HEALTH Q and A

By Tyrone M. Reyes, M.D.

Doctors call it gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERD. Millions of people call it heartburn, and many others have coughing, wheezing, or hoarseness without realizing that GERD is to blame. By any name, GERD is common, bothersome, and sometimes serious. But once you know you have GERD, and understand its mechanics, you can control it and prevent complications.

Normal Swallowing

A complex set of 29 muscles in your mouth and tongue gets the process started. They close off your windpipe (trachea) to protect your lungs, and then move the food into your esophagus, or food pipe. The esophagus is a narrow 10- to 13-inch-long tube leading from your throat to your stomach. But food doesn’t just slide down the esophagus. Instead, muscles that encircle the food pipe contract in an orderly wave-like fashion to propel food into the stomach.

Swallowing then is normally a one-way affair. To prevent the food from returning to the esophagus, the ring-like muscles of the lower esophagus pinch the tube closed. Doctors call these muscles the lower esophageal sphincter, or LES (see illustration).

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