photo credit: helgasms!
Cures for Acid Reflux, a Common Digestive Woe
“To say that something or someone is ‘the bane of my existence’ means
that the person or thing is a constant irritant or source of misery.”
I found this definition on The Word Detective website. This aptly describes the condition of Acid Reflux, which is a health issue that several in my family struggle with.
We have been doing some research, and have come up with some very effective ways to curb the frequency of acid reflux incidents. Here are a few of the most promising…
- Drink less water with meals (it waters down your digestive juices, and food takes longer to digest).
- Fletcherize your food-which means chew until it is liquid before swallowing. Taking smaller bites helps, too.
- Add fermented condiments to your meal, such as pickles, sauerkraut, fermented veggies.
- Eliminate fruit, alcohol, any sugar foods for a while if candida is an issue (if you eliminate these foods and your distress lessens, it most likely was)
- Don’t eat salad or other raw veggies at dinnertime-they produce gas which can cause reflux.
- Step up probiotics to crowd out the bad bacteria.
- Have a little plain yogurt for dessert-it is a pro-biotic food.
- Ice Cream can sometimes cause reflux, especially at night so eat small amounts only.
- Supplement your diet with Oil of Oregano, which tames mild stomach problems and digestive issues.
- Chew on 5-10 fennel seeds for instant relief of reflux symptoms.
Much of what I have learned on this subject came from an ebook I purchased from a fellow named William Lagadyn. I highly recommend folks to invest in this book. It has many helpful suggestions for healing from this condition, naturally. He is a wonderful fellow who has done tremendous research on the subject and is familiar with what worked in the cases of many other sufferers. He is also available for follow up questions about your individual struggle with this pesky problem.
Natural Cures Blog Carnival Logo–Artwork Credit: Digital Trash
Now begins the Blog Carnival Fun!
Please submit your story about overcoming a digestive ailment, or a condition that stems from digestion issues.
Our first entry comes from my Bolivian friend, Celinda, who says that in her native country, a natural way to help digestion is to boil prunes and then make a chamomile tea with the prune water. Drinking this prune/chamomile tea will help digestion and have a laxative effect. Thanks, Celinda! Does anyone else have an ethnic remedy to share?
Jeff RaineyPeppermint cures indigestion. Parsley cures bad breath. Why not Tweet this post and see if we can get more social media entries?
Kelly the Kitchen Kop submits a ferris wheel of ideas again this week: Suffering from Digestive System Problems?
Local Nourishment blog is a frequent commenter and faithful contributor to this carnival, here her hubby speaks of how dietary changes have curbed his acid reflux.
Email your contribution to kim.hartke at gmail.com or add your comment below. If you don’t know what a blog carnival is, read the details, here.
You are next!
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Hello - I would like to share my postpartum issues from last year as part of your digestion woes: anemia (from poor mineral absorption). I became severely anemic after my baby was born, but it was never diagnosed until she was nearly ten months old. In the meantime, I always felt like I woke up in the mornings with a hangover, could barely get dressed in the morning, the smallest task felt very overwhelming, and my thinking was so foggy. My muscles would ache just sitting there and it felt like it went down to my bones. The worst part were the extreme rage episodes right before I got my period (my period returned when my Baby was only three months old b/c I was supplementing with one bottle a day - at the encouragement of doctors - bad advice!). I also had outrageous chocolate cravings (a sign of low magnesium levels).
At first we just thought this was how you feel after having a baby, then after several months of no change in energy, I just assumed it was b/c of stress (new marriage, move to foreign country in Europe), then after six months, we thought maybe it was b/c I was still nursing at night several times. Finally after the fifth episode of out of controllable murderous rage, I went home to my parents house. I had seen two GYNs previous and neither took blood tests, one just prescribed some phone numbers for night nannies to feed my baby at night while I get rest. When I returned to the States I saw another GYN who also did not take any blood tests but was ready to prescribe Zoloft immediately. Finally my mother took me to see a doctor friend who specializes in nutritional therapies for autistic children. It was then that they discovered my iron count was critically low. He prescribed simple iron pills and Vit B-12 shots and a digestive enzyme. it took nearly nine months for my iron levels to return to normal, but my foggy thinking states was lifted almost immediately.
I have since read the Body Ecology and GAPs diet and Rebuild From Depression to learn that as we get older (I’m 36 now) we do not absorb our minerals as well because of “too much junk in the gut.” I have started making more cultured veggies and beet kvass and soaking grains and nuts to strengthen my gut again. I tried a few colonics but was still nursing at the time so had to stop.
However, the biggest thing to take away is that I believe anemia is very common among postpartum women and often misdiagnosed as “just postpartum.” We must learn that postpartum and PMS is NOT NORMAL and indicative of a mineral imbalance. Instead, the medical community just shrugs it off as a new emotional mother/woman who needs some anti-anxiety pills.
I alter learmed I had an aunt in the early 1920s who was hospitalized for the rest of her life murdering her husband when she was postpartum.
Hope this story helps someone else out there and prevents at the trauma and heartache we went through.
Thanks, Loree for sharing this hair-raising experience you went through. I have a friend who also had postpartum depression and it was very serious. If only more doctors knew how to get to the root of problems like this. I am sure your story will help many people.
-Kimberly
Kimberly, My husband used to have acid reflux every time we made wholewheat roti at home. He sued to have milk to feel better. Once I started soaking the wholewheat dough for 8 hrs with some whey+water, sometimes even with just water, we noticed that he didn’t get the acid reflux anymore. The rotis were in a more digestible absorbable form… That’s what triggered me write my latest post on my blog as well.
Kay’s last blog post..Soaked Wholewheat Rotis - What’s the idea behind soaking?
It’s been nearly 20 years since I was diagnosed with GERD (gastro-esophageal reflux disease) at the age of 40. Basically, the sphincter muscle that closes the stomach off from the esophagus wears out (from eating the typical American diet).
The doctor that finally nailed the diagnosis (took nine months!) offered a suggestion that I find most people with this disorder do not know of. He told me to elevate my bed 4-6 inches by putting the front legs up on wooden blocks. This has helped me (along with eating real food) more than anything. I do not have any problems as long as I keep the bed elevated.
For anyone who suffers with this problem, the damage is all done at night when you are laying flat and the acid from your stomach settles in the esophagus, causing the esophagus to become burned. With the bed elevated, gravity keeps the acid in your stomach where it belongs and enables healing to take place. Like I said, as long as the bed is up, I have no problems, but anytime we have lowered our bed, the problems return after only a few weeks of sleeping flat.
Hope someone else is helped with this info.
My submission for your digestive ills: the ayurvedic prescription for acid reflux depends on the nature of the reflux. The simplest remedy is to notice how much you are eating: 1/3 of your stomach should be filled with food, 1/3 with water, and 1/3 left empty to facilitate the churning action of digestion. If your digestive fire is low, you can then lie on your left side (no more than 10 - 15 minutes) to delay emptying, and then go for a 20 - 30 minute walk to keep from becoming sluggish.
Other remedies are related to removing ‘ama’ or impurities from the digestive tract: sipping a little hot water every 15 minutes or so clears ama from the stomach. It is also necessary to note what your ‘dosha’ type is and eat a diet that is optimal for that type: for example, Vata (air/space) types and Pitta (fire/water) types should avoid cold foods and fluids. Pitta may be able to digest more raw food, but Vata should eat cooked foods. Kapha (earth/water) types should reduce dairy, which promotes kapha, and vigorous exercise is especially important for them as they tend to put on excess weight.
As I learn more about this powerful 5000 year old tradition, I am awed by the depth of knowledge of these ancient rishis (seers) who created it.
Sandra N., E-RYT500 and Ayurvedic Yoga Specialist-in-training
Sandra N.’s last blog post..PMS
My husband had always had some indigestion. For so long that he never mentioned it to me because he thought it was natural! Then we went Macrobiotic and it became severe.. Am not sure if he had acid reflux as well. But he was miserable. When he drastically lowered his intake of all grains, it went away. Basically what he did was go off all grains, then add back only enough so that he was symptom free. If the grains are soaked and sprouted, he can eat more of them without problems, but even then he will have indigestion if he eats beyond a certain level.
At this point, years later, when I reflect on this I am not sure whether it was the amount of grains per se, or the amount of carbohydrate that was responsible.
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My 2 year old son, while his case was not severe, did cause him a bit of pain. What worked for us:
In the morning, he got a green smoothie with probiotics.
In the afternoon, his drink got apple cider vinegar with honey (remember he is 2 years old, do NOT give honey to a one year old).
In the evening, his drink had aloe vera juice, calcium/magnesium/vit D liquid supplement.
We also removed corn from his diet (he was already gluten, casien, and soy free).
Not sure if can help anyone, but we learned that the cause of acid reflux was not too much acid, but a lack of it. Hence the apple cider vinegar (ACV). We also realized how acidic his body was, and made it more alkaline. The ACV as well as green smoothies do that.
All I know is it worked for us. So I thought I would share. 😀
Paula’s last blog post..More Obedience Fun - NOTEBOOKING!
Thank you for the very useful information
A wonderful article…. In my life, I have never seen a man be so selfless in helping others around him to get along and get working. I feel good that there are people like you too. Thanks for this great weblog of yours. Its surely going to get me to go to higher places!
Great article! Totaly agree on eliminating alcohol.
Nice write up…usually I never reply to these thing but this time I will,Thanks for the great info.
I agree for this step that Totally eliminating alcohol. Then every person are to save the many diseases. These are all usually useful information.. I like that very much..
These tips are valuable and definitely need to be paid heed to for wellbeing.
In addition to the great advice, it is worth also noting that oftan the cause of acid reflux is not too much acid, but infact too LITTLE. Thus these natuaral remedies become far more sensible.
What’s up colleagues, its fantastic piece of writing concerning cultureand fully defined, keep it up all the time.