Heaven is Not a Place

One of those questions and concepts that I had always struggled with growing up going to church was the idea that there was a place called Heaven and place called Hell and if you were good and pleased a judgmental god, you'd go to this divine Heaven but if you were bad and did not please this God you'd spend an eternity in this horrible place experiencing horrible things. That's what I was taught and I have a few Christian friends who still hold this view.

For years I believed this and was a 'good Christian' simply to avoid the pain of an afterlife spent in damnation.

But this  reward you if you're good, punish you if you're bad, GOD never felt right. What about those 2/3 of the world who are not Christians? How could God be all loving yet all judgmental at the same time?

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Fast forward ---


Just over two years ago, I reluctantly decided to try hallucinogenic mushrooms with a few close friends.  We made a tea brew around 6 pm, added with a touch of honey and green tea leaves, it was surprisingly...tasty.  What followed was a visceral, melting of senses, a complete wash of perception and ultimately the death of my ego resulting in a stillness and oneness with all living things. It was in this moment I felt the pure, unfiltered presence of God within myself which is really the only thing left when the ego dissolves. Revelation after revelation came to me. It was as if all lifes' questions were answered not in words but in feelings. In those questions came the one of heaven and hell. In a single, glimpse of a moment, I had the answer; Heaven is not a place it's a state of being, a state of oneness and connection with life. At the same time, it is an expanding state of joy, peace, love and absolute knowledge of the good of the universe.

Now of course, you don't need to take illegal hallucinogenic drugs to experience this. I've experienced it time and time again through long bouts of meditation where the ego cannot survive.  But recognize you don't need to be anywhere or do anything to experience Heaven. It is right here dwelling within the now, hiding just behind your ego, just behind your sense of separation and self indulgence.

Natural anxiety cures

yoga posture

Sit with your legs extended in front of you, grab your ankles, bend your knees and turn the soles of your feet together, press down gently on the knees . Now sit up straight and gaze upwards, pull up with your chin to help elongate the spine. INHALE then EXHALE as you gently lean forward, leading with your chin, drop the head forward and round the back. Now Exhale completely, breathe softly through the nose. Hold for a few breaths. On the Inhalation lift your head and gently return to the a seated position. Bring the feet into the groin, hold on to the big toes. INHALE, then EXHALE and lift one leg up and out to the side, hold on to the toe and pull the toe towards you, Exhale completely, then breathe abdominally. Hold for a few breaths. INHALE, then EXHALE and bend the knee and bring the heel back into the groin. Sit up straight, check the spine, keep your chin up. Repeat the same cycle with the other leg. Then extend the legs keeping the soles of the feet together. Follow this with another forward bend. Then end the series by bringing the heels up to the groin, sitting up straight, holding your chin up. Then hold on to both toes as you lean back a little, INHALE, then EXHALE as you lift both legs out to the sides, keep the toes at chin level, hold on to the toes and pull them towards you, EXHALE completely and balance on the buttocks. Breathe abdominally , hold for several breaths. Keep the spine straight and gaze up. INHALE then EXHALE bend the knees, return the heels to the groin and sit up. Repeat the whole cycle three or four times.
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Mental control and Yoga

Why do yoga?

The short answer is that yoga makes you feel better. Practicing the postures, breathing exercises and meditation makes you healthier in body, mind and spirit. Yoga lets you tune in, chill out, shape up -- all at the same time.

For many people, that's enough of an answer. But there's more if you're interested.

For starters, yoga is good for what ails you. Specifically, research shows that yoga helps manage or control anxiety, arthritis, asthma, back pain, blood pressure, carpal tunnel syndrome, chronic fatigue, depression, diabetes, epilepsy, headaches, heart disease, multiple sclerosis, stress and other conditions and diseases. What's more, yoga:

• Improves muscle tone, flexibility, strength and stamina
• Reduces stress and tension
• Boosts self esteem
• Improves concentration and creativity
• Lowers fat
• Improves circulation
• Stimulates the immune system
• Creates sense of well being and calm.

And that's just the surface stuff. In fact, most of the benefits mentioned above are secondary to yoga's original purpose.

Developed in India, yoga is a spiritual practice that has been evolving for the last 5,000 years or so. The original yogis were reacting, in part, to India's ancient Vedic religion, which emphasized rituals. The yogis wanted a direct spiritual experience -- one on one -- not symbolic ritual. So they developed yoga.

Yoga means "union" in Sanskrit, the classical language of India. 

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According to the yogis, true happiness, liberation and enlightenment comes from union with the divine consciousness known as Brahman, or with Atman, the transcendent Self. The various yoga practices are a methodology for reaching that goal.

In hatha yoga, for example, postures and breathing exercises help purify the mind, body and spirit so the yogi can attain union.

Pranayama breathing exercises help clear the nadis, or channels, that carry prana the universal life force, allowing prana to flow freely. When the channels are clear and the last block at the base of the spine has been opened, Kundalini rises through the spine, through the central channel called the sushumna-nadi, and joins the crown chakra. According to the tradition, the release of Kundalini leads to enlightenment and union.

If you do yoga will you become enlightened?

Well…you might (of course, it could take a few lifetimes of diligent practice). But then again you might not. But it doesn't really matter because yoga is a process, and there's a lot of good to be had along the way.

What if you don't believe in talk about enlightenment, spirit and the rest of it?

That's okay, too. Yoga doesn't discriminate. Even if you don't believe in the spiritual side of life, you can still do yoga. Whether enlightenment, nadis, prana and Kundalini is literal truth, metaphor or myth is irrelevant. If you do yoga, chances are that you will feel its psycho-physiological effects.

Moreover, the concept of union has a powerful down-to-Earth meaning. Yoga helps us get in touch with our true selves.

Between work, home and all of the demands and stresses in between, it's easy to lose touch with who we are, that core essence with which we were born. Rushing around all day it sometimes feels like the "I" inside is simply the result of the things we do all day -- or the effects those things have on our minds, bodies and spirits.

Ever say "I am hungry" or "I am stressed"? We identify with our conditions. It's like "hungry" or "stressed" is a name (Hi. I'm Stressed. What's your name?) As a result, our identities shift with our moods and conditions.

In truth, however, we are not the conditions we experience or things we do. We are not our jobs or the thousands of tasks that make up our jobs. We are not the sensations or emotions we feel. We are not the car we drive or the house we live in. We are not "S/he Who Must Pay Bills." We are not Mr. and Ms. Stressed.

Strip away the emotions, sensations and conditions and somewhere deep down inside you are still there. Strip it all away and you find out who you really are.

The techniques developed by the yogis to transcend also help us strip away the things that try to mis-define us -- the emotions, sensations, desires, achievements and failures of daily life. Through yoga we learn to develop a greater awareness of our physical and psychological states. As a result, we're in a position to better manage our reactions to the thoughts, feelings and responses we have to the various situations we deal with every day.

With greater awareness comes the sensitivity and skill to find and remove the physical and psychological blocks that often keep us from our true selves. We no longer identify with our conditions. Instead of saying, "I am stressed," we begin to say, "I feel stress," or "stress is present." It's a subtle but powerful difference.

Or better yet, we say "I feel anxiety and fear, and that's causing stress and in particular it's causing tension in my neck and shoulder." So we breathe deeply to soothe the anxiety. We review the events that led to the onset of those feelings, and in the process they lose their grip on our nervous system. We intentionally relax our shoulder and neck to prevent the stress and tension from building into a permanent condition.


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Power of Positive Thinking

Positive thinking is a mental attitude that admits into the mind thoughts, words and images that are conductive to growth, expansion and success. It is a mental attitude that expects good and favorable results. A positive mind anticipates happiness, joy, health and a successful outcome of every situation and action. Whatever the mind expects, it finds.

Not everyone accepts or believes in positive thinking. Some consider the subject as just nonsense, and others scoff at people who believe and accept it. Among the people who accept it, not many know how to use it effectively to get results. Yet, it seems that many are becoming attracted to this subject, as evidenced by the many books, lectures and courses about it. This is a subject that is gaining popularity.

It is quite common to hear people say: "Think positive!", to someone who feels down and worried. Most people do not take these words seriously, as they do not know what they really mean, or do not consider them as useful and effective. How many people do you know, who stop to think what the power of positive thinking means?

See Depression and anxiety help

anxiety attacks

I took Lexapro for about a year, and for me it didn't do much for my anxiety and depression. Actually, I felt like I couldn't express emotions at all... even though I was feeling depressed, I couldn't express it and just get it out. It would all well up inside me until one day a small stupid thing would make it all come rushing out in a big messy anxiety attack. Although it didn't help me with that, it did help me lose weight. One of the more tolerable side-effects. I tend to eat when I'm stressed and it helped me to assess whether I was eating because I was hungry or just because I was stressed or bored. And it helped me to stop. So emotionally for me it was bad. Weight-loss wise, it was awesome.

Anxiety Drugs

honest Lexapro review : The start up or ramp was horrible, slept all the time condition worsened ,felt totally hopeless suicidal thinking (never had before) and came close to dumping it as side effects at start were in my perception difficult. Then after being convinced to stick it out in week 3 it started to turn around slowly at first anxiety dropped off. week 7 came and I felt great would say best I have felt in years more positive more happy minimal side effects some days none at all. every day is getting better. In summary Lexapro has changed me a lot as has the change in attitude it madeeasier to make, fear etc are still there but at normal levels. Im very glad i stuck it out and wouldnt hesitate going on it again in the future if needed

Read more on Lexapro and weight loss

Panic and such

A panic attack or anxiety attack is a period of intense, often temporarily debilitating, sense of extreme fear or psychological distress, typically of abrupt onset. Most sufferers of panic attacks report a fear of dying. People feel helpless and completely unable to deal with panic and anxiety attacks.

There is probably nothing more frightening than a panic or anxiety attack.  Panic attacks are caused by high anxiety.  It usually is not from a real threat and often is an imagined fear of some threat.  The disorder is an extremely frightening emotional experience.  The problem is when it manifests itself as a repeated and feared cycle within the persons psyche. 

After a person experiences a panic attack for the first time, the experience can be so impacting that it leaves a strong imprint on the persons psyche. This mental imprint generates a cycle or loop of anxiety whereby the person develops an unhealthy fear of having another episode. People can spend anywhere from months to years caught in this repetitive cycle of anxiety.

The only way to fully eliminate panic and anxiety attacks from your life is to rid yourself of the thoughts of having another one.

Meditation exercises techniques, diet, prescribed medications and alternative medicines are not permenant cures. This article points you towards a solution that can rid you of this horrific disorder forever.

The technique employed is an advanced cognitive technique born from traditional psychology practices. This technique helps defuse the attack hours before the actual experience. With this technique there is no need to regress or to analyze your past or even hypnosis. All that is needed is your willingness to break the cycle of intense anxiety.

Anxiety prep

Anxiety disorder includes Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Social Anxiety (SAD), Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Specific Phobia.

Panic attack occurs any time and strikes you without warning or sign, makes your life miserable and seriously affects the sufferers social life. To find the best treatment for anxiety, you must learn the causes of anxiety and cure it from the source. There are just too many types of causes for anxiety and panic attack, and from the studies, many believed that it builds up from a trigger point of anxious, and when the sense of anxious accumulated and builds up to a limit, it will turn into panic attack.

While the source of trigger point may be varied, they all share the same build up history. For example, rapid heartbeat as the trigger, and you start to worry about getting an heart attack, and the actual cause of such heartbeats may be body chemical imbalance or some other reasons, but when you continuously worry about your heart condition, at some point and time, you will be hit by an enormous fear, the fear of dying flows around your head, dizziness and other symptoms of anxiety will arise…

Causes of Anxiety

Another example of trigger might be stress at work, worry about completing the job or losing it, and loads of work that stress you out. When the worry continuously feeds your body the sense of anxious, you will build up the feeling and eventually panic attacks!

Anxiety and panic attack is something that the mind manufactured and affect the body sensation, your mind is trained to react the fight or flight sensation even there is a slight trigger of anxious about something. To cure your anxiety problems, you must identify the source, the origin trigger that causes you to worry, cure it before you can start treatment for anxiety. For example, if your heart condition is caused by chemical imbalance, you might want to do regular exercise, change your diet and avoid food with stimulant, like coffee, chocolate, wine and anything with caffeine.

At the same time, use anti-depressant and anti-anxiety medication like Benzodiazepines and Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) as accordance to doctor advice to relief yourself from panic or anxiety attacks. If you can’t identify your source of anxious, you can’t eliminate the trigger, and medication will only temporarily relief you from attacks, but not able to cure your condition permanently.

What is The Best Treatment for Anxiety? How to find treatment for Anxiety that suits you?

There are many ways to treat anxiety and depression, and not all of them will be suitable for you, you need to monitor yourself closely and learn your own condition more, then decide if the recommended treatment works for you or not. One of the key disappointments of many treatment methods used independently, they might be effective for some people, but won’t be able to help most people without a proper treatment plan.

Let’s find out more about common treatment for anxiety:

1. Medication – Use of anti-anxiety and anti-depressant requires prescription from doctor, and only under guidance and monitor from doctor or qualified psychiatrist, the patient will receive the correct dosage, minimize the danger of side effects.

2. Herbal – This is considered an alternative treatment for anxiety. However, the Chinese and native people had used them for thousands of years to cure the problems, and studies find that they are as effective as prescription medicine without the side effect, and if you don’t want side effect or prescription medication doesn’t work for you, you can try Herbal based medicine.

3. Relaxation Exercise – Taiji and QiGong are very good relaxation exercises, it can help to relax your mind and body, and restore them to a healthier stat, balance up your body chemical and reduce your mind anxiety and stop feeding anxious sense to the body.

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Alternative to snoring style

During normal breathing, air passes through the throat on its way to the lungs. The air travels past the tongue, soft palate, uvula, and tonsils. The soft palate is the back of the roof of the mouth. The uvula is the prominent anatomic structure dangling downward visibly at the back of the mouth (pharynx). When a person is awake, the muscles in the back of the throat tighten to hold these structures in place preventing them from collapsing and/or vibrating in the airway. During sleep, the uvula and soft palate frequently vibrate causing the distinctive sounds of snoring.

Somnoplasty is an unique surgical method for reducing habitual snoring by removing tissues of the uvula and soft palate. Unlike other approaches (such as the laser), somnoplasty uses very low levels of radiofrequency heat energy to create finely controlled localized burn-areas beneath the lining (mucosa) of the soft tissues of the throat. These burn- areas are eventually resorbed by the body, shrinking the tissue volume, opening the passageway for air, and thereby reducing symptoms of snoring. Somnoplasty is performed under local anesthesia in an outpatient setting and takes approximately 30 minutes.

The following complications have been reported in the medical literature. This list is not meant to be inclusive of every possible complication. It is here for your information only, not to frighten you, but to make you aware and more knowledgeable concerning this procedure. Although many of these complications are rare, all have occurred, at one time or another, in the hands of experienced surgeons practicing the standards of community care. Anyone who is contemplating any type of surgery must weigh the potential risks and complications against the potential benefits of the snoring surgery, or any alternative to surgery.

Tasty snoring surgical Ideas

Snoring (and sleep apnea) come from a small airway with loose tissue in the throat flapping around as you breathe.  The solution is a straight-forward concept: make the airway bigger and remove loose tissue.  Dr. Rileyperformed 3 procedures on me that can loosely be described as opening the top, sides, and bottom of my airway:

1. Top of Airway - UPPP (Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty) which is much like the more common LAUP but is more invasive.  It has the advantage over LAUP that it can be done all at once instead of LAUP's 3 - 5 separate visits over several months.
2. Sides of Airway - Tonsillectomy - The less material blocking the throat the better, so my tonsils were taken out.
3. Bottom of Airway - Genioglossus Tongue Advancement - The back of my tongue is large and falls back to obstruct the airway.  This procedure pulls the back of the tongue forward and prevents it from falling backward.
4. (Added 8/3/03) - about 3 months after the original surgery, I had the screw removed from my chin which is optional, and at the same time Dr. Riley corrected my slightly deviated septum in a small surgery in my nose, and used radio frequency to reduce the size of my turbinates in my nose, so that I breath easier through my nose and don't open my mouth as much as I sleep.  This was much more minor than the original 3 procedures, and the rest of this page just relates to those original 3 procedures.

Because of the invasiveness of this surgery, I spent the night in the hospital so they could monitor me. Below is a diagram of a mouth and throat and where everything is located, notice the Tonsils and Uvula:

Snoring Power

Where Can You Get A Snoring Chin Strap?

There are a variety of stop snoring chin straps available both online and in stores everywhere. Prices will range from a few dollars to $100. It depends on how gullible you are and how desperate you are to stop snoring. The majority of them are made of fabric with Velcro closing. The fabric and be spandex or other type of stretch fabric and they are not attractive at all. However, stop snoring chin straps do work.

There are also stop snoring chin straps that were originally intended for medical use after jaw surgery. What was noticeable was that people did not snore when the straps were in place.

Some of the less expensive spandex and Velcro stop snoring chin straps wear our fairly quickly. Chances are that you will have to replace them more frequently than the costlier ones. The consumer must decide if they want to spend a little or a lot on something that works but is not the most attractive garment in their wardrobe. It may be a good idea to start with the less expensive and switch to the more expensive ones when they have proven their worth.

Often weight loss can be the cause of mouth snoring. It may be a consideration to lose some weight and use the less expensive stop snoring chin strap while the weight loss is in progress. They work quickly, if they are going to work and the results can be remarkable. You may be scheduled for snoring surgery to stop the snoring and the strap can work until you have your surgery.

There are also mouth guards that are available for the same purpose. There are people that cannot tolerate the snoring mouth guard and will handle the use of a stop snoring chin strap more easily.

Passion and love

After I found out that I was expecting my daughter, I knew I had to do something to help with my anxiety, but didn’t want to expose her to those horrible medications. Just when I felt like there was nothing I could do, I and found a breakthrough product online. I am now a completely different person! I no longer struggle day to day, and can be a happy healthy mother to my children.

After my new found success, I felt the nAfter I found out that I was expecting my daughter, I knew I had to do something to help with my anxiety, but didn’t want to expose her to those horrible medications. Just when I felt like there was nothing I could do, I and found a breakthrough product online. I am now a completely different person! I no longer struggle day to day, and can be a happy healthy mother to my children.

After my new found success, I felt the need to help other people that suffer from this, as I have been there, and I know how helpless you can feel. I have personally tried all of these natural anxiety cures, and feel that these could make a real difference in your life.eed to help other people that suffer from this, as I have been there, and I know how helpless you can feel. I have personally tried all of these natural anxiety cures, and feel that these could make a real difference in your life.

Snoring clues

Regardless of whether your snoring is just a noisy annoyance or you’re snoring like a lawnmower, I want to share some valuable tips that can greatly reduce your snoring, if not curing it altogether.

The truth is that very few people know the “secrets” of how to stop snoring. In fact, there are no secrets. The reason why it might seem like such a mystery is that people don’t understand what’s causing their snoring and they don’t understand how to cure it.

In general, people couldn’t care less about snoring. It really doesn’t seem to affect them, since they are deep asleep when they’re snoring. Even though this isn’t strictly true, taking into account the side effects that are caused by degraded sleep quality, the real victims are the people within the vicinity of the snorer who have to keep up with the sounds. They are the real victims of your problem.

It really doesn’t have to be that way, and I am going to help you right now by sharing some powerful tricks to stop snoring.

Many people only snore when they are on their backs and most of those who also snore in other positions experience increased snoring when they are on their backs. Soft tissue around the airways is pulled down by gravity, partially blocking the airways. This causes the body to breathe harder to get the required oxygen that it need. This makes the soft tissues in the throat vibrate, resulting in the well-known snoring sound.

It doesn't have to be difficult to stop snoring.

By rolling onto your side, this problem can be greatly reduced. Now the big question is “how can I stay on my side all night?” This is actually quite simple, and all you need is a tennis ball, a sock, a shirt, a needle and some thread. Put the ball in the sock and sew the sock to the lower back of your shirt.

When you wear this special shirt during sleep and you try to sleep on your back, you will roll back to your side again due to the discomfort caused by lying on the tennis ball. And if you for some reason find wear the shirt every night to be a hassle, the good news is that over time your body will “learn” that sleeping on your back means discomfort, and you will be able to sleep on your side, even when not wearing the shirt.

Another little trick to stop snoring is to use a jaw supporter such as chin-up strips. If you know that you snore with your mouth open (a common symptom of this is dry mouth in the mornings), this is likely to make your snoring vanish over night. The reason why people snore when they sleep with their mouths open, is that this puts pressure on the throat, making it narrower and greatly increases the likelihood of snoring. By using a jaw supporter, you will be able to keep the jaw in the right position all night long and keep your throat open and silent.

Now, the drawback of using this trick to stop snoring is that it will not make you stop snoring permanently. And what if you’re snoring even when sleeping on the side with your mouth closed? And what if I make matters even more complicated by telling you that your snoring might have several causes. Confused? Don’t worry; I’ll explain everything to you. Just click on the link below to stop snoring now.

Testing Snoring Cures

Back in 1908, L.F. Liebhardt patented an anti-snoring device that involved strapping a ball to the snorer's back.  “My invention consists of a hollow, compressible, imperforate body of suitable size, adapted to be centrally secured to the back of the sleeper and protruding sufficiently therefrom, to make it practically impossible for the wearer to lie upon his back for any length of time”  Ouch.

It's not known whether Mr. Liebhardt got rich off his invention, but he was certainly onto something.  Most people snore more loudly when they're on their back, and many a snorer has been gently (or not so gently) rolled onto their side in the middle of the night by their long-suffering partner.  During the Civil War, we are told, small cannonballs were sewn into the backs of uniforms to keep soldiers from snoring and alerting the enemy.

Several products, therefore, are designed to teach you to sleep on your side by making it uncomfortable to lie on your back.  But even on your side, the position of your head can affect the movement of air through your nasal and throat passages, and the level of the vibrations that cause snoring.  Several companies manufacture pillows, collars and even mattresses that will optimally position your body to reduce snoring and improve sleep quality.

If you are suffering from sleep apnea or are simply a heavy snorer, a sleep posture correction device is unlikely to be a complete solution for you but some Socially Incorrect Snorers may benefit from a device that helps you sleep on your side or in some way positions your head to improve your air intake. If you're looking for the best snoring cures, it's time to take your life back. 

Gerd prevalence

It's once again time to reach for those Tums as you feel the familiar burning pain filling your chest. Millions of Americans suffer from heartburn, sometime or the other and most dismiss it as a common syndrome resultant of spicy or fried foods and large meals and just forget about it till the next attack.

Heartburn, while a fairly common occurrence, needs to be treated with concern if the incidence is two or three times a week, as it is symptomatic of a far more serious problem known as GERD. GERD or Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease is the term used to collectively describe all the esophageal disorders such as esophagitis or Barret's esophagus. GERD is the result of acid refluxing into the esophagus due to the malfunctioning of a weak LES or lower esophageal sphincter which is the muscular band at the lower end of the esophagus and whose function it is to close the stomach opening and prevent stomach acid from entering the esophagus while ensuring that food from the esophagus enters the stomach. This acid that backs up into the esophagus triggers off the nerve endings in the esophagus and causes the burning sensation, familiar to all of us as heartburn. Chronic heartburn can cause inflammation of the esophagus and eventually lead to cancer, th.erefore if GERD is left untreated it can be fatal.

Statistics on the frequency of heartburn and GERD differ greatly. In accordance with some approximations, 7% of Americans have heartburn everday and 14% suffer it at least once every week. Alternative estimates suggest that GERD affects about 20% of the adult American population, mostly those in their forties or older. But, GERD can affect people of all ages, including infants and children.

Additionally, chronic heartburn and GERD patients most often experience regurgitation and the acidic contents of the stomach cause a sour taste in the mouth and might produce excess saliva. Since the disease seems to break out at night, most patients are hounded by interrupted sleep and consequently daytime drowsiness. Yet, others with GERD have no symptoms at all.

While those with occasional episodes of heartburn can normally self medicate and use over-the-counter medications such as antacids for instant relief, those with frequent heartburn should consult a physician.

See more acid reflux statistics, and Gerd statistics

Acid Reflux and Gerd

Acid reflux and Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) both have heartburn in common, but the two also have differences. While many individuals have symptoms of acid reflux from time to time, when the symptoms of acid reflux become frequent and persistent, it’s termed Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD).

Difference between Acid Reflux and GERD

Acid reflux refers to the splashing of stomach acid up into the esophagus. It is actually acid reflux that causes the burning feeling of heartburn. When the muscle valve in the esophagus, called the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) loosens or weakens, acid refluxes up from the stomach. Normally, this valve should close tightly after eating to prevent acid from escaping. However, when this valve is compromised, it won’t close tightly, causing gastric juices to rise into the esophagus. Dietary and lifestyle changes can reduce the occasional symptoms of acid reflux, as can over-the-counter antacids and acid blockers. For people who get occasional acid reflux, antacids and acid blockers can be taken prior to eating known heartburn triggers, and this often provides relief.

Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)

People who suffer from heartburn two or more times per week are said to have GERD. In these people, the LES valve is permanently weakened or damaged, resulting in chronic acid reflux incidents. For people who have GERD, dietary and lifestyle changes aren’t always enough to reduce their symptoms; sometimes stronger medications are necessary. These medications include proton pump inhibitors, which prevent acid reflux over a longer period of time. These medications also help to decrease the production of stomach acids. Some proton pump inhibitors can help to heal the esophageal lining, which may have become damaged from persistent acid reflux. Another type of medication, called prokinetics, helps the stomach to empty out more quickly while strengthening the LES. When medication fails to alleviate the symptoms of GERD, your Dallas/Fort Worth physician may recommend surgery.

Relieve Acid Relfux

How to Relieve Acid symptoms 

An acid reflux disease diet can help control the occurrence of acid reflux and decrease the risk of heartburn for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) sufferers. Following a controlled diet is a matter of determining which foods trigger symptoms, and which foods are safe to eat.

Creating a two-week food diary, where you make a record of all the foods you ingest and the symptoms that follow, is the best way to discover the foods to eliminate. After two weeks, you should then present your food diary to your doctor or dietician so he/she can help create a diet plan that is beneficial for you.

Although it is in your best interest to create a food diary, the following are 7 food categories and the related foods you should avoid, or are considered safe to eat in each. The seven categories are:

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1. Dairy

2. Meat

3. Grains

4. Vegetables and Fruit

5. Fats and oil

6. Sweets and snacks

7. Beverages

By knowing what you should and shouldn't eat within each food category is how you create an acid reflux disease diet that effectively relieves symptoms by stopping them before they start.

Foods you should avoid

The following foods should be eliminated or dramatically limited in an acid reflux disease diet, as ingesting them, even in small quantities, can aggravate symptoms and lead to recurring heartburn.

Dairy - Cottage cheese, sour cream, ice cream and ice cream related products (I.E. milk shakes, floats, etc.)

Meat - Buffalo wings, chicken nuggets, ground beef, and marbled steak

Grains - Pasta with marinara sauce, macaroni and cheese

Vegetables & Fruit - Vegetables: raw onion, French fires, mashed potatoes. Fruits: Citrus fruits and juices which include lemon, lime, lemonade, orange, orange juice, grapefruit and grapefruit juice, cranberry juice, tomato and tomato juice.

Fats and oil - Oily or creamy salad dressings, and essentially all fried or fatty processed Foods.

Sweets and Snacks - Chocolate, doughnuts, butter cookies, brownies, corn chips, and potato chips.

Beverages - Alcohol, regular or decaffeinated coffee and tea, high-sugared drinks such as soda.

Foods considered safe

The following foods are considered safe to eat and shouldn't aggravate your GERD symptoms; therefore, they can become a regular part of your acid reflux disease diet.

Dairy - Fat-free cream cheese, feta or goat cheese, low-fat soy cheese.

Meat - Extra lean ground beef, London broiled steak, skinless chicken breast, egg whites, imitation eggs, and fish without additional fat.

Grains - Whole grain or white bread, corn bread, oatmeal, bran cereal, white or brown rice

Vegetables & Fruit - Vegetables: broccoli, carrots, cabbage, peas, green beans, and baked potato.

Fruits: banana, fresh or dried apple, apple juice.

Fats and oil - low fat salad dressing

Sweets and Snacks - Pretzels, baked potato chips, graham crackers, rice cakes, fat free cookies, red liquorice, and jelly beans

Beverages - Water

Occasional treats

Last, but not least, the following is a brief list of foods you can occasionally enjoy in your acid reflux disease diet, but should be consumed with discretion and in moderation as they can aggravate symptoms:

Dairy - Yogurt, cheddar or mozzarella cheese

Meat -fired eggs, fried fish, hot dog, ham and tuna salad.

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Grains - Granola cereal and muffin.

Vegetables & Fruit - Vegetables: garlic, leeks, and green onions. Fruits: low-acid orange juice, dried cranberries, strawberries, raspberries and blueberries.

Fats and oil - ketchup

Sweets and Snacks - low-fat cookies

Beverages - non-alcoholic drinks and carbonated drinks

Finally, keep in mind that the above food lists are only general guidelines. Some of the foods considered safe to eat for one heartburn sufferer may not be the same for another. Therefore, make sure you

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Acid Reflux and such

Managing acid reflux disease doesn't have to be about denying yourself. There are ways to work around acid reflux disease and still enjoy some of the foods you love.

Learn about foods that cause acid reflux

Here's the story on some common acid reflux triggers that may—or may not—affect you. Of course, it's best to avoid the foods that bother you.

High-fat foods tend to relax the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) muscle, which usually stays tight to keep acid in the stomach and out of the esophagus.

Spicy foods can irritate the lining of the esophagus leading to heartburn in some people.

Tomatoes, citrus fruits, and onions are acidic and trigger heartburn in some people.

Mint, long thought to aid in digestion, tends to stimulate reflux in people with acid reflux disease.

Alcoholic drinks can damage the lining of the esophagus and the stomach. And fermented beverages, like wine and beer, can also increase the production of stomach acid.

Caffeinated drinks—including coffees, teas, sodas, and even hot chocolate—are a problem for some people with acid reflux disease. Even decaffeinated coffee, although better than regular coffee, is still acidic and can aggravate heartburn.

Sodas, even if they're caffeine-free, can trigger heartburn because they are carbonated.

Tips to help you prevent acid reflux symptoms

• Eat your last evening meal or snack at least 3 hours before bedtime. Most of the food in your stomach is digested within 3 hours. Once food is digested, it cannot back up into your esophagus when you lie down
• Have smaller meals. Eating large meals creates pressure in your stomach. This pressure can force acid from the stomach into your esophagus, causing heartburn or other acid reflux disease symptomsTip #7
• For the best Acid Reflux Remedies and Cures 

Important 

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How to Reduce Stress

Some advertisements claim that hormonal changes from high stress lead to weight gain. These ads offer products that will supposedly normalize your hormones, thus decreasing your waist size. Should you use these products?


Research does support some link between stress and weight.Stress often causes people to drop good eating and exercise habits that helped them lose weight.


When people are stressed they can also have trouble falling asleep. Studies show that a lack of sleep leads to lower levels of the hormone leptin, which can cause an increased appetite. Tired people often turn to food, too, to replenish their energy.


The Controversy about Cortisol
The hormone most often mentioned in connection with stress is cortisol. When we feel threatened or stressed, cortisol levels rise in a "fight or flight" reaction, making more fuel available to the body. Yet in today’s world we may never burn all the energy released by this hormone because stress is largely emotional and doesn’t require a physical response.


Cortisol may affect where body fat is stored. In one study, people whose cortisol levels jumped the most in response to stress tended to have proportionally more waistline fat—even if they were at a healthy weight. A greater proportion of fat at the waist was related to increased levels of ongoing stress related to work or finances, or lower levels of self-esteem. Waistline fat that gives people an apple shape poses the greatest health risks.