How I cured my acid reflux, naturally.

Hi, what is the chickory - how do you make it up with the milk?

Not heard of that before.  I am trying and failing to find something to work before I go on PPI.  On Zantac 300.  Tried Slippery Elm and it hurts my esoph.  Just tried two nights with Mastic Gum and felt acid rising during the night, more than if I did not take it.  It is so hard trying to find something to work..

 Digestive Issues: One of the most common reasons for adding chicory to a diet is to improve various functions of the digestive system. Chicory contains, inulin, which is a powerful probiotic. Probiotics are a classification of bacteria that actually confer benefits on the host, rather than diseases, which is what bacteria is commonly associated with.  Inulin is used to combat a number of intestinal and digestive concerns, including acid reflux disease, indigestion, and heartburn because it actively reduces the acidity of the body’s systems.,i have suffered so horrible with this acidreflux,chicory is like coffee but without caffiene,its very stronge so i heat up my almond milk (do not let it boil)and use a tea strainer filled with 1-2 teaspoons hickory and let steep 3 minutes and drink everylast drop its quite yummy...i also added my probiotics as i mjentioned in my other post it has made a world of difference,please read upon both,chicory is not for people who r on heart medicine or allergic to ragweed or dandelions....hope it works for u im actually feeling quit amazing  6 days and ive never felt more normal....

 

Thank Yvonne for sharing that with us.  I may be adding this to my regimine for stomach and digestive health.  Recently, I have been focusing on things that rebuild the stomach lining.  I have made a lot of progress and have one lingereing stomach issue; occational stomach burning.  I use DGL chewable tablets, Marshmallow tea, Magnesium supplement, and my latest addition; Pepto Bismol.  Using these items I have been able to wean off Omeprazole.  This is my fourth attempt to get off any acid blockers.  Thanks again, Jonathan

Just  An fyi on magnesium supp,Magnesium needs to be done transdermal (its absorbed quickly into the skin,as with pills they sit on the stomach....i use magnesium spray oil awesome stuff,and another two great things for acid reflux are hemp and spirulina natural and good for u !

i am not taking any acid blockers

 

I have read this about Magnesium and better to spray it on.  I have tried the tablets several times and within an hour I am running to the loo.  Spirulina also hurts me - I told the girl in the health shop and she said that she can't take it as it upsets her and she does not have any tummy problems.  Its so hard and trial and error.

Thanks for the info.  I will look into chickory and the spray. 

I actually like raw chickory in a salad - do you think this would have the same effect?

Sorry, I have not tried either.

acid reflux does cause heart fluttering and weirdness drs hate to admit it but its true, part of the misery suffered by acid reflux/gerd...i use spray oil magnesium and it cured my heart palps ,our food is no longer filled with magnesium,as the soil is depleted of this mineral,so spray on mag is totally a must!

 

Yvonne - daft question but where do you spray it ?

Dont laff lol.

G.

My husband completely forgets I have it.  Both the eating side and the pain it causes.  I haave HH and reflux esoph - but have asthma like fluttering n=in the chest and when smelling diesel fumes or strong chemical smell.  I just don't bother saying anything anymore - it has changed me dramatically - it has to really.  You feel so bad and alone and no one is interested expect on here.  The thought of this forever is awful and things like losing your voice and anything to do with breathing scared me so much.  I too often think I don't want to get up in the morning - it is just another horrid day of pain and trying hard to find things to help.  The list I have tried goes on and on.

Wow Gwen,I know its rough ,but we will find a cure for this many things are helping ,have you teied probiotics or applecider vinegar,hemp there r things to really help!

never give up study ,read and pray!

I'm sorry that you are going through so much suffering.  It sounds like your doctor thinks you have acid reflux and has decided to treat it by putting you on Nexium acid blocker.  But, the real culprit of your problems is a malfunctioning esophageal sphincter.  By blocking your acid production, it allows liquid from your stomach to slosh up your esophagus.  This liquid can then be inhaled into the lungs and puts you at risk of acid aspiration which can cause a person to stop beathing.  This happened to me once and it is quite a bad experience. 

Please try the carbonated water treatment described above.  It is the only way to strengthen the esophageal sphincter.  It can change your life.  While doing the treatment try to focus on not burping, it's not as easy as you think.  Do this 4 or more times a day.  This treatment is not for anyone with Hiatal hernia, but it sounds like you don't have that. 

You should also elevate the head of your bed at least 7 inches. 

We do care, and are concerned about your health.  Jonathan

i want to try ur fizzy stenthener for esph spinct,please tell me again what exactly  u do and what drinks u use,thanks so much,go see dr today made appt before i found my probiotics/chicory which has made ahuge difference ,no back pain ,no stomach pain ....but still have little bit of reflus but even that seems to be dwindleing....thanks

 

yvonne which probiotics do u use and where did brougth 

thanks

Hi Yvonne, I have tried probiotics which hurt my, ACV is a no no now as that hurts as does lemon which for some helps.  Just started Mastic Gum, Slippery Elm hurt also.  What a pain this is.

Jonathan - I was going to try this until  read about the HH which I have.  My doc gave me PPI which I have not yet taken due to side effect concerns.  I am holding off them.  So she also gave me Zantac to try 300mg daily with Gaviscon if needed dfuring the day.  I have read quite a lot about Nissen Fondoplication and how some have no reflux at all after it.  So am bearing that in mind.  Have you ever been on a PPI?  Is this what happened with aspiration.  I didn't know that PPI allowed liquid from the stomach to slosh up - I thought it stopped the acid.  I know Zantac neutralises it but can the same thing happen.  If that is the case how can you stop the acid from getting up there.  Is this down to diet?

Let me know your thoughts.

Yvonne, where can I get chickory from? Apart from in the veg isle is it bottled and you mix it with your milk?  Thanks.

forgot u cant send link lol sent u private message

Hi Gwen:  I have used PPi drugs.  Some of them like Nexium can cause random sharp pains in chest.  Once you take them, it's hard to get off of them.  

They did a study and put healthy people on PPi drugs then abruptly stopped the drugs.  Most of the people then complained that they now had heartburn and acid reflux problems.

If you can, stick to antacids like Maalox or Tums.  You MUST raise the head of your bed 7 or 8 inches or sleep on a wedge to reduce reflux while sleeping.  Anyone with a weak esophageal sphincter needs to prevent acid aspiration.  Anything coming up from the stomach and being inhaled can stop breathing.  It's very dangerous.

I'm not a fan of the Nissen Fundoplication because of the side effects and lifetime of issues.  If it were me I would only do the HH repair.  The reflux may resolve by itself afterward. 

It's really very simple.  Just drink 10oz of carbonated water or seltzer, and sit down and relax.  You need to be focused because we naturally will burp, but don't burp.  It may feel uncomfortable at first, because the sphincter muscle is getting a workout.  Do this 4 times a day and once before bed for 5 minutes.  Work up to 20 minutes per session.  You will notice a difference in a few days, but it may take 30 days before the  sphincter is back to normal.  When you can lay flat without any reflux then you can reduce down to one session per week. 

Some doctors recommend to not drink fizzy drinks with acid reflux, but they mean soda pop, because it causes alot of burping which can spash acid upward.  But we are using carbonated water as an exercise regimine, so this is completely different.  It is the only way to conquer acid reflux.

Hi gwen45436. Chicory of course is a slightly bitter vegetable that tasetes nicer with a little mayonnaise spread on it or cut into small pieces and mixed with salad and vinaigrette made with white cider vinegar and extra virgin olive oil. The easy to get form of chicory is Camp coffee, which is chicory essence and not really coffee. If you also have a mucus problem, which can exacerbate the reflux problem, use soy or almond milk in place of cow's milk.

 

That should of course have read 'tastes'.

awesome advice and true

Hi johnathan

Do you not burp at all whilst doing these exercise or do a massive burp after holding it in for a few minutes

\of course camp coffee - I used to drink it years ago.  Another way I could use chickory is put some leaves into my blender.  I read about payapa, pineapple and kiwi are full of enzymes and are acid nutralisers.  It sure eases a funny tum.  I will add some chickory to this blend.

How coffees do you drink in a day?Thanx

Hi Gwen and thanks for the reply. I start the day with a fairly strong coffee to kick start the mechanism and probably have another three or four during the day, interspersed with a tea or two. Sometimes I have a large espresso in my daughter's cafe in Newport and follow it with a tea to take the taste away!  As thistles are growing again after their hibernation I shall make another couple of bottles which keep perfectly well and still work fine even after being kept for two years. The cost? About tuppence worth of electricity!

Hi Momzell, my situation is similar, it came on quickly and it affects my vocals-- I talk normally but after talking a bit, I get tired and out of breath and a slowed swallow so it affects my eating. If I don't talk for a long period of time, I feel almost normal!  They think it's silent reflux irritating the chords. I do get anxiuos about it thinking that I won't be able to complete a swallow but that has not happened yet.  I also get real tired after talking as if my whole body is directing energy to my vocals just to talk.  

I have stopped the Nexium on my own. It wan't helping anyway.  I don't have any carbonated water at present, but will get some also.and try your exercises.  My cough and throat clering have been at their peak for the past week.  I'm supposed to adhere to the reflux diet, but I find that I don't really eat much of anything at all now.  I doo try to drink a lot of water. It seems my throat is worse when I get dry.  I do worry about this because I lost a nephew two years ago to esophageo cancer.  He lived for about about 8 mo. after it was discovered.

I think I will pass this info on to  our older son. He has spells at times when he can't swallow probably HH. At an ER visit about a year ago it was discovered he had a condition known as rings on his esophagus. I'd never heard of it before.  The Doctor on duty stretched his esophagus and told him he was lucky to have it found in this early stage. He is supposed to take Prilosec when needed.  

Hi Gwen I know how you feel I have had this persistent cough and phlegm since September 2015 and feel worn out with it. I have been to the doctors about 6 or 7 times and each one has a different thought. I myself do think it has something to do with reflux and things that I eat. I am now trying to stay away from dairy food and do the soda drinking thing ha. It is going to be difficult as I love all things dairy. Like you my family are getting fed up with me and my answer is you trying having it and then you would know how it feels. So keep your head up and maybe eliminate a food that you eat a lot of. Hope this helps 

Hi Anne and thanks for the reply.  It is really hard to deal with isnt it.  And so hard hoping people understand - they dont!!

I have come off semi skimmed milk and have either skimmed or unsweetned almond.  I have bought some Quark as this reduces acid and is a natural probiotic and it is not bad at all - like creme cheese.  So that helps in the dairy department - also stopped the bio yoghurt and have soya.  My reflux does not seem half as bad so maybe it is helping. 

I did post yesterday how much better I was feeling and what I was taking but it has gone for moderation - I don't know why though - I thought it was helpful.

Looks like we will have to live with this and just keep trying.

Hug to you.

G.

Yes thanks Gwen I suppose different things work for different people. It is very hard as when I think oh I shouldn't eat that then I want it more ha. Hoping things will get better soon and for you too x

Well Anne, I should have kept my mouth shut!!!!  I had being feeling so much better taking 150mg Zantac am and pm and Mastic Gum at night.  I had porridge and pineapple for breakfast yesterday and home made cabage and brocolli soup for lunch, both sat fine and comfy.  Then I decided to take some liquid Gaviscon (I thought it would be added insuance to keep my feeling good)  oh boy, it was immediate pain in the throat and esophagus that lasted hours.  Today I am back again in pain even with pain in my shoulders which I have not had for about 3 months.  If anyone reading this can identify with me, please let me know.  Now I don't knw what to use if I have reflux pain during the day in between my Zantac.  Flippin annoyed to say the least.

Strange because whenever I suck a Gaviscon tablet t is fine.

Arrrgggh.

G.