| u smoke, or use any form of tobacco, improving your | | | | decrease in gastric movement can lead to poor |
| posture while you eat isn’t going to do much | | | | digestion due to the fact that it takes a longer for the |
| for your condition. Why? Smoking/nicotine is a direct | | | | stomach to empty. |
| contributing factor to acid reflux and to chronic | | | | As you can see, there are plenty of reasons why |
| heartburn caused by gastroesophageal refulx disorder | | | | smoking can cause and make acid reflux worse. That |
| (GERD). Therefore, engaging in any tobacco use | | | | being said, it shouldn’t come as a surprise to |
| – cigarettes, cigars, pipes, snuff and chewing | | | | you that the best treatment a tobacco user can do to |
| tobacco – can not only become a literal pain in | | | | help their condition is quit. |
| the chest, for GERD sufferers it can even disrupt | | | | Of course, quitting smoking isn’t as easy as we |
| sleep and interfere with your lifestyle. | | | | think or would like it to be. An addiction to nicotine is a |
| The following are six ways in which smoking directly | | | | hard habit to kick, especially if you’ve been |
| affects acid reflux: | | | | smoking for many years, hang around others who |
| 1.Decrease in saliva production - Cigarette smoking | | | | smoke, and enjoy it. However, smoking, like any |
| inhibits saliva production, and eats up most of the | | | | addiction, can be overcome. The only trick is, in order |
| bicarbonates within the saliva produce. Bicarbonates | | | | to quit smoking, you have to want to. |
| help neutralize stomach acid, and saliva works to coat | | | | There are many different quitting strategies you can |
| the oesophagus to lessen the effects of acid that | | | | consider. Therefore, if you find quitting through your |
| refluxes up from the stomach. Saliva also helps to | | | | own methods is difficult, consult your doctor for other |
| wash acid in the oesophagus back to the stomach. | | | | options. Also, many people who want to quit smoking |
| 2.Increase in acidity – Nicotine encourages the | | | | find support groups to be very helpful. |
| production of stomach acid. | | | | Does quitting smoking really help your heartburn? |
| 3.Bile salt movement – Smoking appears to | | | | It is believed by many medical practitioners that for |
| encourage the movement of bile salts to the stomach | | | | most acid reflux sufferers, quitting smoking will likely |
| from the intestines. Stomach acids are even more | | | | allow them to get better fast. However, some |
| harmful when bile salts are present. | | | | practitioners believe that quitting smoking will only |
| 4.Direct injury to the oesophagus – Smoking can | | | | provide modest relief. |
| cause direct harm to the oesophagus by making it | | | | Nevertheless, all medical practitioners agree that |
| vulnerable to acid reflux injury. | | | | quitting smoking is a good idea regardless if it helps |
| 5.Impair LES functioning – Nicotine can lower the | | | | your acid reflux or not. After all, even if you see little |
| pressure in the lower esophageal (LES) which can | | | | change in your experiences with heartburn, quitting |
| cause it to become weak and relaxed. LES is the | | | | smoking greatly reduces your chances of developing |
| valve that resides between the oesophagus and the | | | | serious diseases such as cancer, heart and lung |
| stomach. The decrease in pressure can cause the | | | | disease. |
| LES to relax inappropriately, allowing stomach acids | | | | In addition, don’t forget that smoking isn’t |
| and enzymes to be thrust back into the oesophagus. | | | | the only cause of acid reflux. Thus, if you are not |
| 6.Decreased gastric motility – It has been | | | | seeing improvement after quitting, it’s time for |
| discovered in studies that people who smoke have | | | | you to take a careful look at your diet. |
| reduced gastric motility while they are smoking. A | | | | |