The Link Between Esophageal Spasms and Acid Reflux

Those who suffer from acid reflux and are looking for some acid reflux relief may experience more than complications other than bile reflux. Some acid reflux sufferers experience spasms in their esophagus. Your esophagus connects your throat to your stomach and is structured like a long tube. A healthy esophagus moves food to the stomach through a series of synchronized muscle contractions. Esophageal spasms upset this natural process creating many unpleasant symptoms.

What is an esophageal spasm?

Esophageal spasms occur when the muscle contractions within the esophagus lack coordination and prevent food from properly moving through your esophagus to the stomach. Esophageal spasms affect the muscles that are situated within the walls of the lower esophagus. They can occur in the following two ways:

The Link Between Esophageal Spasms and Acid Reflux

1. Diffuse spasms - This is when food traveling to the stomach is slowed due to irregular or simultaneous contraction of the esophageal muscles.

2. Nutcracker esophagus - This is when food progresses normally to the stomach, but the muscle contractions are abnormally strong and painful.

Researchers are not exactly sure what causes esophageal spasms, but one theory is that extremely cold, hot or spicy food can trigger a spasm. Another theory is that GERD or heartburn, which causes irritation and inflammation in the esophagus, can trigger a spasm. Whatever the real reason, one fact remains - People who are prone to acid reflux and have GERD are more prone to esophageal spasms, and the chances of developing this condition increases as they age.

The following are some symptoms of this condition that you should be aware of:

- Chest pain that is usually intense and is often mistaken for heart pain. This is the most common symptom.

- Pain when swallowing

- Trouble swallowing

- Feeling something is stuck in the throat

- Regurgitating food

- Heartburn

How are esophageal spasms diagnosed?

This condition can be hard to diagnose due to the fact that its symptoms closely resemble other disorders such as GERD. Nevertheless, should your doctor expect that you suffer from esophageal spasms; the condition may be diagnosed through -

- Barium esophagram - This is the most common test for people who suffer from trouble swallowing. The Barium esophagram utilizes X-rays to examine the esophagus and is the best test for detecting esophageal spasms.

- Esophageal CT scan - This is a test that uses computerized tomography (CT) scans to create and capture cross-sectional sliced images of the inside of the body. The test may reveal that the esophageal muscles have abnormal thickness which could mean esophageal spasms.

- Esophageal manometry test - This test involves the insertion of a thin tube into the esophagus via the mouth or nose. The purpose is to measure how effective the esophageal muscles are during the swallowing process.

Is there treatment for esophageal spasms?

Yes. The following are some suggested treatments:

- Manage underlying conditions - If you are prone to heartburn or suffer from GERD, manage these conditions to reduce your chance of spasms.

- Lifestyle changes - Change your eating habits such as avoid eating certain foods including those that are spicy or acidic, and avoid lying down directly after eating meals. Lifestyle change is also the best way to prevent esophageal spasms from occurring.

- Biofeedback - This is an alternative therapy that teaches you to use your mind to control your body. Electrical sensors help you recognize the way your body responds to psychological stress so you can control it.

- Medication - Muscle relaxants including nitrates or calcium channel blockers are often prescribed to reduce the severity of muscle contractions. Tricyclic antidepressants may also be recommended to help relieve pain.

- Surgery - This treatment is extremely rare but sometimes is the only option in serious cases. Myotmy may be performed to help weaken muscle contractions, or an esophagectomy (the removal of the esophagus) may be needed.

The Link Between Esophageal Spasms and Acid Reflux
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Grab your copy of Kathryn Whittaker's free newsletter that has proven methods for tackling Acid Reflux, Heartburn and GERD head-on at Stop Acid Reflux Now. On the site you'll also find more about natural cure for heartburn and information on the various cause of heartburn.

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Troubleshooting Computer Freeze (Lockup) Problems

How familiar does the following sound? Your computer was working fine, but then suddenly started locking up (aka hanging or freezing), rebooting itself (crashing) or shutting down spontaneously? If you know only too well what I am talking about, then read on! Performing the simple steps below can fix the majority of lockup cases.

1. Check for recently installed software or hardware.

If the lockups started to happen after you installed a new peace of hardware, new software program, or new drivers, uninstall it and see if the problem goes away.

Troubleshooting Computer Freeze (Lockup) Problems

2. Run your antivirus program.

One of the first things to do in the case of sudden lockups is to run your antivirus program. Check your antivirus manufacturer's website for updates and latest virus definition files. (This is absolutely necessary, outdated antivirus is not going to be of any use!) If you don't have antivirus software installed - or if updates are unavailable - run one of the web-based antivirus scans that some major antivirus vendors like Trend Micro are offering for free. You can find a comprehensive list of available web-based scans and free antivirus programs on http://www.free-antivirus.info.

3. Run some good spyware removal tool.

If your machine is not infected with any viruses, it is still possible that it has some harmful adware or spyware is present. Download and run some good spyware removal tool such as AdAware or Microsoft AntiSpyware. Check http://www.free-antivirus.info for a list of free spyware removal applications.

4. Check for free hard drive space.

When no viruses are found, check out free hard drive space on drive C:. Make sure there is more than 20% of free space available; low disk space can lead to random lockups.

5. Check for overheating.

Overheating is another known cause of lockups. It can be caused by problems with fans inside the case, dust buildup, or other cooling problems. Make sure the power supply fan and CPU fan are running and free of dust buildup. You can check the temperatures inside the case by running Motherboard monitor
http://mbm.livewiredev.com
- make sure the temperatures are within the preset limits. Be very careful while cleaning inside the computer case (use plastic vacuum crevice tool) and NEVER OPEN THE POWER SUPPLY CASE as it contains high voltage.

6. Check the hard disk.

Check the hard disk - it is possible that its logical structure is corrupted. To check the disk for errors, right-click on the disk C: icon in "My Computer", select the "Tools" tab, check all check boxes in the "Check disk options" field, and press the "Check now" button. It should ask whether you want to schedule the check next time you restart your computer - answer "Yes" and restart your PC. The check will be performed automatically after startup; it can take a while, so be patient. The program will attempt to fix some problems automatically - however, if the hard disk is failing physically, it will need to be replaced. It is also a good idea to run Disk Defragmenter (located in Start Menu > Programs > Accessories > System Tools) to optimize data placement on the hard disk for increased performance and reliability.

7. Check the memory.

Sometimes random lockups can be attributed to the computer memory (RAM) starting to fail. You can test the memory by running Windows Memory Diagnostic that can be downloaded from http://oca.microsoft.com/en/windiag.asp. If memory problems are found, try re-seating the RAM (pull it out and plug it back in). If it doesn't work, replace the defective RAM.

8. Check for other hardware problems (advanced users).

More hardware-related problems can be diagnosed by running hardware tests from the Ultimate Boot CD that can be downloaded from http://www.ultimatebootcd.com. However, you should only use it if you know what are you doing - some programs on that CD can be dangerous when used inappropriately (for example, some of them can wipe the contents of your hard disk).

9. Update Windows and drivers.

Some lockups can be caused by outdated software components - update your windows and drives by running a windows update: http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com (it's good idea to run it regularly).

The above steps will help diagnose and eliminate the most common causes of lockups. Hundreds more of other possible scenarios need to be dealt with on a case-by-case basis, as it all goes down to your particular computer configuration. Asking on PC
troubleshooting forums/newsgroups should help you figure out solutions to not-so-obvious lockup cases.

Troubleshooting Computer Freeze (Lockup) Problems
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Michael Woodford is a computer expert from a team that runs HowToFixcomputers.com and CertFAQ.com.

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Building a Business? 10 Ways To Brand Yourself Online

Have you ever heard the saying "people buy you, before they buy your product"?

Isn't it so true? You will very rarely, if ever, make a purchasing decision from someone that you do not like or trust. If given the choice of learning how to drive from a teenager just learning to drive or a 30 year career driving instructor, who'd you go with? You chose the instructor, of course, because they've got the credibility and trust.

The same rules apply to business, where people tend to go with the proven entity. Your goal is to lose the "learner tag" as quickly as possible. You do this, by positioning yourself as an expert in your field, as per the tips below.

Building a Business? 10 Ways To Brand Yourself Online

Creating and maintain a strong personal brand is key to helping to facilitate the "subconscious transaction", where the person you're dealing with transitions from considering you, to BUYING you. Here we go:

You need to Face(book) the facts: If you're not on Facebook yet, do it now! It won't be long until a billion people are on Facebook. In Australia alone, more than 50% of the adult population is on Facebook. 2 in every 3 individuals between the ages of 18-64 are on Facebook. How do you expect to build your brand when you're not participating in the main forum where most people you know hang out?!

Promote your achievements: Highlight your successes - It's not like you've got a PR firm to do it for you! Use social media for this. A simple Facebook post along the lines of: "I'm so proud. I just achieved my biggest month of sales. Thanks to everyone for supporting my business". You'll see a flood of Facebook 'Likes' in the short term, but just watch the credibility and trust factor gradually build over time as you repeatedly highlight your wins. And a simple post like this goes a long way to helping you drop that "learner tag"!

It's all good (even when it's not): Trawl through a day of Facebook posts and I bet there will be a healthy (well, unhealthy) dose of negativity and sarcasm. I mean, if you and I had a dollar for every time we read a post about a headache, the flu, or how crazy the kids are driving someone, we'd be retired by now wouldn't we? Your mission is to censor yourself. Nothing negative goes out. It's all positive. This is not to say that you fake positivity or lie, you just don't promote negativity. There's a distinct difference. This will go a long way to branding YOU. To the contrary, like I said earlier, every time you share negativity online, you erode your personal brand.

Be helpful, provide value: Share links and resources from within your business niche that you know people will enjoy. Don't spam people, but regularly posting industry-related information to Facebook goes a long way to building your credibility in your field. The general rule here is to run it through a basic filter so that you aren't being seen as a 'spammer': Simply ask yourself - is it valuable information, or merely promotional? It's OK to promote your service or product every so often, but providing regular, interesting and useful information is a great way to promote YOU (as an expert).

Get a blog (even if you don't know what blog means): Blogs can be free, and they're simple to setup. WordPress.com is my suggestion. I find WordPress to be the best all-round blog platform. I was able to learn WordPress with essentially zero website/blog management knowledge.

What to blog about? That's simple - YOU! Your friends and family will love to keep connected with you. If it's for your business, then you could start by covering your products or services and then providing valuable information related to your niche. Blogs are just a way to share your thoughts. There are plenty of free "how to" guides for setting up a blog or Facebook for business page online - Google it!

Register YOU: Even if you aren't planning on starting a blog or website yet, you want to register your domain name/ s before someone else gets in first! You may wish to register both your business or home business and your personal name to be sure.

Actively be YOU: Huh? I hear you say? What I'm saying here is that you should read a lot and write even more (that's the beauty of a blog). Then, if there is one individual that you follow frequently, you will inevitably tend to imitate them whilst you truly develop your sense of who you are. Catch yourself. Challenge the ideas presented by those that you respect most. Be you, and eventually you'll build YOU.

Keep your brand fresh: Luckily for my blog, home business is super-diverse and there are plenty of topics for me to sink my teeth into. Be it your blog or your everyday life, keep it fresh. Keep trying new things and interacting with people around new topics. Whether it's online, or offline, people tend to gravitate towards those others that are "always going things". Be a "doer". Be exciting. This will build your brand, and will probably result in a heck of a lot of fun too!

Start branding you from a niche: There is no such thing as an overnight success. Start small, build your following in that area and then branch out. Even though a niche business might be a small market, successfully becoming an expert in that field will allow you the credibility required to expand and dominate another field.

Over-deliver: If you've been counting, you'll know that we've passed 10 tips and we're now on 11! And here's the tip: ALWAYS over-deliver. Have you ever been to a great live music performance and left it saying "I knew it was going to be good, but that was way better than I ever imagined". Next thing, you referred that singer to friends, you downloaded the next song on iTunes and booked your tickets early for the next live show. Give a little bit more than expected.

So there you have it, 10 (+1) tips little-known tips to build your Personal Brand online! Perhaps more importantly, 11 often-not-done-by-your-competitors tips. Let's get you branded in advance of your competition, so you can own your field.

Building a Business? 10 Ways To Brand Yourself Online
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Greg Nunan is the founder of The Home Business Hub website, which specializes in providing free tips and advice to individuals who operate small businesses, sole trader businesses, work from home businesses, online businesses and network marketing in Australia.

With a combined 18 years of business building experience with his wife Holly, including 6 start-up businesses, Greg is one of Australia's leading authorities on home-based business and how to earn money from home.

What makes this business-building background even more impressive, is that Greg and his wife have built these businesses around a young family of 3 daughters under the age of five!

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Help in Finding God's Will For Major Life Decisions Part 3 of 3 Parts

Keep Seeking

"Seek and you shall find," said Jesus. And yet sincere, godly Christians have sought the truth about important spiritual issues come to opposite conclusions. This means that some must have stopped seeking before they truly found. They found perhaps half the truth and were content to stay there, rather than keeping open to the possibility that God still had more to show them.

the will of God

Help in Finding God's Will For Major Life Decisions Part 3 of 3 Parts

Don't Let Your Feelings Drown Out God's Voice

When we have already decided what we want God to say and anything else begins to seem unbearable, and - as always - we have a spiritual enemy who would love to trip us up, trying to discern God's guidance becomes precariously difficult.

Try not to let strong emotions - passionate longings, pain, shame, fear, selfishness, or resentment - drown out the Spirit's whispers. That's a tall order when grappling with emotionally charged issues in which one's feelings can rage almost uncontrollably. At the very least, however, you can be acutely aware of how strong yearnings for a specific answer greatly magnify the possibility of distorting your perception of what God is saying.

Do what you can - and pray that God will do the rest - to rein in your longings and bring your personal preferences as close to neutral as you can manage. I pray the next paragraph will sober your passions enough to save you from tragedy.

If, from heaven, you were to look back in time on what you currently think is the best option and, with everything revealed, you would still see it as the best option, then it is truly what your loving Lord wants for you. Remember, however, that millions of marriages turn out to be a most horrific mistake that scars and haunts people to their dying day. These people were once madly in love; desperate to marry the object of their passion because they are certain it would be heaven on earth. We can get it devastatingly wrong, not just with marriage, but with any other craving. When reality hits, our darling fantasies can so easily dissolve into nightmares. It is terrifyingly common to be intoxicated by an illusion. Likewise, we can dread things that eventually turn out to be a most wondrous opportunity that we dare not miss.

Paul Little rightly said that God's will is the greatest good his infinite wisdom can devise. There is no greater security in the universe than snuggling in the center of God's will. What is to be feared is every alternative to God's will. Whatever God's will for you is, you will spend eternity reveling in heartfelt gratitude to God for the perfection of his loving wisdom, and celebrating the ecstasy in having chosen it.

If you can absorb the truth of how good God's will is and how secure it makes one, it will calm your spirit as you wait for him to speak. As the calming of a raging storm makes it easier to hear a conversation, so the calming of your passions and fears will help you hear the Lord.

Wait Until You Are Certain

As I have said elsewhere, God loves drama. Often he waits until almost the last split second before giving us what we desperately need. That builds faith. It puts steel in our backbone, spiritually.

King Saul was chosen by God. He could have headed a royal dynasty, with his descendants ruling as king for untold generations. He lost it all because it seemed to him that things were so desperate that he could not wait a moment longer. In a panic, he acted hastily and paid for it for the rest of his life, and his descendents kept paying generation after generation. What he feared would not come soon enough, arrived just as he finished his rash act (1 Samuel 13:8-14). If only he had waited a few moments longer . . .

Don't be like Esau; so driven to satisfy his craving that rather than endure the few unpleasant minutes that restraining himself would entail, he made the biggest mistake of his life. He thought every minute he denied himself would seem an eternity, but the real eternity was his never-ending regret over having sold his future for a mouthful of pleasure. He could never undo his devastating loss ( Hebrews 12:16-17).

Avoid Complacency

John Wesley remained single, denying himself for 47 years. Finally, this man of God, overflowing with spiritual wisdom, decided to complete his happiness by marrying. So atrocious was his choice that his wife ended up a continual source of torment and shame. They ended up permanently separated.

No one ever gets so old and wise or so spiritual that he or she cannot make a devastating mistake.

If Solomon with all his wisdom and initial devotion to the Lord could make wrong marriage choices and drift away from God, there is simply no way to avoid spiritual disaster other than daily obedience and intimacy with God.

Have A Real Need For An Answer

God often shares his secrets on a need to know basis. Those whose interest is little more than intellectual curiosity or so they can point the finger at others, are much less likely to receive divine revelation than those faced with the serious need to make a decision. " . . . call upon me in the day of trouble . . ." invited the Lord in Psalm 50:15.

The Answer Couldn't Be Closer

The Almighty is moved by your need. For our eternal benefit he develops our faith by stretching it, but at the right time he will come through for everyone who yields to him and in faith waits for him.

Rather than try to give you my answers to whatever issue is bothering you, I have pointed you to the Answer. Better than having all the answers, when Christ dwells in you, you have the Answer.

Help in Finding God's Will For Major Life Decisions Part 3 of 3 Parts
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Grantley Morris is in his fifties and was true to the Lord when the Lord asked him not to marry for the sake of the gospel. He works full time but over the past few years has built the best Christian website I have ever visited. He won't sell you anything, he won't ask you for money to support him, he exists on the web purely to teach people about Jesus Christ and His Father God and to help people live the life they were born to live.

He already responds to well over a hundred emails a week personally helping people work through the issues his writings have addressed and would welcome you if you dropped him a line. You have to go through a spam filter to contact him, yet I promise he will write back to you in a matter of days.

Grantley's web address is http://net-burst.net/search.htm Be sure to check him out.

Be sure to check out his bigger then e-books free on the site.

To read more about what this article just spoke about go to the bottom of this link and read associated articles. http://net-burst.net/god/bible_deception.htm

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