Many people complain of indigestion. In healthcare, we call this condition GERD, gastroesophageal reflux disease. It is very common for the general public and hundreds of thousands of dollars are spent with over the counter medications to relieve the symptoms associated with this.
There are multiple medications that you can purchase over the counter without a prescription including antacids, Zantac or cimetidine. Some of these medications used to be prescription, but with altered dosing, they are now available over the counter. They do not halt the acid production of the stomach nor do they heal the inflammation from the acid. This acid is the reason for the burning sensation in the chest, throat, and stomach.
Acid production in the stomach is necessary for the start of digestion of food as it progresses through the gastrointestinal system of the body. There are medications which eliminate this stomach acid, but in doing this, there are risks. You are now upsetting the natural barriers that help decrease infections. These medicines are called PPIs, protein pump inhibitors. The literature suggests that 70% of the PPI prescriptions are unnecessary.
The risks of PPIs are multiple. They eliminate the first line of defense of the body by removing the highly acid environment that is lethal to bacteria. They also increase the probability of hospital-acquired infections the likelihood of pneumonia in the hospital as well as at home.
However, PPIs are essential to those patients who are in the intensive care units (ICUs). A high-risk occurrence when residing in these units is gastrointestinal bleeding. PPIs are an excellent preventative medication. Just make sure that you do not continue to take them when you are discharged. You no longer need them.
Lifestyle modifications are effective. The problem is they require us to make changes that we may not want to make. Remember every medication is a chemical and chemicals are not always the best solution. Talk to your healthcare provider, or contact us to ask how you can resolve your GERD without medication.