Acid reflux is an extremely uncomfortable condition to experience. It seems that when you are suffering from heartburn, you will try anything to give yourself some relief.
So that you are better able to understand how acid reflux medication works in your body, let me explain to you what acid reflux is and how it affects your body. The part of your body that is affected by acid reflux is called the gastrointestinal system. This system is made up of your mouth, or oral cavity, your oesophagus, your stomach, your small intestine, large intestine and, finally, your anus. The primary role of your gastrointestinal system is to take in food, break down the food into usable energy and expel the waste products as faeces.
The area of this system that we will concentrate on is the oesophagus and stomach. When there is a problem with the cardiac sphincter that sits between the oesophagus and the stomach, the acids , used to break down your foods are allowed into the oesophagus, causing pain and discomfort. These acids are called pepsins and are an essential part of the digestive process.
It is quite normal for people to have some sort of liquid reflux from the stomach. People who suffer from acid reflux have a much higher acid level in their acid. Some scientists believe that there could be a genetic predisposition to the creation of higher levels of pepsin.
When medication is prescribed specifically for the treatment of acid reflux its purpose is to either reduce the production of pepsin by the cells in the stomach or neutralize the acid that is being produced.
One of the most common types of medication prescribed by your health care professional is called a Histamine Blocker. The purpose of this medication is to block the production of hydrochloric acid in your stomach. This in turn reduces the acid concentrations within your stomach allowing the oesophagus to heal from the burning of the higher concentrations of acid. The drugs that are histamine blockers are Cimetidine, Famotidine, Nizatine and Ranitidine. The last three are duel purpose in that they not only block the production of acid, they heal any damage to the oesophagus that may be already present.
Most of us are more familiar with the over the counter types of medication whose purpose is to put a layer of soothing substance between our volatile stomach acids and our tender oesophagus. Often that is as far as our involvement in medication for acid reflux needs to be. When we learn which foods trigger our discomfort, give up smoking and reduce alcohol, we can dramatically reduce its impact on our lives. Understanding how your gastrointestinal system works will now give you the knowledge to treat acid reflux as it arises.
