Acid reflux medications are one of the top selling drugs of all time. We are talking about a billion dollar industry. When you look at it like this, then there must be a serious amount of people who are popping a lot of these pills. However, all these medications do not seem to be making much of an impact as the rate of people suffering from acid reflux and GERD is on the increase.
How Acid Reflux Happens
Acid reflux is a condition that describes stomach acid flowing into the esophagus where it can cause irritation and inflammation. This often causes well known acid reflux symptoms that include heartburn and chest pain. In many cases this is the failure of the lower oesophageal sphincter closing properly.
The sphincter is a round valve-like muscle that is at the lower end of the esophagus, just before the opening of the stomach. Its role is to let food and drink enter the stomach and then close to prevent any acid from escaping.
When the sphincter fails to close properly the gastric acid from your stomach can easily flow back up (reflux) into the sensitive lining of your esophagus.
The lining of the esophagus does not have the same protection as the lining of the stomach. If the lining becomes exposed to acid on a persistent basis it can cause permanent damage and lead to serious conditions such as Barrett's esophagus.
This happens when the lining of the esophagus grows back another lining . However, the new lining changes its cellular structure to that of the stomach lining. In certain cases this can increase your risk of oesophageal cancer, although the risk is small.
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