Acid Reflux
And Helping Your Children Deal With Indigestion
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Indigestion
is a form of upset stomach. It usually happens when people
eat too much, too fast or foods that aren't agreeing with
their body. Heartburn typically happens in connection with
indigestion. This doesn't mean there's anything wrong with
someone's heart. Heartburn is a burning sensation that moves
from a person's chest up into the neck and throat. This is
caused by the stomach acid, which normally doesn't cause a
problem until it moves out of your stomach.
When someone
has heartburn the stomach, acid splashes up out of the
stomach and irritates the esophagus or the tube that carries
food from the mouth to the stomach. This is also referred to
as acid indigestion and it usually leaves a sour or bitter
taste in the mouth. One of the best ways that a parent can
help their children deal with indigestion is to prevent it
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It is a good
idea to avoid problem foods, and have your child eat smaller
meals. Avoid giving them fatty, greasy foods as much as
possible. Avoid giving chocolate or citrus fruits in excess.
Make sure they eat slowly. Find ways to allow your children to
relax and decrease their stress levels. Make sure they have time
to digest their food, don't give a large meal and then rush off
to sports practice.
However, if you child
already has indigestion then a second way to help is provide them
antacids. While these provide a rapid way to sooth indigestion, they
are only effective for short periods and don't have the ability to
treat any damage to the esophagus. There is a liquid suspension form
available for children. The acid floats on the liquid in the stomach
after a meal and the alginate molecules in the medicine bond to
increase the surface tension, which diminishes the reflux that occurs
after a meal.
A third option is to
give them over-the-counter H2 receptor antagonist's medicines, which
suppress or reduce the amount of acid the stomach produces. These are
different from antacids because they can prevent heartburn rather than
relieve them.
Proton pump inhibitors
are a fourth option since they not only limit acid secretion in the
stomach to help prevent indigestion, but in a large majority of the
adult population, they also helped heal the esophagus.
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There are
also promotility agents that take effect in the esophagus
and/or the stomach to help improve the motility of the food.
However, there are significant side effects with these
medications so you should discuss the use of them with your
physician before giving them to your children.
These are
five ways you can help a child with indigestion. However,
you should remember that in an infant this condition is only
temporary. In older children or those who continuously face
indigestion then it may be a good idea to take them to see
your physician rather than giving over-the-counter products.
Your doctor can determine if there is another underlying
condition and be able to give you the most accurate
treatment plan for your child's indigestion. |
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