Hello Harold,

I am not sure if your acid reflux is getting worse, or just changing the way you are affected. Coughing, particularly at night, is a symptom of GERD. The acid can back up into your throat and go down into your lungs causing the coughing and sometimes asthma like symptoms. There are some lifestyle and dietary changes you can do to help you work through the coughing and night time issues.

The coughing and throat irritation can be from the acid going into your esophagus. It actually can cause asthma like symptoms. You can read more about the symptoms here and in this sharepost Dr Todd Eisner talks about the throat issues with the cough and raspiness of the voice. You probably already know most of this information, but you can read about GERD here in the overview. Sometimes reading over the information will help you ask all the questions you need to ask of your doctor to make sure you get the best care you can get.

Here are some general things you can do to help control your GERD.

People with heartburn should first try lifestyle and dietary changes. In one study, 44% of patients who experienced symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) reported improvement after changing their diet. Some suggestions are the following:

• People with heartburn should avoid or reduce consumption of foods and beverages that contain caffeine, chocolate, peppermint, spearmint, and alcohol. Both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee increase acid secretion.
• All carbonated drinks increase the risk for GERD.
• Although physicians often advise patients with GERD to cut down on fatty foods, studies are finding no evidence that a low-fat or high-fat meal make any difference in symptom exacerbation. Better studies are needed to confirm this. In any case, as a rule, it is always wise to avoid saturated fats (which are from animal products), and cut down on all fats if one is overweight.
• Increasing protein may help strengthen muscles in the muscle valve. Patients should choose low-fat or skim dairy products, poultry, or fish, in such cases.
• Whole grain products rich in selenium may have some protective role against dangerous cells changes in Barrett's esophagus.
• Patients should have a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, although avoid acidic vegetables and fruits (e.g., oranges, lemons, grapefruit, pineapple**, tomatoes).

** There is a discussion about pineapple where Dr. Eisner suggests it is actually good for you because it has an enzyme that promotes digestion. You can read that posting here.

I hope this helps Harold. Please stay in touch and let us know how you are doing!

Vicki M