We like to think of the gut as a one-way street, but all too often it isn't.
One of the most common, but frequently overlooked, causes of a wide variety of symptoms is reflux -- the seepage of acid and food from the stomach back into the esophagus.
The esophagus is not designed to handle the stomach’s strong acid, and many undesirable symptoms occur. Sometimes they are symptoms that neither you nor your doctor ever suspects are due to reflux.
It is well known that a person may have a sour taste in the mouth in the morning from reflux during sleep, so it should be no surprise that a chronic sore throat can be due to reflux.
A chronic cough can occur because the irritation in the esophagus stimulates the vagus nerve which leads to coughing. This pathway can also lead to asthma, either through the vagal nerve or by tiny droplets of acid getting into the windpipe causing an intense spasm of coughs.
Episodes of asthma that occur suddenly at night are particularly likely to be due to reflux. In children, the sudden onset of croup-like symptoms is frequently due to reflux but misdiagnosed as croup.
The vocal cords can also be damaged, resulting in hoarseness and chronic throat clearing.
All these symptoms will improve by preventing the reflux. Also using medicines that prevent acid from forming in the stomach or simply neutralizing the acid will make a major difference. Simple things you can do to reduce the reflux include avoiding eating and drinking before going to bed and avoiding alcohol and tobacco completely.
This series of articles has been provided by Carolina Pines Regional Medical Center as a public service. For questions about this topic or any other health related issue, call (843) 339-2100.
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