Acid Reflux Affordable Treatment | Houston, Sugar Land, Woodlands

How to solve your acid reflux issues and get affordable treatment.

by Thi Vo, DO

What exactly is acid reflux?

Normally when you eat food, you chew it up, it goes down the esophagus, passes through the valve, and goes into the stomach.

The valve closes, and then the stomach will release acid. The lining of the stomach can withstand this acid, but just like how the name implies, the stomach contents in the acid can actually reflux or go back up into the esophagus.

But the lining of the esophagus cannot handle or withstand the acid, so you have that heartburn or that burning sensation.

Typically acid reflux can come and go and only lasts for about an hour. But if you’re having acid reflux that is more intense, let’s say it lasts longer or occurs on a more regular basis, that condition is called GERD (gastro gastroesophageal reflux disease). Your primary care doctor will be able to help you decipher your symptoms.

What are the symptoms of acid reflux?

The two most common symptoms of acid reflux is heartburn and regurgitation.

Heartburn is a burning sensation that you have on your chest, which lots of patients get, after a meal.

Regurgitation is stomach acid that flows back up in the back of your throat.

Other symptoms can include:

Feeling nauseated
Vomiting
Raspy voice or sore throat
An unexplained cough
Problems with swallowing.

Treating acid reflux with medication

There are several over-the-counter medications, as well as prescription meds, that your doctor can prescribe you. This includes antacids, histamine blockers and even proton pump inhibitors.

These medications reduce the acidity or, in other words, neutralize the acid in the stomach to alleviate your symptoms.

Treating acid reflux nonmedicinally

There are several tips that I share with my patients.

First and foremost—lose weight. If you’re overweight, you can make dietary changes such as avoiding large meals and avoiding foods that make the symptoms worse.

Foods that can make your symptoms work include anything that’s:

Peppery
Spicy
Fatty
Chocolate
Peppermint
Alcoholic beverages
Caffeinated drinks
Any high-acidic foods

“Timing meals is also important, because you want to give your stomach time to empty.”

Thi Vo, DO

First Primary Care

Timing Meals

Timing meals is also important, because you want to give your stomach time to empty.

On average, it takes three hours to completely empty your stomach.

Specifically, I always recommend to avoid eating dinner two or three hours before bedtime.

Elevate your bed

Another thing you could do is elevate the head of your bed. When you increase the angle, this actually allows gravity to to keep the food contents down, which can help your symptoms.

Now, this isn’t the same as piling lots of pillows behind your head, because when you do that, you actually scrunching up your stomach and it’s and it’s not as effective.

What I usually recommend is to get blocks of wood or reading books and place them underneath the head of the bed to increase it by 6-8 inches so that your bed can be this way.

And then lastly, if you do smoke, you should stop.

Getting affordable medication & treatment

The pricing for these meds can be as low as $6 a month, and a direct primary care doctor can help you get access to them at a low price.

Aside from medication, what First Primary Care offers, that others do not, is direct access to your physician. This is important because if you have any questions or concerns pop-up, you can easily reach out to quickly get reassurance and guidance.

Because we don’t charge patients per visit or per text/phone call, it’s great because it encourages better patient-doctor communication. You can easily consult your doctor about your new diet or whatever it may be.

These memberships are just $99/month, and it is truly the best way to receive treatment for not only acid reflux, but any other issue that may come up as well. Reach out today to get started on your health journey right away.