What is Achalasia? How to manage it? What are the precautions to be taken? What are the signs and symptoms? What is the cause of this disease? How to treat it? How can homeopathy help you? All of this answered, in this post and of course our doctors always there to help you. Just fill in your details in the form down below and we will answer all your questions for FREE!
What is an Achalasia?
Achalasia is defined as an esophageal motility disorder that involves the smooth muscle layer of the esophagus and lower esophageal sphincter.
Do age and sex have any role in Achalasia?
It is a rare disease and can occur at any age. It is common in middle-aged or older adults.
What factors lead to Achalasia?
The main cause is:
• Damage to the esophageal nerves
• Cancer of the esophagus or upper stomach
How we can judge the presence of Achalasia?
• Dysphagia
• Regurgitation of the undigested food
• Pain in the chest
• Difficulty in swallowing liquids and solids
• Heartburn
• Coughing when lying in a horizontal position
• Food and liquids are retained in the esophagus and may be inhaled through the lungs
How to diagnose Achalasia?
• Barium swallows X-ray.
• Esophageal manometry –
– Lower esophageal sphincter (LES) fails to relax upon wet swallow (<75% relaxation) – Pressure of LES <26 mm Hg is normal,>100 is considered achalasia, > 200 is nutcracker achalasia.
– Aperistalsis in the esophageal body
– Relative increase in intra-esophageal pressure as compared with intra-gastric pressure
• Endoscopy of the esophagus, stomach, and duodenum
• Endoscopy with Ultrasound
What other diseases look like an Achalasia?
• Gastroesophageal reflux disease
• A hiatus hernia
• Psychosomatic disorders
How it can be harmful?
• Pneumonia occurs due to food contents into the lungs
• Esophageal Perforations
• Reflux of food from the stomach into the esophagus
Which precautions can be helpful in Achalasia?
• Eat slowly
• Chew food very well
• Plenty of water
• Avoid eating near bedtime
• Raise bed head or sleeping with the wedge pillow
• Food that aggravates the reflux need to be avoided
What are the commonly indicated Homeopathic medications for Achalasia?
• Phos
• Nux Vomica
• Asafoetida
For more information, you can visit HealthLine and MayoClinic.