Acid Reflux? Some thoughts FWIW...;)

[Guest guest]

HI Hillary.

Just thought I'd throw in my two cents about Acid Reflux (GERD) ''gastro esophageal reflux disease'')....for what it's worth. *smile*

From what 'I' know, putting it very simply, it generally has nothing to do with what you eat nor your emotions and I don't see how acupuncture would help either. It's a problem with the lower esophageal sphincter muscle that should stay closed at the top of the stomach after we swallow our food.

The sphincter muscle either doesn't shut completely or stay tight... so the very potent hydrochlorlic acid in our stomachs (which we need) backs up into the esophagus and spills out over that muscle instead of staying contained. Normally our saliva helps neutralize any acid that might back up in a healthy individual. It's also why raising the level of the headboard on the bed is suggested for sleep & thought to help... to stay upright so there isn't that backflow of acid up into the throat...

The problem is as everyone ages so do all of our muscles start to atrophy to some degree as well as that esophageal muscle, and also from what I've read it's likely to happen to most people as a process of aging eventually and why it's so common. (think of incontinence and the bladder muscles, how those are tied in with age too)

In that process of the stomach acid backing up, the acid is so potent it inflames & can start to eat away at the lining of the esophagus and that is what causes the pain. It doens't have to back up to the throat where you can taste that bitterness either. It can feel like a heart attack if it's severe enough (did with me) or what some think of as simply indigestion in its early stages.

Some studies suggest that if one has heartburn as often as twice a week that could indicate a serious pathological process going on or it may be benign but we don't know which & why that should always be checked out by your doctor.

If it is serious and not taken care of by using something like Protonix or Nexium....(called PPI's *proton pump inhibitors*) believe me that might lead to cancer as it can eat away at the esophagus. (Barretts esophogeal cancer) It's not something to ignore even for those who have no symptoms once its been diagnosed.

Risk factors by the way for frequent reflux symptoms include obesity and a positive family history so genetics may play a part as well.

The reason for avoiding acidic foods etc... make sense only because that would enhance the acidity of the stomach.... but believe me that stomach acid is meant to be acidic and it would be regardless.

And we don't want to really reduce that acidity too much,-- say with loads of Tums, Maalox, or Zantac etc tho they can be effective for quick relief and Antacids are likely to be satisfactory for occasional and brief heartburn episodes, -- because that stomach acidity IS needed to break down foods that benefit us, so going too far in the other direction (reducing acidity) is just as detrimental. But those do help elevate the pH levels in the esophagus to reduce the acidity there.

I'm definitely not ruling out grains or dairy etc.. for 'other' causes or conditions, indeed not...so don't misunderstand me, I'm just saying about GERD itself "I" don't think has much to do with the foods you eat or the emotions at all ... just a natural biological process of nature it seems and the muscles just weaken and don't work as efficiently as they did when we were younger.

Just my two cents for what it's worth. Prob. not much.... *grin*.....

Hugs

Dee~

[Guest guest]

Hi Dee and Hillary,

I thought I would throw in some two cents worth for

what it is worth, too.

Actually Hillary said " acid reflux " and I accidentally

threw in GERD instead. A hiatal hernia is often a

cause of GERD (acid reflux) and it has to do with

food, and stomach acid being backed up often in the

esophagus. When I was diagnosed with GERD (acid

reflux) they gave me an endoscopy to see what was

going on during which time I took Prevacid. When I

passed the gall stones in my tubes it stopped causing

the GERD. When I eat something that irritates the

lining of the stomach like dairy and gluten, I have

GERD/acid reflux maybe because I have a small hiatal

hernia which folks often get as they get older. I was

told to use a pillow and sleep in a more upright

position, don't eat spicy foods which can irritate the

stomach, don't do this or that, etc. I do none of them

because I don't have the problem much anymore and that

is usually when I am eating something and happen to

bend over at the same time. At that point I have a lot

of pain from the stomach contents being pushed into

the esophagus. Liquid pepto bismol is very helpful.

However, a lot of people have acid reflux after they

eat and never are diagnosed with GERD or having a

hiatal hernia but just have the problem after they eat

certain foods--it is then called indigestion I think

;o).

It seemed to me that what you, Dee, were describing

was a hiatal hernia which indeed causes GERD and of

course one should always have everything checked out

by a doctor as it could be a serious thing. But when

we obviously have a food sensitivity problem which

does cause acid reflux, indigestion, discomfort,

sometimes it seems sensible to look there in the

meantime.

I looked it up to find a good explanation and this

article seems to explain it pretty well.

http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/gerd/

This one talks about hiatal hernias in case anybody is

interested.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/hiatal-hernia/DS00099

Probably we are just tallking about the same thing in

different ways.

Anyway I hope Hillary gets better quickly. ;o)

Arline

>

> Just thought I'd throw in my two cents about Acid

> Reflux (GERD) ''gastro esophageal reflux

> disease'')....for what it's worth. *smile*

>

> From what 'I' know, putting it very simply, it

> generally has nothing to do with what you eat nor

> your emotions and I don't see how acupuncture would

> help either. It's a problem with the lower

> esophageal sphincter muscle that should stay closed

> at the top of the stomach after we swallow our food.

>

>

> The sphincter muscle either doesn't shut completely

> or stay tight... so the very potent hydrochlorlic

> acid in our stomachs (which we need) backs up into

> the esophagus and spills out over that muscle

> instead of staying contained. Normally our saliva

> helps neutralize any acid that might back up in a

> healthy individual. It's also why raising the level

> of the headboard on the bed is suggested for sleep &

> thought to help... to stay upright so there isn't

> that backflow of acid up into the throat...

>

> The problem is as everyone ages so do all of our

> muscles start to atrophy to some degree as well as

> that esophageal muscle, and also from what I've read

> it's likely to happen to most people as a process of

> aging eventually and why it's so common. (think of

> incontinence and the bladder muscles, how those are

> tied in with age too)

>

> In that process of the stomach acid backing up, the

> acid is so potent it inflames & can start to eat

> away at the lining of the esophagus and that is what

> causes the pain. It doens't have to back up to the

> throat where you can taste that bitterness either.

> It can feel like a heart attack if it's severe

> enough (did with me) or what some think of as simply

> indigestion in its early stages.

>

> Some studies suggest that if one has heartburn as

> often as twice a week that could indicate a serious

> pathological process going on or it may be benign

> but we don't know which & why that should always be

> checked out by your doctor.

>

> If it is serious and not taken care of by using

> something like Protonix or Nexium....(called PPI's

> *proton pump inhibitors*) believe me that might

> lead to cancer as it can eat away at the esophagus.

> (Barretts esophogeal cancer) It's not something to

> ignore even for those who have no symptoms once its

> been diagnosed.

>

> Risk factors by the way for frequent reflux symptoms

> include obesity and a positive family history so

> genetics may play a part as well.

>

> The reason for avoiding acidic foods etc... make

> sense only because that would enhance the acidity of

> the stomach.... but believe me that stomach acid is

> meant to be acidic and it would be regardless.

>

> And we don't want to really reduce that acidity too

> much,-- say with loads of Tums, Maalox, or Zantac

> etc tho they can be effective for quick relief and

> Antacids are likely to be satisfactory for

> occasional and brief heartburn episodes, -- because

> that stomach acidity IS needed to break down foods

> that benefit us, so going too far in the other

> direction (reducing acidity) is just as detrimental.

> But those do help elevate the pH levels in the

> esophagus to reduce the acidity there.

>

> I'm definitely not ruling out grains or dairy etc..

> for 'other' causes or conditions, indeed not...so

> don't misunderstand me, I'm just saying about GERD

> itself " I " don't think has much to do with the foods

> you eat or the emotions at all ... just a natural

> biological process of nature it seems and the

> muscles just weaken and don't work as efficiently as

> they did when we were younger.

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