Heartburn Relief – Strengthening the Sphincter

Heartburn has been attributed to many things. Some cite spicy or fatty foods as the triggers. Others blame heartburn on eating too fast – or too much. Heartburn relief, they say, is a matter of finding out which foods cause the complaint and avoiding them.

Heartburn relief, however, can only be consistent if it addresses the root cause of heartburn.

The Weak Sphincter

Heartburn, AKA acid reflux or GERD, occurs when the ring of muscle tissue between your stomach and esophagus is weak. This ring of muscle is called a sphincter. You have sphincters at various places in your body, opening and closing passageways. When this particular sphincter opens at the wrong time, or loses its ability to hold the “door” tightly shut, stomach acid flows back into the esophagus. This causes the burning sensation and the bitter taste.

Whatever the reason for the weakness, the only ongoing heartburn relief comes from strengthening the sphincter.

Sphincter Strengthening

A previous article on this website details heartburn relief resulting from sphincter strengthening with natural means. Here, we look at other means of sphincter strengthening.

* Prokinetics: These are drugs that strengthen the sphincter and give heartburn relief. Included in this group of drugs are bethanechol (Urecholine) and metoclopramide (Reglan). These drugs are helpful, and do give heartburn relief, but they frequently have side effects, so their usefulness is limited.

* Fundoplication: This is a surgical procedure. The surgeon makes tiny incisions in the abdomen. Then, using small instruments that hold a tiny camera, he or she wraps the upper part of the stomach around the sphincter to strengthen it and prevent acid reflux. This gives ongoing heartburn relief.

* Bard EndoCinch System: Also surgical, this procedure puts stitches in the sphincter to form tiny pleats that strengthen it.

* Stretta System: This surgical procedure creates tiny cuts on the sphincter with electrodes. As the tiny cuts heal, scar tissue is formed. The scar tissue helps toughen the sphincter, giving ongoing heartburn relief.

* Implant: Surgery may be avoided by injecting a sphincter strengthening solution into the sphincter during endoscopy.

It is usually considered wisest to begin with the least invasive means of strengthening the sphincter for heartburn relief. Click here to read our article on strengthening the sphincter naturally with glutamine.

CATUION: This information is for educational purposes only. Please seek advice from your physician if your heartburn relief efforts are insufficient.