A team of researchers in USA said on Friday that they have found two nonsurgical therapies effective to counter symptoms of acid reflux disease including heartburn. This therapy works for the patients who are not cured with medications.

The therapies mentioned in a recent study were published in Archives of Surgery journal.Therapies namely Full-thickness Plication and Radio Frequency Therapy include a procedure in which a long instrument; endoscope is inserted through mouth to reach the esophagus.

In full-thickness plication the endoscope is used. The in between junction of stomach and esophagus is tightened with sutures. Whereas in Radio Frequency therapy, heat is used to treat the function of in between valve of stomach and esophagus.

Both of these rare therapies have been found effective in reducing swallowing difficulties, voice hoarseness and heart burn. Heart burn is usually caused due to gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERD. In this disease the stomach acid is back fired towards the esophagus. This causes inflammation in esophagus lining.

Most of the patients are given Wyeth’s Protonix, Takeda Pharmaceutical Co’s Prevacid and Eisai Inc’s Aciphex, AstraZeneca Plc’s Nexium and Prilosec which do not trigger results in many. Such therapies are helpful especially for those who cannot afford surgery. As Dr. Edward Lin of Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta said, “It’s nice to be able to offer something less invasive.”