From the research made by Utah Southwestern Medical Center has concluded that GERD may not as simple as we think. Inflammation is created by cytokines immune system cells and these same are believed to be the major cause of the damage done to the esophageal that causes heart burn. The damage recurring due to the acid digestive juices that burn esophagus is believed to be the major reason for Acid reflux, or gastro esophageal reflux disease (GERD).

“Currently we treat GERD by giving medications to prevent the stomach from making acid,” said Dr. Rhonda Souza, lead author of the study 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.”

The scientists also researched on rats in the published paper. 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.

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.

It appears, then, that the tissue damage associated with GERD may not be caused by the acid itself, but rather through an inflammatory reaction that is set off by the acid. Of course, once the disease process begins, it is likely that excess acid causes further damage to tissue that has already been damaged by chronic inflammation.

How the acid reflux symptoms have been linked to stress is very well explained in the study. From other research it has been learned that function of immune system is affected by stress. If a person is experiencing high stress then he has a good chance of getting affected by allergy and asthma. Stress plays as a major reason for most people who suffer from acid reflux this has been proved in a survey.

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.

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. See Cure Acid Reflux Naturally to learn more about dietary choices and other lifestyle factors that can make GERD disappear.

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Blue Heron Health News is a leading publishing firm in the field of natural health. The latest publication from Blue Heron Health gives solution to the pervasive problem of acid reflux with a natural acid reflux cure.

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