How I cured my gastritis
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When I got diagnosed with mild gastritis (but no H. Pylori) and esophagitis, I looked all over the internet to find what to do. I did not find many accounts of people who have cured themselves successfully and how they did it. So I thought I would write my story once I am cured. Here it is. If you have cured yourself from gastritis too, please share your experience below as well.
Many people ask how long it takes to be cured. At first I started on dexilant for a month but I did not see any improvement. After a month I kept taking dexilant and I started the low acid diet in parallel. I got much better in 2-3 days. After two months on dexilant and one month on the diet, I felt completely good. Then I stopped the dexilant cold turkey and got a lot of pain and acidity back in my stomach. Now I regret I did not take the dexilant a little longer as my stomach was obviously not healed and not strong enough to go through the rebound effect of stopping dexilant. I regret also that I did not stop dexilant slowly taking it every other day for a week, then every three days for a week, .... I felt anxious about taking a medication that has so many side effects taken long term and I wanted to stop immediately, which was not reasonable.
Anyway there I was back at the beginning with stomach pain and acidity day and night. I felt pain related to the esophagitis as well which really scared me. I hesitated to take dexilant again but I decided to try to cure myself the natural way. Below I describe what I did. I got cured in approximately two months, getting slowly better week by week. After two months of natural cures I had no stomach pain anymore and no excess acid, I was able to sleep again, felt like a new healthy (and lighter -- I lost a few pounds) person. However after those two months, I felt that I needed to follow the diet another month for my stomach to get strong and be able to handle a less strict diet.
THE CURE
Books
Most of what I did is summarized in two books which I found very useful:
The first book is "Dropping acid: the reflux diet cookbook & cure" by Jamie Koufman. This is the book I based my diet on. The only disagreements I have with the author regard dairy products that I stopped taking as they make the stomach produce more acid (very clear for me), and the use of ginger, manukka honey and aloe vera which I find too irritating and/or acidic (and I don't feel that they help). Also she does not talk about salt which is known to be irritating for the stomach lining in excess, I felt an improvement when I lowered my intake in salt. I will explain the diet more in details below.
The other book is "Ulcer free! Nature's safe & effective remedy for ulcers" by G. Halpern. I know you may have gastritis and no ulcers but the two conditions are related and what cures one usually cures the other too. I used some of the natural supplements recommended in this book. In particular slippery elm (this one is actually not mentioned in the book) and DGL licorice for stomach pain (coat the interior of the stomach lining), Zinc-Carnosine (reduce inflammation and protects stomach lining - I felt a great improvement after starting to take it especially with acid production at night), and cabbage juice (finished my recovery with this one, after two days I had no stomach pain anymore at night). I describe the supplements more below.
What did not work for me
Mastic gum hurts my stomach. It is supposedly helpful against H. Pylori which I knew I did not have (I had been tested).
Prelief removes the acid in food and stomach very efficiently but causes constipation.
Tums works well for 45 minutes but then there is a rebound effect with the stomach producing more acid.
Manukka honey hurts my stomach (Too acidic, Ph level 4, but maybe also because of the tea tree essential oil in it). It is supposedly helpful against H. Pylori.
Aloe Vera is too acidic (around Ph level 4), and I don't feel it is doing anything positive.
Ginger is irritating and I don't feel it is doing anything positive.
Probiotics helps with digestion but not really for the stomach.
Zantac works very well at removing the acidity but makes me feel dizzy and incredibly tired.
PPI worked very well at removing the acidity and pain in my stomach while I was taking it while doing the diet, but I had a bad rebound effect when I stopped (one must stop slowly by taking it every other day for a while). Also having too low acid in the stomach because of PPI might cause problems in the long term (problems with Calcium and B12 absorption, bacterial infection more likely).
39 likes, 3077 replies
ines6375
Posted
amy_Gerd ines6375
Posted
Could you please tell me when you first started to take Pepzinc GI, did it ever give you stomach pain? I started to take Pepzinc with meal but it give me stomach pain. I wonder if I continue to take it for several days maybe the pain will go away? Or should I not take it for now? Thanks for you advice.
Amy
ines6375 amy_Gerd
Posted
What is your diagnosis and what are you taking?
I stopped pepzin GI a few months ago, I took it for a few months. It felt a little strange, like if it was tingling in my stomach. I think it helped but it is hard to tell as the effect is not immediate. If you feel worse with it, by all means stop taking it. The best cure is to listen to what feels good for your body.
amy_Gerd ines6375
Posted
I had the endoscopy in August showing moderate gastritis and hiatal hernia. I feel some irratations sometimes and some mild pain. I have bad acid reflux which the acid would go up to my sinuses and I would get painful sinus inflammation pain. I am currently taking Zantac 150mg, morning and bed time. It seems to control the acid for now but I would like to get off the medicine and take natural supplements like Pepzin.
I am currently on bland diet and my weight has gone down to 84 pounds where as my normal weight is 95 pounds. My doctor is concerned about my weight and said to just eat everything such as dessert or milk shake with every meal. I don't know how I can do that when I still have gastritis. Anyways, sorry for the long post. Thanks for all your help.
Amy
ines6375 amy_Gerd
Posted
Doctors don't have much useful advice regarding diet usually. Dairy (so milk shake) gives me bad acid reflux so I would stay away from it. I describe the diet that helped me at the beginning of this post. Try to have carbohydrates like oatmeal, rice, potatoes at every meal. This is the best source of calories when one has gastritis.
When your stomach will be better, your acid reflux might diminishes but with the hiatal hernia you might need to stay on medication for now. The burning of the esophagus with the acid reflux can lead to cancer which you want to avoid at all costs. Unfortunately, from my experience, pepzin GI does not diminish the acid reflux.
amy_Gerd ines6375
Posted
If Pepzin does not diminish acid reflux then what actually diminish acid reflux besides medicine? I tried apples they seem to work for a few hours after I eat one. I can’t do apple cider vinegar because it hurts my stomach, but I know a lot of people had success with that. Does cabbage juice stop acid reflux? Yesterday was my first time trying cabbage juice with carrots and celery. It stopped the gastritis pain but I wonder if it will stop the acid reflux if I am not on the medicine. If you stopped taking Dexilant completely, will your acid reflux come back and if it does, what would you do?
Amy
ines6375 amy_Gerd
Posted
From my experience, no natural supplements diminish acid reflux. The only thing that can reduce your acid reflux is to cure your gastritis and avoid foods that cause acid reflux. But because of the hiatal hernia you might have acid reflux anyway. The fastest way to cure your gastritis is with medication (PPI and zantac) and the diet I describe at the beginning of this tread. Cabbage juice ease the pain but does not reduce acid reflux, but it is bad for the thyroid. Vinegar is hurtful.
When I decreased the dose of dexilant, after my stomach felt good for a month, I got some acid reflux (rebound effect) but then it went away. I decreased the dose very slowly over 2 months. Now as long as I avoid irritating foods and dairy I don't have acid reflux anymore.
ines6375 amy_Gerd
Posted
donclaudio ines6375
Posted
I know you are aware of some of these..but MDX is quite new...
Zantac has the potential to cause vitamin B12 deficiency secondary to a reduction in food-bound vitamin B12 absorption
H2 blockers may also reduce the absorption of drugs (azole antifungals, calcium carbonate) that require an acidic stomach.
In addition, multiple studies suggest the use of H2 receptor antagonists such as raniditine/Zantac may increase the risk of infectious diarrhea. (salmonella strains…avoid Maltodextrin MDX)…it’s the stupid coatings
in many probiotics as well as in many Whey “flavored” Protein Powders…that “protect this strain in particular..and “may” protect other harful bacterias as well..)
Ines,
The suggested diet noted earlier today…?? …imo..she should get a new Doctor.
Claudio
jayne22513 donclaudio
Posted
I was taking ranitidine/Zantac 150mg x2 a day. This has been since June, the first blood test was July. I stopped taking them a month ago, now WBC is normal. Could this be connected, I've done nothing else that's different. Would like your thoughts. Thanks Jayne
donclaudio jayne22513
Posted
i'm happy tour WBC's are "within the normal
range.
I'ts "probable" Zantac withdrawl influenced the
improvement. I haven't the data at the moment
but will try and find later today.
How are you doing? claudio
jayne22513 donclaudio
Posted
Hope you and your wife are keeping well too. Jayne
donclaudio jayne22513
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The preservatives, dyes, additives in commercial breads give me major concern.
While searching earlier for a wbc/ranitidine connection did find
a cascade of events that implicate long term use of histidine negatively affect the secretory cells...L-Glutamine is a good player in this area providing protection. As you know, the bicorbnonate secretion at the duodenum is "vital" that prevents pepsin from entering the small intestine....the acid balance, plus stomach mechanics, plus ph, sequences...and more...all play an essential digestive role...
I get lab results "direct" from the lab...dr office gives me written report without details..don't know if you can demand direct lab results...??
There is a box on the lab form that must be "checke" for a copy to patient...dr office practice "never" checks this box as an office policy.
I'm happy that you'r doing well...wbcs up...your supp's are working for you, and your introducing new foods....
a "trifecta"...off to LV?...Claudio
donclaudio
Posted
hope you can compare last two lab results..this should have
been illustrated in absolute lymphocytes..
Claudio
jayne22513 donclaudio
Posted
Jayne
donclaudio jayne22513
Posted
TH1 is aT helper very important need to confirm via a pharmacist
claudio
jayne22513 donclaudio
Posted
results in, WBC is now up to 4.7
funny it's gone up now stopped taking ranitidine.
Dr doesn't think it's that reason.
donclaudio jayne22513
Posted
What's important is they are within range regardless. so, what you are doing physically and mentally must be "on track"...and for me...that's good news...
Claudio