Acid reflux, or gastro esophageal reflux disease (GERD), is thought to develop as a result of recurring damage from acidic digestive juices that burn the esophagus. But researchers from Utah Southwestern Medical Center say that GERD may not be quite so simple. Cytokines, immune system cells that cause inflammation, may be behind the majority of the esophageal damage that causes heartburn.
It is said by Dr. Rhonda Souza that “Currently we treat GERD by giving medications to prevent the stomach from making acid,” to the author of the paper which appears in this month’s issue of the journal Gastroenterology. “But if GERD is really an immune-mediated injury, maybe we should create medications that would prevent these cytokines from attracting inflammatory cells to the esophagus and starting the injury in the first place.”
Through an operation the scientists connected the duodenum to esophagus in rats. This is to make way for the stomach acid to flow freely and to enter the esophagus. Thus they created GERD in the rats. By doing this the expectation of the scientists is that the esophagi will develop immediately, but in reality it took several weeks to develop. The scientists also researched on rats in the published paper.
Dr. Souza explained this as “That doesn’t make sense if GERD is really the result of an acid burn, as we all were taught in medical school,”. He further elaborated this by saying “Chemical injuries develop immediately. If you spill battery acid on your hand, you don’t have to wait a month to see the damage.”
The cells on surface didn’t even face a small damage even after three days of the operation. It took three weeks for the inflammatory cells to appear in the surface layer of the esophagus. But when the scientists watch more carefully they saw that in deeper layers of the esophagus inflammation was found. Only at that point of time the damage in surface layer began to appear.
Actually it does seems that the tissue damage associated with GERD could not have been happened due to acid. But it could have caused through an inflammatory reaction that is started by the acid. The excess acid will cause damage further to the tissue which has been already damaged by chronic inflammation. This will happen once the disease starts to progress.
This study may very well explain why acid reflux symptoms have been linked to stress. Surveys show that most people who suffer from acid reflux say that stress is their main trigger. Previous research shows that stress levels affect the function immune system. For example, people are more prone to allergy and asthma attacks when they are experiencing high stress.
This study may also explain why modern medical treatments do not work very well for acid reflux – and why natural health solutions have been much more successful. Natural health solutions for GERD focus on lifestyle factors such as dietary choices and stress reduction. Like stress, certain foods can affect the function of the immune system and fan the flames of inflammation.
Cure Acid Reflux Naturally to learn more about dietary choices and other lifestyle factors that can make GERD disappear. By focusing on diet, stress reduction, and other lifestyle choices, one former GERD sufferer was able to completely heal his acid reflux. His symptoms are gone for good.
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is a leading publishing company in the field of natural health. The latest publication from Blue Heron Health gives solution to the pervasive condition of acid reflux with a natural acid reflux cure.
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