Millennial are the group of people born between the year 1981 – 1996, also called as Gen Y. Hence, the millennial are the age rage of 26 to 41.Now millennial are at the peak of their personal and professional life. They live a busy life with several commitments and responsibilities. Also,it is seen that this group is more passionate and they are dream catchers.
Though Gen Y appears to be health conscious, their lifestyle is hectic. They miss out on meals, good planned diet, exercise and live a stressful life. Hence, lifestyle health issues are seen in most of the millennial in different scenarios.
Gastroesophageal reflux (GER), also called Acid reflux is one of the common health issue seen among millennial. Due to hyperacidity and acid reflux people tend to get headache/migraine pain. It is seen in both in men and women.
Understand Acid Reflux (GER) & GERD
GER or Acid Reflux happens when contents from your Gut (Stomach) move back up into your Gullet (also refer as Esophagus). If you have symptoms of GER/Acid Reflux more than twice a week, you might have an acute condition known as Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD).
Gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD) is one of the most common diseases in Europe and the United States too, and affects severely the quality of life, with common symptoms as heartburn and acid regurgitation.
According to a research done by National Library of Medicine (USA) the prevalence of GERD in India ranges from 7.6% to 30%, and the main reason being food habit. One of their other research also says, that GERD is highly prevalent in southern part of India. The research was done in the Trivandrum district of Kerala during 2010 – 2011.
Symptoms
The first symptom of GERD is acid reflux. Acid reflux causes an uncomfortable burning feeling in the chest, which can move up into your neck and throat. This feeling is often understood as heartburn.
In case of acid reflux, you might develop a sour or bitter taste at the back of your mouth. It might also cause the regurgitation of food.
Some other common symptoms of GERD include:
Nausea
Chest pain
Difficulty and pain when swallowing food/liquid
Chronic cough
A hoarse voice
Bad breath
Headache
Safety Measures
‘Prevention is better than cure’. To avoid having acidity, hyper acidity, acid reflux, gastritis and in later stage GERD it is better to be careful in advance. Keeping your Gut clean, healthy and immunised is important to avoid these health issues.
Right diet, disciplined routine of meals and sleep, staying stress free, regular exercise and intake of probiotic are some of the essential habits to keep the Gut health balanced. We shall discuss about probiotics later in the same article.
GERD treatment options
To manage and relieve symptoms of GERD, your Gastroentereologist/doctor might encourage you to make certain lifestyle changes, like:
maintaining a moderate weight
quitting smoking, if you smoke
avoiding big, heavy meals post sunset
waiting a few hours after eating to lie down
To have a brisk walk after meals
elevating your head during sleep (by 6-8 inches)
Medication & Home Remedies
Your doctor or a medical practitioner for mild symptoms might also suggest taking over-the-counter (OTC) medications like those listed below. It is always advisable to consult your doctor for serious conditions.
Antacids: Antacid is commonly used for occasional and mild symptoms of acid reflux. However, if you are dependent on Antacid on a regular basis, it is advisable to go for consultation and a prescribed medication.
H2 receptor blockers: H2 blockers work to lower the amount of acid your stomach makes. Many H2 blockers are available OTC.
It’s important to note that ranitidine (Zantac) was recently recalled by the FDA Trusted Source for containing the ingredient N-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), which is a known to be carcinogen.
Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs): PPIs like Prilosec also used to lower the amount of acid your stomach makes. They tend to work better than H2 blockers, they’re more helpful when it comes to healing the esophageal lining. Generally recommended for persisting GERD.
Home remedies for GERD
Most of us prefer to start with home remedies to treat heartburn. Certain home remedies may help a little when it comes to occasional bouts of acid reflux. If its GERD, it is a chronic one and self-diagnose and self-medicate is not recommended.
Chronic health issues can sometimes be eased by lifestyle changes, but also typically need medical intervention too.
A few home remedies available there are:
Baking soda and water solution. Baking soda is alkaline, it has the ability to help neutralise acidity, and is mostly safe to consume in small doses.
Chewing gum. Because saliva is slightly alkaline, stimulating it by chewing gum after eating may help neutralise the acidity in your mouth and throat. However, it doesn’t have any supporting research.
Ginger. Ginger is a common home remedy for issues like nausea and a sour stomach. It should be taken in small quantity and not on regular basis.Trusted sources claim that heartburn is also a symptom of taking too much ginger.
Drinking cold milk. Due to its natural alkalinity, milk is another home remedy that’s often touted as a way to ease heartburn symptoms. Its soothing initially, however, the fat and protein it contains can ultimately make heartburn symptoms worse in severe conditions once the milk is digested.
Probiotics: Probiotics are nothing but good and live bacteria or yeast, that helps your body to stay healthy and to work well. Probiotics works wonder on your digestive system.These good bacteria fight back with bad bacteria and keep your organs clean and hygiene. They are your microbiome.
They are generally found in Gut, Mouth, Vagina, Urinary tract, Skin & Lungs. Hence, we understand how these good bacteria are essential for our whole body and not just one organ.
Some of the conditions that might be helped by increasing the amount of probiotic in your body through food or supplements include diarrhoea, constipation, Irritable bowl syndrome (IBS), Gum disease, lactose intolerance, etc.
The best type of Probiotic? Though there are many types of good bacteria, the main and better types are;
Lactobacillus.
Bifidobacterium.
Saccharomyces boulardii
How to increase Probiotic in the body?
You can get probiotics from food and supplements. Both are good and equally beneficial. Since our diet plan is not efficient enough to get us enough probiotic that our body requires, supplements come in rescue here.
You can enhance the amount of good microbes/bacteria in your body through foods, drinks and supplements.
Which Food
You may already have certain foods in your daily diet that contain probiotic. Fermented foods (yogurt and pickles, for example) are home to a host of good bacteria. There are also fermented drinks like kombucha (fermented tea) or kefir (fermented dairy drink) that introduce extra probiotic.
You need to check the food label for “live and active cultures” to its ability of being a probiotic. A few suggestions for some of the probiotic-rich foods you can add to your diet are;
Yogurt.
Buttermilk.
Sourdough bread.
Cottage cheese.
Kombucha.
Tempeh.
Fermented pickles.
Fermented sauerkraut.
Miso soup.
However, you can’t focus on specific foods only for probiotics. Your body also needs other nutrients too to function healthy. Hence the key is having a balanced & healthy diet.
How do you take Probiotic Supplements
Apart from food, you can add probiotics to your routine through supplements (dietary). These aren’t drugs/medicines, so they do not need to be approved by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) & available as OTC. You may also seek guidance of your dietitian or physician for a major diet change in crucial cases,
Because microbes used as probiotics already exist naturally in your body, probiotic foods and supplements are generally considered safe.There are several ways you can take a probiotic supplement. They come in a variety of forms, including in food, drinks, capsules/pills, powders and in liquid form.
How WonderPro, the super probiotic can be helpful in Acid Reflux
Acid reflux is directly linked to your gastrointestinal tract. Probiotics are one such therapy. Probiotics are good bacteria that keep bad bacteria from growing. Bad bacteria can cause illness and unwanted symptoms.
WonderPro is a super probiotic in powdered form. It contains 5 billion good bacteria per gram. Its tested and evaluated by DIPAS, Department of Defence Research and Development in Ministry of Defence of the Government of India (DRDO), charged with the military's research and development. It’s sugar free and dairy free feature makes it unique in the market of OTC probiotic supplements.