Suddenly they start feeling uneasy so much to an extent that they cannot lie down again. There is discomfort and pain in the chest. This is a state when the contents of the stomach travel backwards in the esophagus. It is mainly a digestive problem. It leaves a bitter taste in the mouth. At times it can also be felt in the mid line of the back. It is mainly related to the eating habits.

Causes of Acid Reflux:

We have a small "flap" covering the top of the stomach which prevents the stomach contents from traveling back in the esophagus. At times this "flap" does not function properly due to which the contents of the stomach travel back in the esophagus causing a burning sensation.

The factors responsible for Acid Reflux are: eating heavy meals, smoking, pregnancy and overweight.

Pregnancy: This is a time when you need to be extra careful about what you eat and when you eat. Eating habits matter a lot during these 9 months of a woman's life. But in this phase woman gets nauseatic towards some food items. They are often seen indulging themselves in unhealthy food habits, thus causing heart burns. To avoid such thing women should eat a healthy diet full of iron, calcium and protein during these important months for good health of a mother as well as a baby

Eating Habits: Due to the fast life and busy work schedules people are often seen eating outside food or skipping their meals, or filling up there stomachs with heavy meals, thus suffering from various health problems. To maintain a healthy lifestyle more care should be taken with the eating habits which will help us avoid any health problems.

Smoking: Smoking affects our digestive system thus affecting our eating habits. A smoker is often seen smoking even in food hours to avoid the food intake. More precisely, he becomes so addictive to smoking that he looses his appetite and is hardly interested in eating food, thus causing heartburns and also cancers to a larger extent.

Overweight: Obesity or overweight can cause numerous health problems such as high sugar levels (Diabetes), high blood pressure, cancer and so on. Being overweight can be hereditary or may be because of being inactive, eating habits, smoking, medicines, medical problems etc.

Hereditary: Some people are genetically over weight. Genes are an important factor of a person's health.

Inactiveness: Some people are inactive. They do not like to participate in the health regime programs like exercise or sports. Such people are likely to gain more weight.

Eating Habits: The diet or eating habits of a person are major factor to weight gain. Eating high calorie or high fat diet contributes to weight gain.

Medicines: Overweight can be a side effect of some medication.

Medical Problem: Medical history of a person can also be the cause of being overweight. eg: Thyroid.

Above are some of the causes of Acid Reflux.