Perhaps at the time, PPIs were considered safer. Longtime use is now associated with dementia, increased risk of heart disease and chronic kidney disease among many other side effects.
2
Elevation of the head of the bed at night is also helpful. And it addresses the full gamut of chemicals involved in reflux, not just acid.
1
Celiac disease and gluten intolerance can look like GERD, heartburn, etc. Ask your doctor about the celiac panel blood screen (do this *before* trying a gluten free diet), especially if there is autoimmune disease or lots of unexplained vague stomach trouble in your family. (Most doctors don't know much about celiac; it can show up at any age, any weight, any ethnicity, and can cause a huge & varied range of symptoms (headache, stomach ache, GI trouble, mood disruptions ...) so is often overlooked, underdiagnosed, or misdiagnosed - google "celiac symptoms" for more info.)
1
My gerd is caused by nightshade vegetables (potato, eggplant, tomato, peppers, tomatillo).
Some very helpful ideas here. I think many things cause LES or GERD, so there are many solutions. (PPIs should be the very last one!)
Here's another path to consider:
Being hypothyroid can cause LES dysfunction. Is your thyroid under control? If you are what the provider calls subclinical hypothyroid, you might see if you can persuade him/her to give you a trial of low-dose synthroid and see if that helps.
Here's another path to consider:
Being hypothyroid can cause LES dysfunction. Is your thyroid under control? If you are what the provider calls subclinical hypothyroid, you might see if you can persuade him/her to give you a trial of low-dose synthroid and see if that helps.
For those of you who are coffee drinkers, try a low-acid coffee. It made a tremendous difference for me. Since I started drinking it a few months ago, I've used antacids only once or twice, while before I was using them close to daily.
2
Before you made the change, how many cups of coffee were you drinking daily? And are you still drinking the same amount of low-acid coffee? thanks!
5
From reading the comments below, it seems that many do not understand that you don't "fix" GERD with diet changes. You can only mitigate the symptoms. Pills or diet changes that work do so by reducing the acidity of your stomach acid, thus reducing the sensation of stomach acid backing up into your esophagus, throat and possibly lungs.
BUT THE STOMACH ACID STILL GETS INTO THE ESOPHAGUS!
I am not an MD but I wonder if even lower PH (higher number) stomach acid washing up into your throat is a good thing, even if it doesn't hurt/burn/annoy? I would think not.
Until we are able to grow someone a new LES muscle, FIXING the actual problem (not hiding the symptoms) requires some form of surgical intervention. I mentioned three surgical methods in my #1 post at the bottom of this thread.
BUT THE STOMACH ACID STILL GETS INTO THE ESOPHAGUS!
I am not an MD but I wonder if even lower PH (higher number) stomach acid washing up into your throat is a good thing, even if it doesn't hurt/burn/annoy? I would think not.
Until we are able to grow someone a new LES muscle, FIXING the actual problem (not hiding the symptoms) requires some form of surgical intervention. I mentioned three surgical methods in my #1 post at the bottom of this thread.
Diet is very important as well as having a small dinner and a larger lunch .
In the Mediterranean diet the most important meal is lunch , dinner is always minimal , often light clear soup and leftovers. Unless there is a special event to celebrate .
I'is important after meals to get up and walk around to favor gastric emptying , never have a full stomach when going to sleep or lye down.
Using extra pillows to keep the chest higher than the stomach when sleeping is also helpful.
Stress also induces extra production of gastric juices, go for a walk , listen to relaxing music , read a good book .
When I feel heart burn creeping up , I drink lots of extra water to dilute the acidity and facilitate gastric emptying.
We have to keep our state of mind relaxed , if we want our body to be healthy.
In the Mediterranean diet the most important meal is lunch , dinner is always minimal , often light clear soup and leftovers. Unless there is a special event to celebrate .
I'is important after meals to get up and walk around to favor gastric emptying , never have a full stomach when going to sleep or lye down.
Using extra pillows to keep the chest higher than the stomach when sleeping is also helpful.
Stress also induces extra production of gastric juices, go for a walk , listen to relaxing music , read a good book .
When I feel heart burn creeping up , I drink lots of extra water to dilute the acidity and facilitate gastric emptying.
We have to keep our state of mind relaxed , if we want our body to be healthy.
6
Here is my story:
In 2009, my husband Elliot was the picture of health at 60 years young: active, energetic, and vibrant. Elliot was a wonderful husband, dedicated father, and a dentist who loved his work and his patients. He was an avid golfer, fisherman, and woodworker. He played poker with the guys and was a passionate and enthusiastic sports fan of his favorite teams.
Elliot was so full of life and seemingly healthy that when he was diagnosed with Stage 3 esophageal cancer, we were both shocked and devastated.
Like many silent acid reflux sufferers, we missed the signs.
For years, Elliot would wake up at night, aspirating, choking on stomach acid. We attributed it to a poor diet, not to a serious underlying condition.
Elliot didn’t seek medical help until he started having trouble swallowing and felt a lump in his throat that wouldn’t go away, a common silent acid reflux symptom. But then, it was too late. Elliot fought hard for four years but lost his battle to cancer in 2013.
Becoming Certified as a Health Coach, I learned how proper diet and lifestyle could heal acid reflux, silent acid reflux, and GERD before it could turn into esophageal cancer. It's important to know that each person has their own unique food and lifestyle triggers. I started a virtual online course that basically holds your hand and guides you through seven weeks to teach you lifelong tools to figure out your triggers to live symptom and medication free. Contact me at www.HealingAcidReflux.com
In 2009, my husband Elliot was the picture of health at 60 years young: active, energetic, and vibrant. Elliot was a wonderful husband, dedicated father, and a dentist who loved his work and his patients. He was an avid golfer, fisherman, and woodworker. He played poker with the guys and was a passionate and enthusiastic sports fan of his favorite teams.
Elliot was so full of life and seemingly healthy that when he was diagnosed with Stage 3 esophageal cancer, we were both shocked and devastated.
Like many silent acid reflux sufferers, we missed the signs.
For years, Elliot would wake up at night, aspirating, choking on stomach acid. We attributed it to a poor diet, not to a serious underlying condition.
Elliot didn’t seek medical help until he started having trouble swallowing and felt a lump in his throat that wouldn’t go away, a common silent acid reflux symptom. But then, it was too late. Elliot fought hard for four years but lost his battle to cancer in 2013.
Becoming Certified as a Health Coach, I learned how proper diet and lifestyle could heal acid reflux, silent acid reflux, and GERD before it could turn into esophageal cancer. It's important to know that each person has their own unique food and lifestyle triggers. I started a virtual online course that basically holds your hand and guides you through seven weeks to teach you lifelong tools to figure out your triggers to live symptom and medication free. Contact me at www.HealingAcidReflux.com
13
What worked wonders for my mother: a D-limonene capsule every other day for 20 days -- a total of 10 capsules. There have only been small-scale studies on this, but according to those studies, it helps about 9 out of 10 keep it at bay for six months or more. Also helpful: chewable papaya enzyme tablets.
1
Two things: D-limonene is the acid from orange peels. And it's been found helpful with GERD, not sure about LPR.
Absolutely. I have LPR, and was initially put on Nexium, but I try to avoid all medications -- except daily baby aspirin -- and I have been a Mediterranean-diet follower for decades. If I wait too long between meals, I might feel the LPR, but snacking on fruit, rice, or veggies -- just eating something healthy to keep my appetite happy -- is usually enough to quell the problem. My parents were neuropharmacologists, who spent their life's work on researching the effects of medications on the body, and their goal was to help researchers find better medications. Although I greatly respect my father's work and that of my stepmother, I have been a mostly vegetarian and Mediterranean-diet follower long before it was even so-named. I don't go to doctors unless I'm ill with bronchitis, which happens if I don't get enough sleep.
As a society, we are fed so many assumptions. Often, we swallow these assumptions without investigating their claims properly -- "This medication" or "that pill" or "this procedure".... will help treat, will help prevent...
Plants are our best medicine. Lunch today: Black, brown and red rice, with pearl barley, onions, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, olive oil, carrots, freshly ground black pepper, cumin, and pepper jack cheese melted on top.
Mother Nature is our best Mother.
As a society, we are fed so many assumptions. Often, we swallow these assumptions without investigating their claims properly -- "This medication" or "that pill" or "this procedure".... will help treat, will help prevent...
Plants are our best medicine. Lunch today: Black, brown and red rice, with pearl barley, onions, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, olive oil, carrots, freshly ground black pepper, cumin, and pepper jack cheese melted on top.
Mother Nature is our best Mother.
6
There are lots of us who need insulin, lithium, antibiotics, and other gifts of the pharmaceutical industry. It's pretty ignorant to wave off modern medicine and shame those that actually rely on pills to prevent deadly illnesses.
4
Mother Nature has been trying her darndest to kill you since you were conceived.
3
That's how evolution works.
Eating small meals and avoiding or limiting fatty and cured meats, bread, and cheese have worked for me. The meat I don't care about, but the bread and cheese -- boy, that's tough!
2
My sis in law and mom in law both suffer from GERD, gas stomach pain. They have always consumed a plant based diet with the exception of dairy products and honey. Over the years their condition has gotten worse to the point even the gentlest lentils give them digestion problem and stomach ache. They avoid lime, lemon, spicy hot chillies but use lot of fresh herbs and ginger. They have seen gastroenterologist, gotten endoscopy colonoscopy done found nothing wrong. They have both been told by the GI specialist to "try not to think too much! Try to enjoy life!"
5
I am an academic clinical researcher, MDPhD. I had a juvenile polyarthritis with intoxication by phenylbutazone. I tried all my life to look healthy, be positive, feeling that as a treatment for me before to be for my patients. I became an immunologist worked 3 years as an allergologist in nephrology, then I dedicated more than 10 years for MS., then I patented a medical device for rescue. I had severe GERD, with always cardiac controls in addition of GI fibro-scopies etc. I changed my nutrition to treat the polyarthritis, and I am better old than earlier in my life. Writing more I started to have again GERD, and I did not understand as all my patients were improved. Then I considered dairies. Today I am back to a good digestion and a flat abdomen, with a plant based diet, dairy free, I follow the FODMAP rules for a while with improvement. I keep in mind to prefer maple syrup to honey and not too often etc...it is somehow annoying but I am good. Personalizing a diet is not easy to achieve. When in allergology, I was using my research links to ask more than 370 tests in one blood test. The manager of the hospital was mad until the results came after 2 years. Being able to diagnose the intolerance is the key to design a healthy diet, it is a lot cheaper than to weaken the digestive immunological status
3
"Plant based diet" and "dairy products" are both toxic due to lectins, plant toxins as explain well by the book, "The Plant Paradox" by Dr. Stenven R. Gundry using vast amount of researches done by many scientists that he lists in the ending part of the book. Lectins are like glue that clamps two cells together, attach to bone joints or attach to gut membrane or membranes of any organs to cause autoimmune conditions and diseases. Gentlest lentils have a lectin. Since her body has already antibodies towards many types of lectins, just small amount of lentils cause immune reactions (cytokines and antibodies attack her organs). I will attach some of his academic references
here.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1115436/
http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fnut.2016.00007/full
It is a lot easier to understand the toxicity of lectins, if you read his book.
here.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1115436/
http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fnut.2016.00007/full
It is a lot easier to understand the toxicity of lectins, if you read his book.
1
Please suggest that they avoid ginger for a month and see if the condition improves. Ginger aids in digestion by increasing acid production.
If we even attempt to follow a fraction of Tom Brady's diet we would rid ourselves off GERD and LPR.
2
I have never had any type of reflux and do not eat deli or red meats or pork at all. Although I am not a vegetarian, I only eat chicken, fish and vegetables. I would always opt for eating differently or correctly over any medication.
Neither this article nor the original journal article specify how a person would obtain alkaline water, or the specifics of the diet. It would be much more helpful to the general population if they could be specific on implementation.
5
I add 1 tsp baking soda to a glass of water and drink it -- that is basically alkaline water.
1
Be aware that Sodium Bicarbonate contains a significant amount of Sodium, and needs to be accounted for in dietary intake.
I had terrible GERD caused by stress. Eating smaller meals, cutting back on meat, and never having deserts at the end of a meal, improved my digestion. Having an earlier and lighter dinner had a positive effect.
13
Every "plant-based" diet that claims to prevent or reverse any disease always involves the removal of _sugar_, refined carbs, and refined seed oils at the same time as removing meat and dairy.
Also note that the "plant-based" diet includes seafood.
To paraphrase Gary Fettke, "I eat a plant-based diet. I'm a lacto-carno-pesco-pollo-ovo vegetarian."
Also note that the "plant-based" diet includes seafood.
To paraphrase Gary Fettke, "I eat a plant-based diet. I'm a lacto-carno-pesco-pollo-ovo vegetarian."
6
Because digestif problems may interfere with treatments, I have always changed the diet of my patients to be sure they will be not aggravated and will take anti- acid pills to compete with treatment. I have always supported a plant based diet which looks to me adapted to the human biology. This study confirms previous studies, everyday observation, medical assumption. It will be good to see this study helping people to change their food routine and stop to take unnecessary treatments
7
My doctor put me on an anti-inflammation diet--no wheat, corn, white rice, sugar, alcohol, or caffeine--to relieve joint pain & intestinal discomfort. After 14 weeks, I still had pain & an upset tummy, but my GERD was completely gone. I added one ingredient back at a time, & found that wheat, white rice, and sugar set off GERD quickly. None of the foods thought to trigger GERD give me any problem: alcohol, caffeine (both in small amounts), onions, garlic, tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, chocolate, citrus, mint, or high-fat.
14
Immunological reactions and tolerance are really individually specific. The reaction is most of the time due to a free residue, causing a foreign reaction. Your enzymatic system works to destroy the food into nutrients ready to be absorbed, the general rules are more guidance than strict protocol. The importance is to give your doctor the most accurate answers and observation to adjust your diet.
But the lack of symptoms does not mean that your GERD is actually gone. GERD is caused by a weak LES that lets stomach acid back into the esophagus. Diet changes do not fix this problem. At best, diet changes mitigate the GERD symptoms leaving you with "silent GERD", which is what I had for many years.
You might want to look into a BRAVO test, where they hook a small monitoring device to your esophagus and measure any reflux for a couple of days.
You might want to look into a BRAVO test, where they hook a small monitoring device to your esophagus and measure any reflux for a couple of days.
7
Congratulations on curing your GERD! And more importantly - well done for going the extra mile with the elimination diet to figure out exactly what set things off.
Before others decide that dropping wheat, white rice, and sugar are the culprit, please remember that while this worked for Naomi, other folks may have different GERD triggers.
As mentioned in many of the comments so far, the gut microbiome likely plays a key role in GERD. Because each person's microbiome is as unique as their genetic code, there's no way of knowing a priori what foods trigger GERD.
(Final note for Naomi - I hope that you do find what is causing your pain and upset stomach!!)
Before others decide that dropping wheat, white rice, and sugar are the culprit, please remember that while this worked for Naomi, other folks may have different GERD triggers.
As mentioned in many of the comments so far, the gut microbiome likely plays a key role in GERD. Because each person's microbiome is as unique as their genetic code, there's no way of knowing a priori what foods trigger GERD.
(Final note for Naomi - I hope that you do find what is causing your pain and upset stomach!!)
8
Diet changes should always be a better solution than taking PPI or H2 pills, both of which can affect the constitution of the gut microbiome by changing the gut PH level. A lot of recent research is showing that there might be a connection between the gut biome and what goes on in the brain.
That being said, there are also surgical solutions for GERD and LPR (Stretta, Fundoplication and LINX).
I had LINX surgery back in May 2015 for my severe GERD problem and my GERD has all but disappeared!
So far, this solution seems to be working fine for me and I would recommend looking into it if you have GERD. It is not clear if the LINX will also work with LPR.
That being said, there are also surgical solutions for GERD and LPR (Stretta, Fundoplication and LINX).
I had LINX surgery back in May 2015 for my severe GERD problem and my GERD has all but disappeared!
So far, this solution seems to be working fine for me and I would recommend looking into it if you have GERD. It is not clear if the LINX will also work with LPR.
3
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Funny, when I went to Dr. Zalvan several years ago for treatment of my LPR, the first thing he did was prescribe Nexium!