PUBLISHED ON April 2, 2023
Acid reflux or GERD (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease) is when the acid in your stomach moves up the esophagus, causing a burning sensation. The most common cause of acid reflux is when the esophageal sphincter does not function correctly,
You might be surprised to learn the esophageal sphincter is a muscle. If this muscle is weakened or injured in some manner, it can open randomly to allow acid to flow backward out of the stomach, like when you lay down.
With growing concerns about using over-the-counter and prescription medications to manage GERD long-term, people are now looking for alternative options, including chiropractic care in Brampton.
Symptoms of Acid Reflux
Some of the more common symptoms of acid reflux include:
- Problems swallowing due to pain.
- An acidic taste in your mouth.
- Acids, food, or liquids flow upwards into your mouth unexpectedly.
- A burning sensation in your chest.
- Frequent bouts of heartburn.
Common Acid Reflux Causes
Several causes exist that could cause the esophageal sphincter to not function correctly, such as:
- Smoking – If you smoke, you should seek a chiropractor for acid reflux. Frequent or occasional smoking strains the esophagus, leading to irritation.
- Lying down after eating – Do you lie down right after a meal? If so, you may suffer from acid reflux, as doing can cause acid to move backward from the esophageal sphincter and into your throat.
- Connective tissue disorder – Issues with your body’s tissue, especially in the gastrointestinal tract and esophagus, can cause heartburn and acid reflux.
- Obesity – Excess weight puts added pressure on the esophageal sphincter and could cause it to open unexpectedly.
- Pregnancy – Women often experience acid reflux and heartburn while pregnant. The baby puts additional pressure on the esophageal sphincter causing it to release acid into the esophagus.
- Poor Dietary Habits – Eating a lot of spicy and fatty foods can trigger heartburn and acid reflux.
- Hiatal Hernias – If you get Hiatal hernias, they can cause the stomach to press up on the esophagus, which can cause the esophageal sphincter to open.
It’s crucial to remember that many people experience acid reflux, even if none of the listed factors apply. In these situations, acid reflux might indicate deeper, more serious health problems, so it’s best to visit your local chiropractor for acid reflux as soon as possible.
DIY Remedies for Acid Reflux
If you’re dealing with acid reflux, you’re probably desperate for it to disappear. After all, acid reflux hurts, making things like lying down and eating your favourite foods painful. However, there are DIY remedies for acid reflux that everyone who suffers from acid reflux can try before visiting a chiropractor.
When attempting to address your acid reflux issues, the first step is to make a journal detailing your symptoms. Write down how you’re feeling, taking care to identify specific triggers and causes that you suspect are causing your episodes. This step, on its own, can give you the ability to reduce or even eliminate your acid reflux, as knowing what causes your acid reflux or GERD can help you eliminate it.
You should also reduce the consumption of fatty and acidic foods, as they are typical causes of acid reflux problems. For instance, try cutting citrus from your diet, such as lemons, limes, oranges, and fast food products like fried chicken and hamburgers. Instead, swap them out for less acidic, healthier alternatives such as starchy fruits, vegetables, and lean meats.
Refrain from eating meals two to three hours before bed, and drink water at each sitting. In addition, try chewing gum after eating, as it can increase saliva production, which helps deal with stomach acid buildup in the esophagus and mouth.
Certain drinks and home remedies can help, too. Herbal teas containing powerful nutrients like licorice, marshmallow, chamomile, and slippery elm may reduce your symptoms of acid reflux, fighting that burning sensation in your throat. They’re a great replacement for carbonated drinks, offering a healthy yet tasty alternative.
Finally, you’ll want to get active. Introducing regular stretching, yoga, and cardio can get your body moving, helping you digest food properly before it triggers acid reflux. Exercise is a simple yet powerful way to keep your esophageal system working right, and it offers many other benefits, such as weight control.
How to Manage a Healthy Weight
As explained, obesity is one of the main causes of acid reflux. That’s why any acid reflux chiropractor recommends weight loss for patients who need it, as it improves your symptoms and overall quality of life. While achieving and maintaining a healthy weight can seem almost impossible, there are easy steps you can take to keep yourself healthy and free of acid reflux.
First, understand that weight loss takes time and shouldn’t be rushed. Set realistic, achievable, and concrete goals for yourself in the short term, and watch as the benefits pile up gradually. To start, try incorporating mild exercise into your daily routine, working your way up to consistent yoga or cardio, depending on your preferences.
You’ll simply need to eat fewer calories than you burn to lose weight. You can use online calculators to determine how much of a calorie cut works for you. Maintaining your weight, however, is even simpler!
Maintaining a healthy weight for acid reflux management requires avoiding unhealthy, fatty, and acidic foods and creating effective dietary habits, like portion control and drinking water with every meal. If you’re asking, “Can a chiropractor help with acid reflux?” understand that by maintaining a healthy weight, you might not even need to visit an experienced chiropractor in Brampton to deal with your symptoms!
Chiropractic Care for Acid Reflux
Many people aren’t sure what chiropractors do and what makes them unique among health professionals. Chiropractors specialize in treating your body’s muscles and nerves and possess the authority and skills to diagnose countless neurological and musculoskeletal conditions effectively.
Unlike other healthcare professionals, chiropractors use their hands to apply force to your body’s joints, completing what is known as chiropractic adjustments. These adjustments are safe and healthy and have been proven to help correct digestive problems like acid reflux. That’s why more and more people are searching for “Can a chiropractor help with GERD?” in an effort to find a chiropractor for acid reflux problems.
Chiropractic care helps restore the balance between the musculoskeletal and nervous systems. The nervous system consists of an intricate network of nerves that controls a wide range of functions within the body.
When there are problems with the nervous system, messages are not sent correctly from the brain. Since the messages are never received, the nerves will not function correctly, creating various dysfunctions that can lead to health problems.
Acid reflux is one such problem that has been linked to interference within the nervous system. The nerves that help send signals to the esophageal sphincter have been traced to a nerve pathway that travels up and down the spine.
Surprisingly enough, when a person has back and spinal problems, it is not uncommon to also experience heartburn and acid reflux problems. Obtaining chiropractic care can help remove this interference so the brain can communicate correctly with the nerves that regulate the esophageal sphincter.
Furthermore, chiropractic care can incorporate various diet changes to help provide relief from acid reflux. Your chiropractor could even prescribe various exercise techniques to help strengthen the esophageal sphincter muscle so it functions correctly.
Most patients that use chiropractic care for acid reflux start to notice a reduction of acid reflux bouts within a few months. Some patients even recover fully from acid reflux.
Why Choose Active Life Wellness Center?
When searching for a chiropractor for acid reflux, you need a provider that offers a multi-dimensional approach to treatment. At Active Life Wellness Center, we offer so much more than just regular chiropractor work. Our physiotherapists, registered massage therapists, kinesiologists, and chiropractors all collaborate to prioritize our patients’ whole well-being, no matter what it takes.
You’ll love how motivated and passionate we are about our work to support you on your wellness journey. In addition, we have decades of combined experience helping people like you identify and treat their acid reflux and GERD issues. There’s no such thing as a helpless case for us; we’ll work hard to restore you to the best health possible.
We understand that no two individuals are alike; that’s why we take the time to create a custom treatment plan that suits your unique needs. We’ll speak with you to better understand your symptoms, then provide you with ongoing assistance to address your concerns.
