A natural way of dealing with Barretts esophagus?
Posted , 65 users are following.
Hello all,quite recently I realised that my treatment for Barretts did not appear to be working very well I am taking 40mg Lansoprazole twice per day for the usual symptoms,reflux,distension,discomfort in throat etc.
I was diagnosed last June with Barretts,hiatus hernia and reflux after undergoing an endoscopy and despite taking the above medication still suffered the symptoms from time to time usually if I ate too much or ate the wrong things,for example tomatoes,cucumber,chocolate,spicy meals and so on.
Last week those symptoms returned with a vengeance and would not go away,so after scouring the Internet I decided to try a mixture of Diglycerinated liquorice,slippery elm,and a digestive enzyme bought from a local health shop and hey presto it seems to be working and for three days I have stopped taking Lansoprazole completely.
I hope that this new course continues to work as I am not sure about the long-term effects of taking PPI's it seems to be open to debate as to their efficacy over a long period of time.
Anyway for now I feel human again and will continue with my current treatment of 2-3 DGL capsules,a steeped brew twice per day of slippery elm powder(mix with milk and hot water) and one Digestive enzyme capsule at tea time.
However if necessary I may still take the odd Lansoprazole if this new method fails to continue to do its job.
By the way I am 63,male and currently awaiting a second knee replacement,medically retired in June last year from Royal Mail due to knee injury incurred on duty,I believe as a result of this inactivity (I have not worked since last June) this illness i.e Barretts et al appeared,the worry and inability to walk properly for 15 months has caused it to surface.
I would be interested to know if anyone else has had a similar experience and whether or not anyone is using natural remedies for treating this horrible affliction which according to one nurse in Orthopaedics when I had my preop for knee replacement 'is nothing much' I quipped back that try telling me that at two in the morning when I'm still awake feeling like I've eaten a five course meal and cannot get comfortable in bed,anyway food for thought,I will be glad to hear of anyone else's experiences on the subject of Barretts and on alternative treatment.
Regards Malcolm
5 likes, 118 replies
papote53 malcolm47
Posted
Just today I was told I have Barrets (mild) Omeprazole 20mg for now for the rest of my life. My acid levels are normal but they said is my moderate gastritis that caused the problem. I have chest pain all day long, rib-cage pain (mild to moderate) and lack of air. Not sure how taking PPI's is going to help. I eat healthy, small meals, don't drink, don't smoke. don't even have heart burn or any symptom of reflux besides feeling bloated when I eat. I do have gluten sensitivity which diet did not help with the chest pain (not heartburn). rib-cage pain and lack of air. which is aggravated when I stand, walk , talk or eat. They said my reflux (mild) has nothing to do with it. I have no heartburn, or any other symptom related to this except bbloating when I eat. I plan to target the gastritis and work from there. Any suggestions? I do not plan to take PPI's al my life. he did tell me it can get better but I will have to take PPI's anyway. Taking PPI's is just opening more doors to more conditions when is not helping any symptom and medically it has not been proven to help with Barrets.
esther54617 malcolm47
Posted
I've been diagnosed with the same few years ago and was taking some medication. But, it made me feel sick and I've been stopped the medication for almost a year now and I feel great. The only things I'm taking is prebiotic and probiotic and sometime dby Jeff's tip and sign
esther54617
Posted
Hit reply by error!
i mean sometimes I take digestive enzymes. I do Tai Chi and Qigong.
i eat organic as much as I could afford. I believe in natural remedies. Medications make me sick even just the thought of it, they give so much side effects!! It's all about money making not about really care about people 's health! I agree only in an extremely situations that medications could and do save life!! Other than that it just a bandage for the cause not to the roots of the problem!
please take care and be well!! God Bless!
papote53 esther54617
Posted
john13652 esther54617
Posted
Dear Esther,
May I ask what is dby Jeff's tip and sign may I ask.?
John
john13652 malcolm47
Posted
Hi Malcolm,
Trust you are well. I've just seen your post regarding your hernia and Barrets diagnosis,and then saw you posted it 4 years ago,so hope you receive this.
I hope you're doing well and have found ways of treatment.
I've been diagnosed the same the hernia last Nov given pantorazole then diagnosed with Barrets a month ago.
Since then I swept it under the carpet and never took the Ranitidine until today as thought? time to wake up and find the best options. Would be good to here how you're doing and coping with it. Am similar age 65.
Kind regards
John
papote53 john13652
Posted
Questions?
1. So apparently you had an endoscopyin Nov which showed the hernia but not the barrets?
2. You took pantoprazole for 5 months before they said you had barrets? Was this another endoscope?
3. They gave you Ranitidine for barrets? How many mg's?
I have read in many reports that PPI's do not help with barrets or bile reflux. ;-(
john13652 papote53
Posted
Thanks for your questions I'm pleased to hear from you as I feel very isolated with a potentially dangerous condition. I'm not finding much on the internet as to how to manage Barrets.
Yes correct re question 1 abd was given pantorazole then then had a 2nd endoscopy in Feb.
To that point had taken pantorazole for 12 weeks for nausea.
Yes Barrets was diagnosed from the 2nd endocopy and was prescribed Ranitidine a month ago when I saw the specialist.
I have only started to take this ,one a day 150mg ,not two. I was very reluctant to take due to the side effects listed as have never been a pill taker..
Have also begun tablets for high blood pressure all at the same time !
You think it's not worth taking Ranitidine ?
I am beginning to tweek my diet now,but I would like to find out how we can protect ourselves from cancer,or is it just the luck of the draw.?
Thanks
papote53 john13652
Posted
Thanks for the quick reply.
No, I actually think is a better and safer option. I asked my GI and he said PPI were better, but I did not agree with him because of the side effects and long term use of PPI's. So for me ranitidine is a safer option because there is no prove PPI's help at all much less if you have normal acid levels like me. I also asked my GI if the problem was bile because apparently I do have some (gall-bladder removed) but he said it was hard to tell. So even if they can't prove I have a problem with acid, they gave me PPI's. Which I only take one 20mg pantoprazole daily. But upon my request, he also gave me sucalfrate because supposedly is better if you have bile reflux. My bile reflux is not acidic so taking PPI's or even H2 blockers is not helping. I also asked him if once the barrets is gone if I can stop taking PPI's and he said no because I need to make sure he does not come back. Just the side effects is enough to not continue, just 1 out of 200 actually gets the disease. '-) As for HBP I took medication for this and cholesterol for 1 year and they continue to tell me is the medication helping but I prove them wrong 2 years ago when I stopped both and just took care of my diet. Now my BP and Cholesterol is perfect. I do have gluten sensitivity. So I started again a gluten free diet and will go grain free if symptoms do not improve. I do have moderate gastritis apparently caused by the bile.
papote53 john13652
Posted
Sorry, they blocked my long response so let me get to the point- I believe PPI's do not help at all with barrets or bile reflux. So H2 blockers is a safer option. In my case I have normal acid levels so I really do not see the reason for this because ignorance should not be the reason Doctors order a medication and much less for life. ;-(
john13652 papote53
Posted
Thanks again,that's interesting re PPIs,I think I stop the Ranitidine ,although I think the Pantorazole helps with nausea,but hopefully I can phase that out to.
Where do you get acid levels checked !
Regards
Johb
john13652 papote53
Posted
papote53 john13652
Posted
I had a PH Bravo which is like an endoscopy- It measures your acid levels . I also had a manometry which tells them if your valve is working properly- I came out with mild reflux on the PH bravo but normal acid levels so I suspected bile. It was a surprise to me when they told me I have mild barrets, especially when I have no direct symptom.
esther54617 malcolm47
Posted
I've been taking prebiotic and probiotic along with Tai Chi / Qigong. It work wonder for me! I stop taken medicine completely! Take care and be well! God Bless!
john13652 esther54617
Posted
Thank you Esther that's good to know that Tai Chi etc helps,as I've just recently begun my practice after a long break !
May I ask what is pro and prebiotic ?
Kind regards
esther54617 john13652
Posted
Hi John, I'm glad to hear that you're back on Tai Chi! I don't know how explain; the best I could say that probiotic is good bacteria for the gut and the prebiotic is the fuel for the probiotic. Just like gas for the car!!
please google it!
Be well, peace and love!
take care!