GERD stands for Gastro-Esophageal Reflux Disease (in the UK it is called GORD because the Brits include an ‘o’ at the start of oesophageal – ‘oesophagus’). In plain speak, GERD is the cause of heartburn and acid reflux – a symptom that almost everyone has had at some time in their lives. It also includes symptoms of upper abdominal pain and discomfort which, like the heartburn, are caused by acid and pepsin being forced upwards from the stomach through the diaphragm into the lower esophagus, which, unlike the stomach, is not protected against acid and pepsin.

The esophagus becomes irritated and inflamed, and sometimes even ulcerated and digested by them. So the symptoms range from the relatively minor, to the major ones of eventual bleeding, perforation and even cancerous changes.

GERD is very common and getting more common. Indeed, a generation ago, there would not have been the interest in acid reflux disease that there is now. This new awareness is largely because of two developments in our society – our much-publicized obesity epidemic and our frenetic lifestyles.

Being overweight – specifically being apple-shaped – means that there are large amounts of fat within the abdomen. This results in there being less room for the organs inside the abdomen, and therefore more pressure upon them. There is only one way for the pressure on the stomach to be relieved – upwards through the diaphragm. Hence the squirting of stomach contents up into the esophagus (especially when bending down or lying flat), and even the formation of hernias, in which parts of the stomach are pushed into the chest. (That’s why losing weight is one of the single most effective measures you can take against GERD / GORD.)

A frenetic lifestyle – snatching meals on the hoof – means that there are plenty of hours in the day in which the stomach secretes acid and pepsin (a protein-digesting enzyme) into its cavity, but has no food to digest. This can erode both the stomach wall and the esophagus above it. So modern man and woman have a two-pronged attack upon them.

There are many millions of people who suffer with the condition and visit their doctor for help. But they are only the tip of the iceberg – most people with heartburn treat themselves, and never bother to see their doctor.

This site is about GERD and acid reflux: how it arises, how it affects you, how it is investigated, and how it can be treated or even cured. It is for everyone with GERD who has to cope with heartburn and its related symptoms, and its consequences and complications.

Thankfully, we can be optimistic, because heartburn, of all ‘digestive’ problems, is the most easily treated. Provided you obey the rules and follow the appropriate advice on lifestyle and treatments, you can abolish it from your life.

Heartburn is not the whole story of GERD, though. If you have GERD you probably experience other symptoms that are just as annoying as heartburn. You may get fluid rising from your stomach into your mouth. That may be either ‘acid brash’, in which the fluid contains acid and bile, and tastes sour or bitter. Or it may be ‘waterbrash’, in which the mouth fills up with excess saliva.

You may find it difficult and painful to swallow solid foods, no matter how well you have chewed them. You may have constant or repeated pains in the centre of the chest or upper abdomen – ‘indigestion’ or ‘dyspepsia’ – that can accompany or alternate with the heartburn.

Lying flat or bending over may bring on the pain or make it worse. You may learn to avoid specific foods that seem to initiate pain. Eating too much at a time can also do it: you may already have started to eat smaller meals more often than before, in an attempt to prevent the symptoms.

Almost certainly you are used to taking anti-indigestion remedies, such as antacids or acid-suppressants. There are hundreds of proprietary medicines for GERD, and your pharmacist will probably have advised you on them and what they do. Yet still you are battling on, wondering if there is anything more you can do to help yourself.

My site is for people like you. It explains what GERD is, why it produces such pain and discomfort, and what you can do – in lifestyle changes, in eating healthily, and in medicines you can take – to become free of it and its complications. It also guides you on when you have to take things further, and how the doctors will investigate GERD to eliminate more serious illnesses or to find out whether or not you have a hiatus hernia that may need surgery to correct it. It explains what hiatus hernia is, and how it is operated on today.

Once you know the underlying cause of your symptoms, you will find it easier to cope with them and to comply with your doctor’s advice. The fundamental problem in GERD and acid reflux is that your stomach is ’squirting’ acid up into the esophagus.  Your stomach wall is resistant to acid attack, but your esophagus is not – and that’s what causes the pain.

GERD, Acid Reflux and Your Esophagus