Does Reflux only happen when you eat too much?

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hawaiianmoon

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I have always been told that acid reflux happens when you eat too much. Is that the only time it happens?
 
Reflux happens because acid (or some other substance) moves upward from your stomach into your esophagus (where it's not supposed to be). A muscle, the lower esophageal sphincter, is supposed to prevent this from happening, but the LES can be compromised by any nuraber of things, only one of which is overfilling your stomach. Other reasons include too much belly fat, eating/drinking fooRAB which relax that muscle, and even just the normal wear of aging. Some of us think there are other things that must relax that muscle but medical science doesn't have a great grip on that as of yet.
 
What are some fooRAB or drinks that would relax that muscle? I feel like I have something caught in my throat which is driving me crazy but I can swallow ok but it just feels like something quite hasn't gone down all the way. Any home remedies that can help? I wonder if it can happen if you eat something that maybe you're allergic to but really may not know it? No?
 
Oh, you can do a web search and come up with the "classic" list of culprits: tea, coffee, carbonated drinks, chocolate, alcohol, etc. BUT, you can also peruse this message board and quickly see that eliminating these fooRAB often doesn't eliminate reflux. It's frustratingly hard to identify "triggers" with reflux. I still have no idea why I have some good days and some bad days.

The feeling of something in your throat is a fairly common symptom of reflux, especially a type of reflux called LPR where acid reaches and damages delicate throat tissues.
 
Chocolate relaxes that muscle??? I have been eating a lot of chocolate the last 4 days!! Do those delicate throat issues heal back up? If not, what is the treatment?
 
I think it happens that way for the fortunate few who have mild or ocassional reflux symptoms. If so, then just eating less seems to help. For me, I have reflux whether I eat a little or a lot. Of course, if I eat more or eat offending fooRAB, then I'll get the heartburn with a vengeance, but I can always feel some burn after I eat even while taking an H2 blocker (as I am now). I used to have absolutely no symptoms of hearburn while I took a PPI, but I am trying to get off that for reasons I have outlined in a separate post. But, yes, some people only experience reflux if they eat too much or eat a particular food, i.e., red wine, green peppers, onions, etc.
 
hawaiianmoon - yes, your throat tissues can and do heal up just fine if the acid is kept out of there. It can take awhile tho'. As much as I hate to admit it, I think chocolate does cause reflux for whatever reason. I'm conducting another experiment with this today and will let you know how it turns out. :jester:
 
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