Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD), more commonly known as acid reflux is a medical condition where food and stomach acid start flowing back to the esophagus. It’s a prevalent condition that affects millions on a global scale.
There are a myriad of treatment options available worldwide to treat acid reflux, starting from medications and lifestyle tweaks. However, in recent times, many people have started taking an interest in alternative therapies to treat acid reflux. Opting for the best massage therapy is one such alternative that has been growing in popularity.
In this blog, we will discuss how massage can act as a helpful alternative to treat acid reflux.
Factors Contributing to Acid Reflux
Before plunging too deep into the topic, let’s first understand the factors that play a key role in causing acid reflux-
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- Certain food types like the ones that contain excess bad fats or have been loaded with spices (fast foods) can be categorized as some of the major contributors to acid reflux issues.
- Hiatal Hernia is a condition where the stomach tends to slide up to the chest cavity, pushing the diaphragm off its natural relaxed state. This is another major contributor to acid reflux issues among people.
- Things like smoking, prolonged alcohol consumption, overeating, lying down immediately after having a meal, and certain medications with side effects are some other factors that give rise to acid reflux issues.
How Can Massage Therapies Help Treat Acid Reflux?
The benefits of a therapeutic massage in Richmond transcend way beyond promoting relaxation through loosening the stiffened muscle groups. It involves soft tissue manipulation that helps improve blood circulation, and reduce overall muscle tension, which adds up to bring relief to symptoms of acid reflux cases.
Here’s how massage therapies can help treat acid reflux-
- Our diaphragm region is surrounded by connective tissues that assist in expansion and relaxation during breathing. Clinical trials have suggested that gently massaging the connective tissues around the diaphragm can benefit people suffering from acid reflux symptoms.
- Stress and anxiety are some of the major factors that cause muscle tension, which ultimately translates to causing acid reflux. How?
Well, excessive stress and over-anxiety cause an increase in acid production in your gut. It also causes the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) muscles to get tensed, which eases the process of stomach acids to flow back into the esophagus, thereby causing acid reflux.
Opting for massage therapy in Richmond helps release the tension from the LES, thereby preventing the backflow of stomach acids, and ultimately providing relief from heartburns.
- On top of these, massage therapies can also help enhance our digestion procedure effectively. Not only does massage therapy help in improving overall blood circulation, but it also helps enhance the movement of food through the entire digestive tract.
This helps improve the overall digestion procedure and therefore, is a great way to eliminate acid reflux symptoms.
Best Massage Therapies to Treat Acid Reflux
There are an array of medications available in local drug stores that can help treat acid reflux. However, the risk of contracting side effects remains constant, for which massage therapies have been adopted as the new-found alternatives to treat acid reflux without the fear of side effects.
When it comes to massage therapies, the best kind of massages are the ones that involve the lower abdomen and myofascial therapy to help people get relief from heartburn.
- An abdominal massage includes gently pressing the abdomen in a circular motion using your hand or fingers. Starting from the belly button, the main objective of this massage therapy is to improve blood flow to the LES and help with digestion.
The goal of this method is to cover the affected area to bring on enhanced blood circulation, which ultimately translates to better digestion. So, you don’t have to worry about heartburn anymore!
- Stress, anxiety, and long hours of sitting in front of a desk cause knot formations in your muscles. These stiffened knots, if left unaddressed, can result in causing acid reflux symptoms. Myofascial therapy involves targeting particular trigger points for pain relief. Once you get rid of the knots from your upper back and abdomen, it can help release the pressure of the tensed muscles, ultimately leading to alleviating acid reflux.
Wrapping It Up
Remember, foot and body massage therapy aren’t a replacement for medications to treat cases of GERD. However, it can be conveniently used as a treatment therapy that can be easily added to your existing treatments to help reduce acid reflux symptoms and enhance the overall quality of life.
