Heartburn, in the human body is best
described as the backflow of digestive acid to the oesophagus, which may damage
the lining of the oesophagus if the regurgitation of stomach acids to the
oesophagus is constant. In the medical world acid reflux is also called
Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) which is cause by several possibilities
as stated by medical experts. One of these possibilities is the failure to
function of the oesophagus’ natural divider, the Lower Esophageal Sphincter or
LES. LES is a ring of muscles located at the lower end of the oesophagus which
connects to the stomach, it acts as the doorway of food, liquid and saliva into
the stomach and it also prevents the backflow of digestive acids of the stomach
into the more sensitive lining of the oesophagus.
There are several
abnormalities of the contraction and expansion of the passageway of the
oesophagus, where two specifically affects the LES. The first is the weak
contraction of the LES reducing its effectiveness in preventing acid reflux,
and the second is the abnormal relaxation of these muscles which is called transient LES relaxations. The latter is
the most common reason why people experience acid reflux, and it is because it
occurs during meals when the stomach is bloated with food making the LES to
relax more allowing more acids to enter the oesophagus.
Acid reflux is
actually easy to prevent but a bitch to fix when it becomes chronic because of
some unhealthy lifestyle choices. So it is common sense to change our lifestyle
to prevent that unpleasant heartburn home remedies symptoms and expensive visits to the doctor.
