Quote:
Originally posted by Raven@Feb 11 2005, 01:36 PM
Grimm, my only point with acid reflux....is there are WAY too many people being diagnosed with it....
"The esophagus is separated from the stomach by a valve or sphincter. The lower esophageal sphincter is normally closed . Heartburn is caused by the reflux, or movement, of stomach acid into the esophagus.except during swallowing. The sphincter keeps the stomach contents from refluxing or returning into the esophagus. Heartburn occurs when the pressure in the stomach overcomes this valve and forces the stomach acid into the esophagus. This can occur when the valve or sphincter is too weak to prevent the reflux or when the amount of stomach acid is too great to be kept in the stomach."
Thing is...it's a one way door....usually. What goes down doesn't usually come back up.
It is rare that it mal functions. When it does, it's pretty serious and can cause esophageal varices and other conditions.
Most people have heartburn, which is not acid reflux.
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Oddly, about one third of the world population has a "hiatal hernia" - the actual cause of acid reflux, or to be more accurate esophageal reflux. Most people will live their entire lives not knowing they have this condition. A few, like myself, aren't so lucky.
Mine raged into a full blown Class A Hiatal Hernia back in 1990. It was so bad that it became rare for me to eat a meal without my esophagus fully seizing and my having to vomit the food back up until the spasms subsided. Eventually, the docs gave in to my "whining" and agreed to perform a Nisson Fundoplasty (sp?).
They opened me up, attached a plastic ring to the bottom of my esophagus and stitched the upper part of my stomach around the ring - thus creating a new valve. They also put a few sutures in my diaphragm to tighten up the hole the esophagus passes thru (the diaphragm is actually the "sphincter" you refered to earlier).
And... the procedure worked. Well, to date about 95% of the time. I still get flare ups occasionally and they suck when they happen. It literally feels like you are having a heart attack.
Yet, I agree with you about the pharm companies pitching their wares to *everybody* that gets a little heartburn occassionally is insane.