Acid reflux happens when stomach acid goes back to the esophagus and irritates, inflames, or damages its lining.
Nausea and vomiting can be signs of acid reflux. But does vomiting make acid reflux better? No, it does not.
Vomiting might ease acid reflux for a while, but it can also hurt more in the long run.
This article will tell you how acid reflux and vomiting are related, why vomiting is not a good way to deal with acid reflux, and what else you can do to feel better.
Understanding the Relationship Between Acid Reflux and Vomiting
What is Acid Reflux and why does it occur?
Acid reflux, also identified as gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERD, occurs when the lower esophageal sphincter, a muscular ring serving as a gate between the stomach and esophagus, fails to shut correctly or relaxes excessively. This laxity lets stomach acid slip into the esophagus, a place it doesn’t belong.
The unwanted stomach acid may provoke irritation and inflammation in the esophagus, leading to symptoms including heartburn, chest discomfort, regurgitation, swallowing difficulties, coughing, voice changes, and throat soreness.
Numerous factors might ignite acid reflux. These encompass consumption of specific foods such as spicy, fatty, acidic, or caffeinated ones, intake of alcohol or fizzy drinks, smoking, excessive weight or pregnancy, reclining or bending over post-meal, usage of specific medicines like aspirin or anti-inflammatories, or presence of a hiatal hernia, a condition where a part of the stomach protrudes into the chest cavity.
Can vomiting help relieve symptoms of acid reflux?
When you have acid reflux, your stomach acid can make you feel queasy or even make you puke. That’s because the acid bothers your stomach nerves and makes you nauseous.
Sometimes the acid can also go up to your throat or mouth and make you throw up. You might think that puking is a good way to get rid of the extra acid in your stomach and make you feel better. But actually, puking is bad for acid reflux. It makes your stomach squeeze harder and sends more acid up to your esophagus. Puking also makes you lose water and messes up your electrolytes.
How does vomiting affect the digestive system?
Vomiting expels harmful substances or toxins from the stomach. But it can harm the digestive system and health if it happens often or lasts long.
Some of these harms are:
- Teeth and gums damage: Stomach acid wears away the teeth’ enamel and causes cavities, sensitivity, discoloration, and infection. It also hurts and inflames the gums and causes bleeding or receding gums.
- Esophagus damage: Stomach acid damages the esophagus lining and causes esophagitis (inflammation), ulcers (sores), bleeding, scarring, narrowing (stricture), or precancerous changes (Barrett’s esophagus).
- Stomach damage: The stomach muscles contract forcefully during vomiting and can cause tears or ruptures in the stomach wall (Mallory-Weiss syndrome or Boerhaave syndrome). These are rare but serious complications that can cause bleeding or infection.
- Malnutrition: Vomiting prevents enough absorption of nutrients from food and causes deficiencies in vitamins, minerals, proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. This affects various bodily functions and organs.
The Pros and Cons of Vomiting for Acid Reflux Relief
Short-term relief versus long-term damage
Vomiting may provide some short-term relief from the symptoms of acid reflux by emptying the stomach contents and reducing pressure in the abdomen. However, this relief is usually temporary and does not address the underlying cause of acid reflux. Moreover, vomiting can cause more harm than good in the long term by damaging the digestive system and impairing the body’s ability to function properly.
Common misconceptions about vomiting and acid reflux
Often, people hold mistaken beliefs about vomiting and acid reflux. These include:
- Vomiting always indicates a grave condition: It’s true, vomiting can sometimes indicate serious issues, such as appendicitis, food poisoning, or even a heart attack. Yet, not every instance of vomiting should cause panic. It can also arise from less severe causes like motion sickness, migraines, or gastroenteritis. Nevertheless, if vomiting becomes chronic, intense, or shows additional alarming symptoms such as chest pain, blood in the vomit, or dehydration indicators, it’s crucial to get medical help.
- Vomiting can stop acid reflux: This belief is misguided, as vomiting cannot prevent acid reflux. Contrarily, it can exacerbate the condition by escalating abdominal pressure and pushing more acid into the esophagus. Moreover, vomiting can interfere with the lower esophageal sphincter’s normal functioning, making it more susceptible to relaxation or weakening.
- Vomiting aids in weight loss: True, vomiting may cause weight reduction due to diminished calorie and nutrient absorption from food. However, it represents an unhealthy and unsustainable method for weight management. Vomiting can trigger dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, malnutrition, and digestive system harm. Additionally, it may lead to compensatory behaviors such as binge eating or overeating to make up for the calorie deficit, potentially leading to weight gain.
Potential side effects and Complications
Relying on vomiting for acid reflux relief presents various adverse outcomes and complications, like:
- Dehydration: Vomiting expels body fluids and electrolytes. This leads to dehydration, manifesting in symptoms such as a parched mouth, intense thirst, headaches, dizziness, tiredness, confusion, and reduced blood pressure. Extreme dehydration becomes a life-threatening scenario, necessitating hospital care.
- Electrolyte Disruption: Expelling bodily contents through vomiting also means losing essential minerals like sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium. These critical minerals help regulate various body functions such as nerve signaling, muscle contractions, heart rhythms, and maintaining fluid balance. Any imbalance of these electrolytes may result in symptoms like muscle weakness, cramps, spasms, irregular heartbeat, seizures, and even coma.
- Malnutrition: Vomiting leads to the loss of vital nutrients like vitamins, minerals, proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. These are essential for cellular growth, repair, and maintenance across the body’s tissues and organs. Malnutrition manifests in symptoms like fatigue, weakness, hair loss, skin complications, anemia, impaired wound healing, susceptibility to infections, and possible organ failure.
Alternative Options for Managing Acid Reflux Symptoms
Vomiting is not a recommended or effective way to treat acid reflux. There are other options that can help manage acid reflux symptoms and prevent complications. Some of these options include:
1. Dietary changes and restrictions to reduce acid reflux
By relaxing the lower esophageal sphincter or boosting stomach acid production, several foods and beverages may cause or aggravate acid reflux. These include spicy, fatty, acidic, caffeinated, alcoholic, carbonated, and dairy goods.
To prevent acid reflux symptoms, avoid or restrict certain meals and beverages and choose alkaline or neutral foods that are less prone to irritate the oesophagus.
Lean meats (like chicken or turkey), fish (like salmon or tuna), eggs (preferably boiled or poached), whole grains (like oatmeal or brown rice), vegetables (like broccoli or carrots), fruits (like bananas or apples), nuts (like almonds or walnuts), seeds (like flaxseeds or chia seeds) and herbal teas (like chamomile or ginger) are examples.
Instead of big, heavy meals that exert strain on the stomach and lower esophageal sphincter, consume smaller, more frequent meals. To avoid acid reflux, avoid eating three hours before night or laying down thereafter.
2. Medication options for acid reflux relief
Acid reflux symptoms can be eased by medicines that lower or neutralize stomach acid. These medicines are antacids, H2 blockers, proton pump inhibitors, prokinetics, and antibiotics.
They work by blocking or reducing acid production, or by speeding up food digestion. But they can also cause side effects like headache, diarrhea, constipation, nausea, drowsiness, dizziness, or allergies.
Some of them can interfere with other medicines or cause serious problems like irregular heartbeat or kidney damage. So, always talk to a doctor before taking any medicine for acid reflux and follow the directions carefully.
3. Lifestyle modifications to prevent acid reflux from occurring
Some lifestyle changes can help prevent acid reflux from occurring or reduce its frequency and severity. These include:
- Quitting smoking: Smoking can weaken the lower esophageal sphincter and increase stomach acid production. It can also damage the lining of the esophagus and increase the risk of esophageal cancer.
- Losing weight: Being overweight or obese can put pressure on the abdomen and the lower esophageal sphincter and cause acid reflux. Losing weight can help reduce this pressure and improve the function of the lower esophageal sphincter.
- Elevating the head of the bed: Lying down flat can allow stomach acid to flow back into the esophagus. Elevating the head of the bed by 6 to 8 inches can help gravity keep the stomach acid in place and prevent acid reflux from happening at night.
- Wearing loose-fitting clothes: Tight-fitting clothes can squeeze the abdomen and the lower esophageal sphincter and cause acid reflux. Wearing loose-fitting clothes can help avoid this pressure and discomfort.
- Avoiding stress: Stress can trigger or worsen acid reflux by stimulating stomach acid production or causing emotional eating. Managing stress can help reduce acid reflux symptoms and improve overall well-being. Some ways to cope with stress include meditation, yoga, exercise, breathing techniques, counseling, or hobbies.
