What Are the Symptoms of Acid Reflux?

The most common symptom of Acid Reflux is heartburn. Having heartburn does not mean you have reflux, it can also be caused by other ailments including a severe Candida yeast infection or overgrowth. A Candida infection can result in a wide range of problems including thrush, depression, skin irritations, heartburn and hemorrhoids.

It is possible to have Acid Reflux without suffering from heartburn, there are a range of other atypical symptoms that may occur.

Acid Reflux will generally occur after eating, it may take one or two hours for the symptoms to appear depending on what you have eaten, how much you have eaten and what you do after you eat. If you lie down, bend over or take part in physical exertion the reflux symptoms will worsen.

If you suffer from Acid Reflux symptoms more than twice a week, you may have GERD (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease) and you should seek medical advice. GERD is caused by damage to the esophagus when gastric contents are in contact with it over extended periods of time.

Heartburn

Heartburn is characterized by a burning or restless sensation behind the breastbone, the sensation can also extend into the throat and neck. The burning sensation is a result of the stomach contents moving up through the esophagus (pipe between you throat and stomach) and into the throat.

Around 75% of Acid Reflux sufferers will experience heartburn at night.

Heartburn has nothing to do with the heart.

Difficulty Swallowing

A burning sensation or pain can be felt in the throat when swallowing, the pain can become severe when swallowing food. This can also be accompanied by the sensation of a lump of food becoming lodged in the throat or chest. This is caused by damage to the membrane lining the throat and esophagus becoming damaged due to excess exposure to gastric acid.

Upset Stomach or Indigestion

Around 50% of reflux patients will suffer from an upset stomach, this can be characterized by pain and distress in the upper abdomen, nausea after eating a meal, excessive belching and the sensation of having a full stomach much earlier than expected.

Regurgitation

This is where the gastric contents (food, gastric acid and enzymes) flow back up into the pharynx (very back wall of the mouth) and sometimes even as far as the mouth. This is often accompanied by a bitter or sour taste in the mouth.

Asthmatic Symptoms

This is characterized by wheezing, coughing and sneezing. Breathing naturally is difficult. When you regurgitate, acid or acid fume can end up in your lungs, this results in asthma symptoms, this particularly occurs with people who suffer from asthma.

Hoarseness or Voice Harshness

Due to pressure on the vocal cord, your voice may sound harsh and you may face problems when you are talking and find yourself needing to clear you throat often. The wall of the throat can also become hardened if it has been regularly exposed to stomach acid.

Yellow Fluid or Stains on you Pillow

If you have reflux during the night you can wake up to find yellow fluid or stains on your pillow, the fluid is normally gastric acid.

Many of these symptoms on there on are just normal ailments that most of us tend to have at some time. Acid Reflux becomes apparent when there are enough symptoms to allow your doctor to diagnose it. Your doctor can have tests performed to confirm their diagnosis.

There are natural cures for Acid Reflux, simple changes in your diet are often enough to completely stop all the symptoms of Acid Reflux.

Please carefully check out the short and long-term side effects of taking antacids and other Acid Reflux medications, many of them can actually worsen your condition. The FDA has issued a safety warning on the long-term use of proton pump inhibitors, extended use can result in osteoporosis and increased risk of fractures.