If antacids do not help anymore, if they fail in their function, the doctor will usually prescribe medications which will lower the gastric acid production. These H2 block and proton pump inhibitors will do that successfully and the pains and symptoms will lessen. It is important though to follow the GERD diet religiously as the next treatment will be an invasive one. If symptoms persist in occasion and severity, if all the oral medications fail, if even the GERD diet is no longer effective, then the next GERD treatment would be surgery. Usually, repairs will be made on the lower esophageal sphincter or LES to make it get back its original strength and function. The LES is the one that keeps the food down and the gasses released. Weakening of the LES can cause the GERD.
Patients who suffer from GERD do not look to the first step of treatment with love. They absolutely hate the thought of having to avoid all their habits and it is ridiculous that they want relief but ignore what is in front of them. Refusal or lack of Telephone Number List compliance will just make matters worse for them, and unfortunately, these are common enough cases. The habits that man has learned to depend on in this modern age are mostly bad for them. Reliance on alcohol, coffee and cigarettes are the main culprits for GERD and the main cause for the research on GERD. Without these bad habits, the morbidity of GERD would definitely decrease, if only man learns to avoid. Is this a hopeless case? So far, with the number of cases rising each year, the need for GERD treatment will have to stay with us for quite some time.
Previously, clinical trials have been done in numerous diseases including: Depression in the elderly, Cardiovascular Disease, Diabetes, Hypertension, Rheumatoid Arthritis and Osteoarthritis using this same set of 10 questions. In all these previous studies, these questions were used to determine if the level of patient education affected compliance with their physician's instructions and treatment results. Interestingly, in all these previous studies, low patient education was found to be the single most important factor to influence not only compliance with their doctor's instructions (treatments), but also was found to be the single greatest influence on treatment results including controlling pain! Not the doctor, not the specific treatments, only patient education.