PROTECT Your Infant Against the Dangers of GERD

Data from recent studies show that children from 3 to 7 must endure acid reflux symptoms between 2 and 8% of the time, with this figure rising to 20% of infants who suffer. Since the 1990s, infant gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) has been on the increase. Infants challenged on a developmental or neurological level are even more at risk from attacks of GERD.

To put it simply, acid reflux is when the digestive system does not work properly. The weakening of the LES is most often the reason for this. The LES is the lower esophageal sphincter. When it is too weak to shut off all the stomach contents in the stomach, then those contents flow back into the throat and even up past the larynx to invade the upper air passage. Reflux may also happen under normal digestive backpressure, for example after feeding, coughing, crying, and going to the toilet. Before getting into the causes and menaces of GERD in babies, we'll look quickly at the cause that is local and immediate for this medical ailment. Note that there may also be serious complications of health involved such as infections, ulcers, pain, feeding problems, problems affecting the voice, even cancer.

In babies, diagnosis of GERD can be especially challenging; Because of the small reservoir in their esophagus, infants vomit or regurgitate more than adults. Many infants are prone to this kind of vomiting on a regular basis as mild to moderate "spitting up", happening without distress from the mouth or nose. Because of this GERD and normal vomiting are easily confused. To compound this, indications of something wrong may be difficult to identify, especially as infants are too young to be able to explain.

When your infant suffers from GERD, a number of supplementary symptoms appear. For instance, as GERD vomiting causes pain, babies who vomit too often, cry or scream for hours on end or lie awake continuously, might suffer from this. Other symptoms can include pain in the abdomen, enlargement of the adenoids, recurrent coughing, infections of the middle ear, asthma, anemia, vomiting of blood (known as hematemesis), a high-pitched breathing sound, croup that is repetitive, arching of the back and inflamed nose and /or sinus.

Early diagnosis and treatment is justified, and they are prerequisites for your infant to return to safety and good health. An appointment with a gastroenterologist or an ENT (ear, nose, throat) doctor is the best solution for an accurate diagnosis for your infant. The threat from ignoring acid reflux in infants is that it may evolve into further serious complications as well. An infant who comes to believe that feeding will be painful may stop breastfeeding and lose weight. Inherently serious conditions such as erosive esophagitis can also be the result of gastroesophageal reflux disease.

If the doctor's diagnosis is of GERD, then parents have to choose a treatment. There are three possibilities of remedies for an infant with gastroesophageal reflux disease: surgical; medicaments (over the counter or prescription); or a holistic remedy.

A surgical procedure known as a Nissan Fundoplication may be done to reduce looseness between the esophagus and stomach. Surgical intervention is however rarely considered, because of risk and severity of complications exceeding those of acid reflux itself.

Prescription medicaments are also undesirable because: 1. Medicaments are too focused on symptoms of GERD (such as acid generation) but do not attack fundamental causes, such as inner body triggers and factors, lifestyle, and diet. 2. Medications have even more risks for infants than adults. Cisapride with its serious side effect of arrythmia of the heart was taken off the shelves for that very reason. Pneumonia and Tourette's syndrome are some of the subsequent effects of other common medications. As prescribed reflux medications, Reglan and bethanechol for example have never been tested for babies. 3. Your baby's autoimmune system may also be compromised by such

Recent scientific writing shows the advantage of all natural holistic cures of GERD. Studies by Rudolph, Mazur and Liptak also available in the Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology indicated that moving from cow's milk formula to a formula based in casein hydrolysate could be better for babies who "spit up". Other studies done by Ravelli, Tobanelli and Volpi which appeared in the same Journal in 2001, showed that formula using on cow's milk can mean delay in gastric emptying in infants who have an allergy to milk proteins. For infants with GERD, breastfeeding is a clear winner compared to any formula for babies, because milk from the breast helps to speed up digestive transit and improve overall digestion.

Therefore, the holistic solution offered by holistic medicine, which adopts as a priority the protection of your baby from gastroesophageal reflux disease can be the best choice in the long term for safety and for effectiveness. The conclusions above as well as many others, reinforce conclusions that infant GERD is not just a local ailment (going further than just the esophagus), but in fact that it is the whole human body which is affected by elements that are concerned with the environment, diet and internal factors.

Were you aware that the best way to protect your infant from discomforting and painful symptoms of GERD is to choose a holistic approach in conjunction with comprehensive changes towards a natural lifestyle and diet?

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Jeff Martin is a certified nutritionist and author of the #1 best-selling e-book, Heartburn No More . To Learn More About Jeff Martins Unique Holistic Acid Reflux Cure System Visit: Infant GERD

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