Acid Reflux (GER & GERD)
Overview
Gastroesophageal reflux (GER) happens when your stomach acid flows back up into your esophagus. Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a more severe and long-lasting condition in which GER causes repeated symptoms or leads to complications over time.
Symptoms and causes
Gastroesophageal reflux (GER) and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) commonly cause symptoms such as heartburn and regurgitation. GERD may develop when your lower esophageal sphincter becomes weak or relaxes when it shouldn’t.
Diagnosis
Your medical team diagnoses gastroesophageal reflux (GER) and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) after reviewing your symptoms and medical history. If your symptoms do not improve with lifestyle changes and medicines, you may need more medical tests.
Treatment
You may be able to manage symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux (GER) or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) by making lifestyle changes or taking over the counter medication. Your medical team may recommend specific lifestyle changes, medication, surgery, or a combination of these treatments.
To reduce gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) symptoms, your doctor may recommend weight loss if you are overweight or have obesity, eating your evening meal at least 2 to 3 hours before you lie down, and avoiding foods and drinks that may worsen your symptoms, such as caffeine and fatty foods.
Why GMI
At the GMI, our medical team of internationally acclaimed physicians guide each patient through their entire journey, from their diagnostic work-up to their treatment and post-treatment care. Our patients will partner with internationally recognized surgeons who specialize in diagnosing and treating GER and GERD, and who are trained in the latest medical treatments, with excellent results, and who work with state-of-the-art equipment in brand new operating rooms.
The GMI team will never offer a simple “one size fits all” approach to any patient. We believe each patient’s case is as individual as they are and strive to find the best solution for each of our patients, taking their specific case and diagnosis, their lifestyle, and choices into account.
We believe each of our patients is more than their diagnosis. That’s why our dedicated paramedics team supports our patients by offering more than just expert medical care. We offer psychological help, integrative medical services (including yoga classes, and acupuncture) and have a GMI Patient Advocacy Program.
