Some helpful definitions:
Heartburn - a burning feeling in the chest caused by the reflux or regurgitation of food after a meal. Occasional heart burn is quite normal unless it is frequent or excessively painful.
Reflux – when food/liquid leaks out of the stomach into the esophagus.
GERD – Gastro Esophageal Reflux Disease – a condition with regular reflux, large amounts of reflux and / or inflammation of the esophagus due to reflux.
Acid Reflux – The medical definition seems to be a backing up of acid from the stomach into the esophagus. This is quite normal and doesn’t always (but can) lead to heartburn symptoms. Acid Reflux is often quite often used interchangeably with GERD. I suspect since it is easier to say than Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (it is certainly easier to spell) and more common in every day usage.
Lower Esophageal Sphincter (LES) – a muscle at the top of the stomach that opens to allow food and liquid into the stomach but which should then remain closed and keep food from flowing (refluxing) back out.
Laryngopharyngeal Reflux (LPR) – a form of reflux that gets beyond the upper esophageal sphincter and into the back of the throat or nasal area.
From here there are a number of subpages you may be interested in:
Lifestyle Changes / Natural Remedies for Acid Reflux / GERD - start here. A long list of cheap and easy home remedies that can alleviate some of your symptoms (and in some cases eliminate them completely).
Surprising changes to help your reflux - a couple of relatively obscure or odd tips that seem to help.
Tips for giving up caffeine - this was the hardest part for me. Lots of tips for getting over caffeine withdrawal to finding the energy to still function once you do.
10 tips for losing weight for Acid Reflux / GERD / Heartburn - I’ve never been over weight but once I changed my lifestyle for reflux I began losing at least a pound per week. Here are some tips for making sure that happens for you as well.
Acid Reflux / GERD Friendly Recipes – while the linked site is not primarily about GERD or Acid Reflux it does contain a list of recipes that can be modified to be ok on an acid reflux diet. The highlights include tomato free sauce and other traditionally tomato containing dishes without tomato (Chicken Cacciatore, Jambalaya, Salsa, Chili, etc.)
Fast Tract Diet – my review of "Fast Tract Digestion Heartburn" by Norman Rollibard. An interesting diet to fix the underlying cause of acid reflux.
And finally, it is important to point out that I am not a doctor and nothing you find on this site should substitute for the advice and instruction of your doctor. I have struggled with a pain when I swallow off and on for over a year now and most of what I’ve gathered together here are things that worked for me and good advice that I’ve found while researching ways to lessen my symptoms.
