Food is a common centerpiece of American celebrations, especially during the holiday season. School parties, work events, charity balls, neighborhood get togethers, religious ceremonies and family time — what do they all have in common? Food. Drinks. Desserts. A lot of it. And if we aren’t careful, it’s a lot of joy followed by a lot of discomfort as the reflux sets in.
As food sits pretty on the self-serve table, we tend to graze so our stomach never feels very full, yet the calorie-dense foods slowly trickle in over the hours. Add to that a few alcoholic beverages, often high in sugar, and you are well on your way to a not-so-fun night of reflux. At other events, we may sit around a table and while visiting, scarf down and entire plate, or 2, sometimes 3! The sheer amount of food stretches the stomach and temporarily compromises the natural reflux barrier, the lower esophageal sphincter (LES). Stomach contents are able to escape (reflux) into the esophagus and your once joyful evening has turned painful.
Mindful Eating
The first —and arguably the most powerful technique— is to practice mindfulness when eating. This simply means to bring your attention to the food you are eating. By temporarily disengaging from conversation or anything else distracting, you turn your attention to your food and more fully enjoy it. Start by paying attention to what you are putting on your plate. Are you selecting only sweets? Only chocolate? Or is it full of meat? What about the veggies, do they get some love? Examine all the available options and select wisely. You’re at a party, enjoy the food! But don’t overdo it. When you’re ready to eat, slow down and continue to bring your attention to every bite. Chew thoroughly to savor the flavors and give the enzymes in your mouth time to start breaking down the food. You might notice that simply by focusing extra attention on the food, you actually eat less!
Triggers
If you suffer from reflux, you have probably identified some personal trigger foods and/or behaviors. Many refluxers find chocolate, alcohol (particularly wine), spicy foods, tomatoes, caffeine, mints, and high fat foods result in symptoms. These foods aren’t necessarily problematic, so if they aren’t triggers for you, there’s no reason to avoid them. A recent study (2019) looked at the impact of diet on reflux and found that a diet consisting of high-fat, low-protein, high-sugar, acidic foods and beverages is associated with more laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) episodes (1). We can simplify these results further by saying, an unhealthy, unbalanced diet is more likely to lead to reflux. If you eat a balanced diet and enjoy goodies in moderation, you’ll probably make it without waking the beast.
Exercise
You’re probably not going to show up to your office holiday party and start doing jumping jacks (that might raise a few brows), but make sure to keep exercise a priority, especially during this “extra food required” season. The official recommendations from the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans are as follows: 150 to 300 minutes per week of moderate-intensity, or 75 to 150 minutes a week of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity, or an equivalent combination of moderate- and vigorous-intensity aerobic activity. Keeping your weight down will help alleviate abdominal pressure, helping acid stay where it belongs.
Medical Intervention
If your symptoms are above and beyond just the holidays and special events, see what you can do to incorporate mindfulness and healthy choices into your everyday routine. If you are unable to control your reflux through lifestyle changes, there are plenty of medical interventions available. Visit our website to learn more.
(1) Lechien, J.R., Bobin, F., Muls, V. et al. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00405-019-05711-2
Bree has been an integral part of Restech from the very beginning. She holds a Masters in Public Health from George Washington University, a BFA from The University of Kansas in Visual Communications, and is a National Board Certified Health & Wellness Coach. Her command of marketing, public health/health delivery systems, and human health behavior change gives her a unique perspective in developing effective marketing strategies for the company.
Physicians: Fill out the form below to complete your request to be added to the “Find-A-Doctor” map on restech.com
Thomas previously worked as a polysomnographic technologist in the Virginia Mason system, before moving into sales with Restech in 2007. After spending 9 years working with distributors across Europe, he was moved into an organizational role at the head office in Houston. In this capacity he works closely with sales and marketing to provide clinical support, manages clinical studies, and provides clinical perspectives on business development. In his spare time Thomas plays rugby for Houston Athletic Rugby Club.
Jeff has over 30 years of experience in the medical device industry and previously worked in sales at companies such as Encision Inc., Interventional Therapies, LLC, Boston Scientific, and United States Surgical Corporation. He has been working as the VP of Sales for Mederi Therapeutics since 2009 and now brings his extensive expertise to Restech. Jeff was part of the team that bridged the Mederi asset sale to Restech. His clinical knowledge of the Stretta and Secca technologies is invaluable. Jeff has three decades of physician relations experience that he brings to Restech as part of the leadership team.
Ray joined Restech in May 2018 as the Vice President for Sales. He has been in the medical device, and specifically in the GERD space for more than 18 years. Starting in sales at Sandhill Scientific pH diagnostics, he moved on to Curon Medical when Stretta and Secca were first introduced to the market. He then worked for Given Imaging when Curon closed operations. When Stretta was relaunced he joined Mederi as VP of Sales. Ray was instrumental in keeping Stretta alive and the customer based informed when Mederi ceased operation and assets were purchased by Restech. He is part of the leadership team directing all product sales for Restech. Ray graduated from Old Dominion University in Norfolk with a BS in Marketing and Business Administration.
Mark is a seasoned professional and Certified Public Accountant in Texas who brings a unique blend of creative vision and financial expertise to any leadership team. He worked as a Senior Executive for 15 years on a leadership team which grew a private equity backed cash logistics company performing at negative EBITDA on $100 million revenue into an international industry leader with superior profitability on revenue exceeding $1.5 billion. In addition, he spent 10 years as a Senior Manager at Price Waterhouse delivering results-oriented merger & acquisition, audit and strategic consulting services to middle market clientele including over 40 manufacturing, distribution, service, nonprofit and technology clients. Mark currently serves as a Chief Financial Officer and consulting CFO (seven years) providing in-house and outsourced CFO and transactional services to the middle market.
Larry is the CTO for Restech and holds a B.S. in Computer Science. He is a software architect specializing in remote patient monitoring, medical sensors, and clinical trial software. Larry holds a patent on massively distributed computing and has worked for a number of major software startup companies including Sybase, Oracle, and Teradata. Larry was also the co-founder of a startup to deliver advanced clinical pathways to patients using mobile devices and medical sensors. Larry is truly a pioneer and now a veteran in the deployment.
Jeff has a breadth of experience with over 25 years in engineering and executive positions within major fortune 100 healthcare companies. He also has proven success in startup medical technology companies. Jeff provides leadership in securing and managing Restech’s patent portfolio. He also built Restech’s compliance platform that established regulatory acceptance in 25+ countries worldwide. Jeff’s scientific support and in-depth understanding of the device industry set the foundation for current and future commercial innovations at Restech.
With nearly 30 years of working with physician thought leaders developing novel and emerging technologies, Leo has played a key role in the development and evolution of balloon angioplasty and stent technologies that revolutionized the therapy of cardiac disease. His experience was instrumental in the development of the patented platform technology which drives the Restech sensor. Leo provides a vision and passion for effecting change in the diagnosis and management of atypical reflux.
With over 20 years of executive experience in both the private and public sector, Debra brings a broad understanding of healthcare delivery system. With experience managing products aimed at wide scale disease and population management for 20 million subscribers, Debra has extensive experience in effectively and efficiently developing models of delivery that address specific health issues. Debra has also been involved in the legislative process and served as the elected President of the Independent Physician Association of California. Debra is dedicated to bringing tools to the healthcare market that improve and support the clinical process.