What Exercises Trigger Acid Reflux?
A variety of exercises are known to trigger acid reflux.
And there is one type of exercise in particular that can quickly shoot acid right up into your throat and cause a funny taste in your mouth.
Jonathan Zinberg, MD, explains what kind of exercises and a particular workout technique that can trigger acid reflux. You’ll be surprised at what’s on his list.
Dr. Zinberg is chief of gastroenterology at South Nassau Communities Hospital, Oceanside, NY.
And he says, “Any exercise that involves a Valsalva maneuver, especially if lying back, would be likely to increase reflux.”
The Valsava maneuver is when a person holds their breath during exertion or straining, such as when struggling to push the bar back up in a bench press or the sled back up in a leg press.
This is the same type of bearing down that one might do when sitting on a toilet and pushing like mad to void a very hard and stubborn stool.
Except with lifting against resistance, a heavy weight is involved. This will put more force and strain on the body.
This is the wrong way to work out and get in that last rep. When I was a personal trainer I made sure that my clients were always exhaling as they struggled with heavy weight.
Avoid the Valsavla maneuver at all costs, because not only can it cause acid reflux (which is a benign issue), but — it can spike blood pressure quite a bit.
“Bench presses, leg extensions or leg curls, weightlifting generally and vigorous running all may lead to reflux,” says Dr. Zinberg.
A lot depends on the individual, too. For some, the only kind of exercise that triggers acid reflux is that which involves erratic, jarring movements, such as sprints, kickboxing, step aerobics, jump rope and plyometric drills (box jumping, squat jumps, scissor jumps, etc.).
Think of all the jostling around that goes on inside your stomach during these activities.
That’s a lot of opportunity for stomach juice to get kicke up the esophagus.
Once your body is calmed down, the acid reflux should subside.
If it occurs only when you’re moving around erratically, as opposed to lying on a bench and pushing up a bar, it should go away fairly quickly once you cease the erratic movements.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
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Top image: Shutterstock/MikeSaran
Why You Awaken with a Nose Full of Hard Mucus
Find out what you can do about morning hard mucus in your nose and what causes this disgusting problem.
Morning snot can be such a problem for some individuals that they actually seem to have trouble breathing—getting air through their nasal passages.
Unfortunately, the solution isn’t as simple as grabbing a tissue and blowing because the “snot” is solidified.
Causes of Morning Snot
“Low humidity climates and cold dry air will dry out the nose,” comments Dr. Stacey Silvers, MD, of Madison ENT & Facial Plastic Surgery in NYC, who is board certified in otolaryngology.
Dryness is the enemy, causing a dry nose and thus dry mucous: the perfect storm for morning “snot” buildup.
The “snot” accumulation may be more pronounced on one side due to a structural problem in the nose such as a deviated septum, says Dr. Silvers.
The structural problem can cause a narrowing in the nasal passage, resulting “in a greater force of air through the blocked nostril, drying out the membranes on the restricted side more than the other,” she continues.
Prevention of Morning Snot
“If natural or prescription regimens don’t help, a procedure may be helpful.”
An active cold, and allergies, may also be causes or contributing factors.
A humidifier over night will bring moisture to the air.
Rinsing the sinuses every morning using a neti pot will be very helpful.
An NYC expert in ear, nose and throat care, Dr. Silvers has been named among America’s Top Physicians and Surgeons in facial plastic surgery and otolaryngology numerous times since 2003.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
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Top image: Shutterstock/DimaBerlin
Can You Have Acid Reflux in the Throat but no Heartburn?
Find out how acid reflux can cause throat symptoms without causing heartburn.
Yes, indeed, it’s possible for acid reflux to make its way into the throat and cause its typical throat symptoms such as cough, without causing any heartburn or chest discomfort.
“Not everyone feels esophagitis, even if present,” says Jonathan Zinberg, MD, chief of gastroenterology at South Nassau Communities Hospital, Oceanside, NY.
“Occasionally there are no significant findings in the esophagus and only in the throat,” adds Dr. Zinberg.
“Perhaps their esophagus is more ‘resistant’ than most. Sometimes what looks to the ENT doctor like reflux-induced changes actually are not.”
Heartburn and Throat Symptoms not Always Connected
A burning sensation in the chest, and the various throat symptoms of laryngopharyngeal reflux disease (LPR) are not always intertwined.
Many sufferers of LPR’s classic throat related symptoms (hoarse voice, burning in the throat, lump feeling in the throat, unpleasant taste in the mouth) do not have any heartburn or upper abdominal discomfort.
You can easily have acid reflux in the throat causing symptoms there. All without feeling heartburn.
So the big question is: How do the acidic contents from your stomach “bypass” the esophagus and “settle” in the throat?
As Dr. Zinberg had pointed out, you can actually have an inflammatory process going on in the esophagus due to acid reflux and not even know it.
Or, maybe your esophagus is tough enough not to be so readily affected by the stomach’s harsh juices – but your vocal cords are more sensitive to them – resulting in your annoying symptoms.
“Thick mucous is produced to coat the throat when stomach acid goes into the larynx area,” says Stacey Silvers, MD, in my article titled “Trouble Swallowing, Thick Mucus in Back of Throat: Causes, Solutions.”
This is why the acidic juices that make their way up the esophagus can lead to symptoms involving the throat and mouth. The absence of heartburn doesn’t mean the absence of acid reflux.
Jonathan Zinberg, MD
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
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Top image: ©Lorra Garrick
Acid Reflux Chest Pain vs. How Angina Feels
Here is a comparison acid reflux symptoms to those of angina chest pain.
It’s no secret that a person with chest pain from angina can be misdiagnosed as having acid reflux or some other digestive issue.
This happened to my mother who, two days after the misdiagnosis, underwent quintuple bypass surgery after the correct diagnosis was made.
“Chest pain from reflux may be similar to angina pain, so if there’s any chance of cardiac disease, the patient should first consult a cardiologist (or internist) to rule out cardiac disease before embarking on any GI workup, especially if the patient is middle aged or older and hasn’t already had a cardiac evaluation,” says Jonathan Zinberg, MD, chief of gastroenterology at South Nassau Communities Hospital, Oceanside, NY.
“However, reflux pain is typically burning, though may be sharp, often after eating, especially after reclining or overnight. It usually lasts for a prolonged time (20 minutes to a few hours), but improves after an antacid or acid reducing agent.”
Angina Chest Pain
Dr. Zinberg continues, “Angina is typically a heavy sensation, but may be sharp or even burning, usually after activity, but could be after eating, usually is not at rest or reclining or in the middle of the night, but rarely could be so.”
My mother was one of those rare cases. She was awakened at 5 a.m. by chest pain (angina).
“It may be brief and improve with rest,” says Dr. Zinberg.
“If prolonged and not improved with an antacid, seek medical attention.”
Unstable Angina
Angina can occur while at rest, and this type is called unstable angina. “Unstable angina is dangerous and scary,” says Dr. Zinberg.
“It usually occurs in someone who already has a history of coronary disease and angina, and with worsening it may occur even at rest.”
Duration of Chest Pain
“In a setting where there is a reason to be concerned about cardiac disease, if the pain lasts longer than 15 or 20 minutes, medical attention should be sought.
“Known angina patients usually have nitroglycerine to take for acute angina symptoms.
“Otherwise, it’s worth taking an antacid or H2 receptor antagonist (like ranitidine or famotidine) to see if the heartburn will disappear. If it doesn’t, speak to a doctor.”
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
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Top image: Shutterstock/airdone
Left Side Stomach Pain Worsens After Eating: Causes
Pain in the left side of your stomach after you eat can have serious causes including cancer but also benign causes.
Definitely see a doctor about this.
“This is a nonspecific symptom, has many causes, and will depend on the location and character of the patient and the pattern of exacerbation and relief,” says Michael Blume, MD, a gastroenterologist at MedStar Good Samaritan Hospital, Baltimore.
IBS as a cause of pain in the left abdominal area following a meal.
“This often is seen in patients with irritable bowel syndrome, where one gets left sided cramps, associated with altered bowel function.”
Can causes also be serious?
Dr. Blume continues, “There are numerous causes of this, however, some of which are serious and some are not, including diverticulitis, malignancies, inflammatory diseases involving the bowel, as well as upper gastrointestinal problems.
“Looking up a symptom out of context is often not particularly helpful. Taking a detailed history concerning this symptom is the best way to help determine what the pain is from.
“A physician may or may not order an imaging study, depending on what he or she feels is likely the problem, based on assessing that particular person clinically.
“One normally does not automatically order an imaging study, such as CT or MRI on the basis of a complaint alone.
“One first has to decide what one thinks the problem is, and then decide what test is needed to confirm that impression.”
If you’ve been troubled by left sided abdominal pain after eating, chances are pretty high that your doctor will order an imaging study of that area of your body, such as a CT scan, MRI or ultrasound.
You’ll also probably get a blood test ordered.
Remember, there can be quite a few possible causes of this symptom.
In practice for 25+ years, Dr. Blume treats over 65 conditions including abdominal pain, appetite loss, blood in stool, celiac disease, colon cancer, esophageal and liver disease, gas and IBS.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
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Top image: Shutterstock/ Inspiration GP
Appetite Loss Causes OTHER than Ovarian Cancer
You don’t overeat, you don’t have ovarian cancer, so why have you lost your appetite?
Have you been feeling full “all the time” even though you haven’t been eating more, and even though your doctor said you don’t have ovarian cancer?
Feeling full all the time is a nonspecific symptom, says Michael Blume, MD, a gastroenterologist at MedStar Good Samaritan Hospital, Baltimore.
He explains, “One needs to distinguish whether this is a problem with gastrointestinal structure (i.e., obstructive or inflammatory problems) or gastrointestinal function (this may include metabolic problems, medications, as well as functional gastrointestinal disorders).
“Diagnosing this would likely involve a combination of taking a medical history as well as some diagnostic testing.”
For women who have noticed a persistent full feeling, one of your first stops, if not your very first stop, should be with a gynecologist.
Ask the doctor to see if your ovaries are doing well.
Keep in mind that the absence of ovarian cancer does not mean that some other cancer can’t be causing you to feel disproportionately full relative to the amount of food you eat.
Cancers that can subdue the desire to eat include stomach, colon, pancreatic and lung.
Additional Causes of a Suppressed Appetite
– Addison’s disease
– Anxiety
– Celiac disease
– Chronic heart failure
– Crohn’s disease
– Dementia
– Depression
– Diabetes (though this also often causes intense hunger)
– GERD
– Kidney disease
– Liver disease
– Pancreatitis
– Rheumatoid arthritis
– Side effects of cancer treatment
– Stress
– Tapeworm
– Ulcer
– Ulcerative colitis
This list of causes of appetite loss is not complete.
If you’ve been experiencing a loss of appetite lately, then the more symptoms that occur with this, the more concerning your situation is.
For example, a suppressed appetite that’s also accompanied by vomiting, unexplained fatigue and/or abdominal pain should be immediately checked out by your doctor — regardless of your age — or gender.
In practice for 25+ years, Dr. Blume treats over 65 conditions including abdominal pain, appetite loss, blood in stool, celiac disease, colon cancer, esophageal and liver disease, gas and IBS.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
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Top image: Shutterstock/VGstockstudio
Non-Cardiac Causes of Dizziness when Eating
If it’s not your heart, what can be causing dizziness while you eat?
Eating should be an enjoyable experience, not something you dread because it causes you to feel dizzy.
Non-cardiac causes of dizziness while eating are many.
“One needs to remember that just because you are having gastrointestinal symptoms, does not necessarily mean that this is from a gastrointestinal problem,” says Michael Blume, MD, a gastroenterologist at MedStar Good Samaritan Hospital, Baltimore.
He continues, “This is a nonspecific symptom and can be related to metabolic or neurologic issues.”
Getting dizzy when eating can have a number of causes.
Dr. Blume explains, “One can see this from problems involving abnormal gastrointestinal function, such as when one’s autonomic nervous system (the part of your nervous system that works without you thinking about it) — specifically the parasympathetic nervous system — function is abnormal, where one can get dizzy after eating.
“However, one often gets other symptoms along with this, such as feeling clammy, flushed, nauseated or having erratic bowel function.”
If dizziness during eating keeps happening to you, make an appointment with your physician.
This is not normal and needs to be evaluated. There is no known food that makes a person feel dizzy or causes vertigo while it’s being eaten.
Occasional dizziness when eating is probably not caused by eating or anything related to the GI tract.
Rather, it’s likely a coincidence in that whatever the cause of the symptom is, just happens to act up while you are eating.
Keep a record of these events. See if the dizziness doesn’t occur at other times unrelated to food intake.
Make a note if there are other symptoms that may suggest a cardiac problem such as chest pain, feeling faint and/or feeling short of breath.
In practice for 25+ years, Dr. Blume treats over 65 conditions including abdominal pain, appetite loss, blood in stool, celiac disease, colon cancer, esophageal and liver disease, gas and IBS.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
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Top image: Shutterstock/9nong
What to Tell Cardiologist if You’ve Been Passing Out
A cardiologist explains the details you should give your cardiologist if you’ve been blacking out.
Have you been blacking out and are planning on seeing a cardiologist?
Don’t just tell the doctor, “I’ve been having blackouts; what’s wrong?” Certainly, your doctor will ask questions to get more information, but you should also be prepared to give specific information.
You should tell the doctor “the exact symptoms before and after the blackout,” says Dr. Sameer Sayeed, a cardiologist at ColumbiaDoctors of Somers, NY.
Dr. Sayeed continues, “Whether they could feel it coming or if it was just like a flip of a switch — awake one minute, found on the ground with facial and head injury the next without warning.
“They should tell their cardiologist if they felt any abnormal heartbeat, palpitations, chest pain, lightheadedness, dizziness before it happened, or if they feel changes in certain positions make them feel like passing out.
“They should tell their doctor if it occurred after urinating, a big bowel movement, meal, extreme activity or taking medication.
“They need to tell the doctor if they are diabetic and taking diabetic drugs or exercising. Whether they feel completely normal or awakening from the blackout and feel funny.”
Though blackouts can have non-cardiac causes, it’s important to rule out any possible heart problem.
Dr. Sayeed says cardiac causes can be a “slow heart rate; pauses in the heart beat; fast and irregular heart beat; severe obstruction of a heart valve; and carotid sinus hypersensitivity causing fainting with changes in position.”
Of course, the sooner you see a cardiologist after a blackout, the less you’ll have to tell your doctor, but some people DO put off seeing a doctor, or, they see a doctor but fail to give as much information as they are capable of.
So every time you have a blackout, it’s vital to document all the details that you experienced just prior to it, after it, and even within 15 minutes of it, to see if a pattern emerges.
Dr. Sayeed performs echocardiograms and stress tests at the Midtown Manhattan and Westchester offices at Columbia Doctors. He is also trained in cardiac CT imaging.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
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CT Angiogram for Chest Pain: Cost, Availability & Safety
If studies show the accuracy of CT angiogram for detecting heart disease, why isn’t this tool used more often in chest pain ER cases?
Research have shown the efficacy of the CT angiogram in detecting heart disease in patients presenting to the ER with chest pain, so it makes absolutely no sense to me, the layperson, why this tool isn’t used in a standard way across the board in emergency room settings.
“Coronary computed tomographic angiography (CCTA) has been shown to have a high negative predictive value for the detection of coronary disease,” says Donna P. Denier, MD, of The Cardiology Center with the Appalachian Regional Healthcare System in NC.
“That is, it is very useful in ruling out the presence of coronary disease, even more than ruling it in,” continues Dr. Denier.
“The issues of its usefulness are cost, availability and safety. The majority of patients who present to an emergency department with chest pain can be categorized quickly into one of three groups based on a careful history, physical exam, evaluation of risk factors and review of EKG and troponin results.”
Troponin is an enzyme that leaks from the heart when there is cardiac muscle damage (heart attack).
Thus, as you may now be realizing, a troponin test detects a very recent or current heart attack, not blocked coronary arteries.
My mother’s troponin results were normal after I took her to the ER when she complained of shortness of breath and had vomited.
Three days later (after a second ER visit) she underwent quintuple bypass surgery!
Dr. Denier continues, “High risk patients are admitted and usually undergo cardiac catheterization (such as my mother) which makes a rapid conclusive diagnosis and allows for treatment at the same time.
“Low risk patients (e.g., athlete, under age 50, nonsmoker, healthy body weight/blood sugar/blood pressure) can be sent home and followed as outpatients for further testing.
“For low risk ambulatory patients, a stress test is the best test to rule out coronary disease because it gives functional information as well—how how far a patient can walk without developing symptoms.”
What about the moderate risk patient in the ER with chest pain? “It is the moderate risk patient who requires a test to safely rule out the presence of significant coronary disease,” says Dr. Denier.
“CT angio is clinically useful in this group. As this test is performed while the heart is beating, quality imaging is dependent upon slowing the heart rate enough to image between cycles.
“This limits some patients due to rapid or irregular heartbeats that cannot always be controlled with medication. Some patients cannot tolerate the medication that is used to slow the heart.
“Radiation exposure is another concern and although this has been reduced by newer technology, all centers do not have the latest equipment.
“Cost is definitely a limiting factor, and the test is not universally covered by insurance companies, as it is still considered a screening test.
“As technology evolves, cardiac CT will continue to be one of the techniques considered for the rapid and accurate evaluation of patients with chest pain.”
Dr. Denier has been practicing medicine for over 20 years and is board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine – Cardiovascular Disease.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
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Top image: Shutterstock/Africa Studio
Tests from a Cardiologist to Evaluate Why You’re Fainting
A cardiologist talks about blackouts and what tests you should get to find out if the problem is heart related.
Have you been having blackouts and “all the tests” are normal? Perhaps you haven’t had the right tests.
First of all, the doctor you should initially see is a cardiologist, since blackouts can be caused by serious heart problems that need immediate attention.
So just what are the tests you should insist upon for blackouts?
“One could consider an echocardiogram to make sure there are no problems with the heart valves,” says Dr. Sameer Sayeed, a cardiologist at ColumbiaDoctors of Somers, NY.
Dr. Sayeed continues, “A holter monitor could check for abnormalities in the heartbeat. A stress test could look for abnormal heartbeat with exercise. A tilt table test could evaluate for blackout with different positions.”
Some people black out soon after rising from a prolonged seated position. Their blood pressure plummets and the brain is starved of oxygen, causing the blackout.
The tilt table test measures blood pressure when the patient is in various positions.
Can a seemingly healthy person, with no previous concerning symptoms, suddenly one day drop from a blackout?
“Yes, this can certainly happen, as the electrical system in the heart can suddenly decompensate, especially in an older person, and this is why they frequently come in with bruised or injured faces or head injury.”
On the other hand, a person can begin experiencing suspicious symptoms, short of an actual blackout, that progress over time, one day culminating in a full fledged loss of consciousness.
Dr. Sayeed, explains that “there can be a transition period, especially if they are just having brief episodes of abnormal heartbeat and if this progresses over time to worsen the heartbeat. The symptoms can get worse and eventually lead to syncope.
“This is usually less common and usually a more drastic sudden blackout is how patients usually present.
“But certainly a gradual onset over time can occur especially if the person can tolerate the symptoms quite well.”
If you have even ONE blackout, do not delay getting tests, because this symptom is never normal.
Dr. Sayeed performs echocardiograms and stress tests at the Midtown Manhattan and Westchester offices at Columbia Doctors. He is also trained in cardiac CT imaging.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
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