acid reflux, or gastro esophageal reflux disease (GERD), is thought to develop as a result of recurring damage from acidic digestive juices that burn the esophagus. But researchers from Utah Southwestern Medical Center say that GERD may not be quite so simple. Cytokines, immune system cells that cause inflammation, may be behind the majority of the esophageal damage that causes heartburn.
“Currently we treat GERD by giving medications to prevent the stomach from making acid,” said Dr. Rhonda Souza, lead author of the study which appears in this month’s issue of the journal Gastroenterology. “But if GERD is really an immune-mediated injury, maybe we should create medications that would prevent these cytokines from attracting inflammatory cells to the esophagus and starting the injury in the first place.”
In the published research, scientists studied GERD in rats. They created GERD in the rats through an operation which connected the duodenum to the esophagus, allowing stomach acid to freely enter the esophagus. The researchers expected esophagi is (inflammation of the esophagus) to develop immediately, but it actually took weeks to develop.
“That doesn’t make sense if GERD is really the result of an acid burn, as we all were taught in medical school,” explained Dr. Souza. “Chemical injuries develop immediately. If you spill battery acid on your hand, you don’t have to wait a month to see the damage.”
Three days after the operation, there was absolutely no damage to surface cells of the esophagus. However, when scientists looked more closely, they found inflammatory cells in deeper layers of the esophagus. The inflammatory cells took three weeks to rise to the surface layer of the esophagus – and that’s when the surface damage began to appear.
It appears, then, that the tissue damage associated with GERD may not be caused by the acid itself, but rather through an inflammatory reaction that is set off by the acid. Of course, once the disease process begins, it is likely that excess acid causes further damage to tissue that has already been damaged by chronic inflammation.
This study may very well explain why acid reflux symptoms have been linked to stress. Surveys show that most people who suffer from acid reflux say that stress is their main trigger. Previous research shows that stress levels affect the function immune system. For example, people are more prone to allergy and asthma attacks when they are experiencing high stress.
This study may also explain why modern medical treatments do not work very well for acid reflux – and why natural health solutions have been much more successful. Natural health solutions for GERD focus on lifestyle factors such as dietary choices and stress reduction. Like stress, certain foods can affect the function of the immune system and fan the flames of inflammation.
By focusing on diet, stress reduction, and other lifestyle choices, one former GERD sufferer was able to completely heal his acid reflux. His symptoms are gone for good. One can Cure acid reflux Naturally to learn more about dietary choices and other lifestyle factors that can make GERD disappear.
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Blue Heron Health News is a leading publishing company in the field of natural health. The latest publication from Blue Heron Health gives solution to the pervasive problem of acid reflux with a natural acid reflux cure.
Tags: Acid Reflux, health, natural health