{"id":3570,"date":"2024-06-21T12:39:32","date_gmt":"2024-06-21T16:39:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/palmettoentallergy.com\/?p=3570"},"modified":"2024-06-21T12:39:33","modified_gmt":"2024-06-21T16:39:33","slug":"how-do-you-calm-a-gerd-flare-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/palmettoentallergy.com\/how-do-you-calm-a-gerd-flare-up\/","title":{"rendered":"How Do You Calm a GERD Flare-Up?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Gastroesophageal reflux (GERD) disease is a condition affecting approximately <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/my.clevelandclinic.org\/health\/diseases\/17019-acid-reflux-gerd\" target=\"_blank\">20% of adults<\/a> wherein stomach acid repeatedly flows back up the esophagus. Symptoms of GERD include a burning sensation in the chest, backwash, upper stomach pain, trouble swallowing, <a href=\"https:\/\/palmettoentallergy.com\/throat\/sore-throat\/\">sore throat<\/a>, the feeling of a lump in the throat, ongoing cough, inflammation of the vocal cords and nausea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>GERD flare-ups can cause discomfort, interrupt sleep, disrupt appetite and gradually damage the esophagus. Let\u2019s take a look at a few ways you can calm and prevent GERD flare-ups to promote comfort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Watch Out for Food Triggers<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/palmettoentallergy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Woman-with-acid-reflux-holding-her-throat-1280x675.jpg\" alt=\"Woman with acid reflux holding her throat.\" class=\"wp-image-3573\" width=\"414\" height=\"218\" srcset=\"https:\/\/palmettoentallergy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Woman-with-acid-reflux-holding-her-throat-1280x675.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/palmettoentallergy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Woman-with-acid-reflux-holding-her-throat-768x405.jpg 768w, https:\/\/palmettoentallergy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Woman-with-acid-reflux-holding-her-throat.jpg 1411w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 414px) 100vw, 414px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Foods and drinks aren\u2019t usually the leading cause of GERD but can contribute to your flare-ups. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC10458865\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Common triggers<\/a> include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Alcohol<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Acidic fruits<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Coffee or caffeinated tea<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Spicy food<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Mint<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Garlic and onions<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Fatty foods<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>If you notice GERD symptoms after consuming one or more of these foods or beverages, try eliminating them from your diet one at a time. If eliminating them from your diet doesn\u2019t improve your symptoms, slowly add them back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Eat Smaller Meals<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Large meals can cause the stomach to expand temporarily, increasing the likelihood of backwash. Try eating four smaller meals rather than three big ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Eat Earlier<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Lying down too soon after a meal can result in <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/16393212\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">increased GERD symptoms<\/a>. Give yourself a few hours between eating and bedtime to allow your body time to digest your last meal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Take Medication<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Some medications are highly effective for managing GERD. Two effective over-the-counter options include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Antacids<\/strong>. Antacids fight back stomach acid <a href=\"https:\/\/palmettoentallergy.com\/throat\/reflux\/\">when reflux occurs<\/a>. You can take antacids from time to time but should avoid using them too frequently.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Alginates<\/strong>. Alginates float on top of acids, creating a physical barrier between the acid and the esophagus. Alginates may come by themselves or in combination with antacids.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>If over-the-counter medications do not provide sufficient relief, your ENT specialist may prescribe H2 blockers, proton pump inhibitors or baclofen (muscle relaxant) to manage your symptoms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Surgery<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If GERD is severe, your ENT specialist may recommend surgical options, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Nissen fundoplication<\/strong>. Fundoplication is a common GERD surgery wherein a surgeon wraps the top of your stomach around your lower esophagus and secures it with stitches to tighten the connection between them, thereby preventing fluid backwash.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>LINX device<\/strong>. A LINX device is a ring with tiny magnets that close the junction between the stomach and esophagus to prevent backwash.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>By avoiding GERD triggers where possible and seeking the help of an ENT specialist, you can stop flare-ups in their tracks. Contact <span class=\"company-name \">Palmetto ENT &amp; Allergy<\/span> to make an appointment with one of our specialists today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><ul class=\"related-posts\"><li><a href=\"https:\/\/palmettoentallergy.com\/what-are-the-common-throat-disorders\/\" class=\"related-post\">What Are the Common Throat Disorders?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/palmettoentallergy.com\/understanding-third-mobile-window-syndrome\/\" class=\"related-post\">Understanding Third Mobile Window Syndrome<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/palmettoentallergy.com\/understanding-excess-drooling-causes-and-treatments\/\" class=\"related-post\">Understanding Excess Drooling: Causes and Treatments<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Gastroesophageal reflux (GERD) disease is a condition affecting approximately 20% of adults wherein stomach acid repeatedly flows back up the esophagus. Symptoms of GERD include a burning sensation in the chest, backwash, upper stomach pain, trouble swallowing, sore throat, the feeling of a lump in the throat, ongoing cough, inflammation of the vocal cords and&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3573,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","schema":"","fname":"","lname":"","position":"","credentials":"","placeID":"","no_match":false,"name":"","company":"","review":"","address":"","city":"","state":"","zip":"","lat":"","lng":"","phone1":"","phone2":"","fax":"","mon1":"","mon2":"","tue1":"","tue2":"","wed1":"","wed2":"","thu1":"","thu2":"","fri1":"","fri2":"","sat1":"","sat2":"","sun1":"","sun2":"","hours-note":"","locid":"","rating":""},"categories":[19,16],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/palmettoentallergy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3570"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/palmettoentallergy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/palmettoentallergy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/palmettoentallergy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/palmettoentallergy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3570"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/palmettoentallergy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3570\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3575,"href":"https:\/\/palmettoentallergy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3570\/revisions\/3575"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/palmettoentallergy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3573"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/palmettoentallergy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3570"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/palmettoentallergy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3570"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/palmettoentallergy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3570"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}