How to Use Positional Therapy to Treat GERD

As with any disease, the goal of any therapy to treat GERD is to relief symptoms and prevent further escalation of the disorder. Positional therapy is one approach used to treat GERD. Although positional therapy may sound as though you'll be put through your paces by assuming a series of head stands, it's actually a valid method to use to treat GERD that relies on the basics of gravity. If you're looking for a less invasive way to make your persistent heartburn go up in smoke, then you should learn how to use positional therapy to treat GERD.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. Understand the role of food in your treatment of GERD before you initiate positional therapy.
2. Strive for smaller meals throughout the day instead of large meals. The more food taken in at one time, the longer it will take to digest and place pressure on an already vulnerable lower esophageal sphincter. In addition, avoid eating a meal or even a snack late at night.
3. Eat your meals while sitting in a relaxed but upright position. In fact, let someone else get up and retrieve the salt from the kitchen too. Positional therapy starts during mealtimes and the less you move around during and after the meal the better.
4. Try to avoid stressful topics of discussion at the table. A relaxed and stress-free dining environment can go a long way to help reduce acid reflux later on.
5. Avoid reclining or lying down on your back for three hours after eating. This is the time frame in which acid production is at its highest.
6. Don't exert yourself after eating or bend forward at the waist. Doing so will stimulate your abdominal muscles to push food back up and through the lower esophageal sphincter, resulting in heartburn and that tell-tale burning taste in your mouth and throat.
7. Put your heartburn to bed with positional therapy while you sleep. Elevate your head so that your esophagus remains at a level higher than your stomach.

Tips & Warnings

• While the use of positional therapy may help your symptoms, be prepared to implement dietary and lifestyle changes as well.
• Chronic or severe burning sensations in the chest (otherwise known as heartburn) or in the neck or throat strongly suggests the presence of GERD. However, if your symptoms do not subside with treatment, including positional therapy, then you should consult with your doctor right away. Additional testing may be needed to make sure there isn't serious damage to your esophagus or even the presence of cancer.

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