# Smoking and GERD



## overitnow (Nov 25, 2001)

I ran across this today. Given that I chain smoked for years, had indigestion developing since my 20s which only worsened until I began refluxing in my early 50s, it is something to keep in mind if you, too, are a smoker or ex-smoker with indigestion or GERD. Since I have been able to cure my indigestion and reflux with supplementation, that at least suggests that there is something in the flavonoid extracts that can repair the damaged sphincter. "Heartburn is a symptom of a syndrome called gastroesophageal reflux (GER). GER is when the natural acidic juices in the stomach flow backwards into the esophagus-the tube that connects the mouth to the stomach. Acidic juices are made by the stomach to help break down food. The stomach is naturally protected from acidic juices, but the esophagus does not have the same protection. Normally, a muscular valve at the lower end of the esophagus, called the lower esophageal sphincter (LES), keeps the acids in the stomach and out of the esophagus. Smoking, however, weakens the LES, which allows stomach acid to flow into the esophagus. When stomach acid comes in contact with the esophagus, the inner lining can become injured or damaged."From: National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghousehttp://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/smoking/


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