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Daily heart burn and acid reflux are painful and bothersome, but what if medicines only caused temporary relief and you could never eat the foods you once enjoyed without regretting it soon after. GERD which is an acronym for Gastroesophageal reflux disease, is a Chronic Digestive disease that occurs when stomach acid or bile flows back (refluxes) into your food pipe (esophagus). The acid irritates the lining of the pipe and causes pain and discomfort. Acid reflux and heart burn are common digestive conditions, but when someone has developed GERD these symptoms occur weekly and can disturb normal daily activity. Leading Beverly Hills Gastroenterologist first recommend a change in lifestyle such as eating habits, small amount of exercise and some over the counter medications to keep the symptoms under control.

For a small amount of patients these lifestyle changes work too keep GERD symptoms in control, but for most patients this only offers temporary relief and more drastic measures must be taken in order to stop the symptoms all together. Because the stomach lining has a protective layer that protects the stomach from acid attack the pain in the stomach is not immense, but because the esophagus is unprotected it is vulnerable to stomach acid and powerful digestive enzymes that help break down food in the stomach, but burn the esophagus this is why the patient feels pain. Leading Gastroenterologist Los Angeles say most patients with GERD also have Hiatal hernias which makes it extremely easier for stomach contents to reflux back to the esophagus causing the pain more frequently. Hiatal hernia is when the upper part of the stomach bulges into the chest cavity opening making it easier for stomach contents to spill into the esophagus.

GERD is identified by having an endoscopy Los Angeles and then depending on the patients and overall health surgery or medication must be decided on. An endoscopy Beverly Hills is generally a simple procedure, in which a tube usually inserted through the mouth used to view the inside of the digestive tract. After having a look at the digestive tract the patient and surgeon will decide if medication or surgery is the best way to go. If the patient is a mother who is done having kids then medication might be the best way to go, because GERD patients are on medications for the rest of their lives. For other patients surgery is a better option to eliminate GERD. The most popular procedure to eliminate GERD is called fundoplication, fundoplication consists of surgery that takes a piece of the stomach and it is wrapped around the esophagus to tighten the valve in between, so that the stomach contents and acid stop spilling through and burning the esophagus. There are other surgery options to cure GERD but all are followed with taking medicine for then next two to three weeks because GERD is not cured over night.