Home Health : Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease
Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease is a burning issue these days. Well, a heartburn issue, anyway. Having this disorder, also called GERD for short, means you have heartburn more than two times a week. Just having heartburn once in a while doesn’t mean you have GERD. GERD is caused when the stomach acid and juices are allowed to come back up into the esophagus after eating. This back-up is called reflux and lasts longer and comes more often than regular heartburn. You can help control GERD with diet by avoiding spicy food, chocolate, mint or alcohol. These tend to make symptoms worse. Only your doctor can tell you for sure if you have GERD. If you want more information, St. John’s Health Connection will offer a free health talk on GERD tomorrow at 6 pm in the Medical Office Building conference room. For more information call Referral One at 625.2000 or visit to stj.com.
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