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
carmel83758 ines6375
Posted
regford ines6375
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I have always liked ginger, a truly great flavour, but I have never felt it to have any health benefit for me, none.
ines6375 regford
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The problem is that I am pretty sure that ginger is irritating for the stomach lining, even though there are lots of contradictory statements about it on the internet. I found this great study of all spices with their classification if they are irritating for the stomach or not.
Ginger was in the irritating category with Cayenne pepper, Chili powder, Horseradish, Mustard, Pepper (black or white), cloves and paprika(Hungarian).
The slightly irritating spices are: Allspice, anise, cassia, cinnamon, cumin, mace, nutmeg.
The herbs/spices that are not irritating are: bay leaf, caraway seed, celery seed, chives, dill seed, fennel, marjoram, mint, paprika (spanish), parsley, peppermint, wintergreen, saffron, sage, savory, spearmint, thyme, turmeric.
I would stay careful with chives though as they are from the onion family and with paprika, and I would avoid all types of mint since they relaxe the sphincter between the stomach and the oesphagus, which can cause reflux.
scott20738 ines6375
Posted
I've struggled with LPR for the past few years. Off and on, but mostly on. Like you, I've found that too much fat certainly worsens my symptoms. So do large meals. As well as too much fiber. Fat + fiber = the worst symptoms.
And I also have problems with IBS from time to time. Mostly bloating and constipation. I notice that my reflux is worse when I'm experiencing IBS symptoms. I think the constipation and bloating are increasing pressure on the LES, which leads to more reflux.
Here's what seems to help me control my LPR reflux, and IBS (constipation and bloating):
- A paleo diet (no grains, dairy, beans, added sugar).
- Five small meals a day. I may up this to six.
- Low acid fruits. Bananas seem fine. And so do apples (Red Delicious and Gala are fine for me, so long as I don't eat too much of them in one meal). Watermelon gives me gas and causes bloating, so I avoid it. Papaya works, and it certainly helps prevent constipation.
- Some olive oil, but not too much. I seem to be okay if I keep my total daily intake below 4 tablespoons. I would go lower if I could, but I have difficulty maintaining my weight when I try to lower my fat. I'm thin, and don't want to get any thinner.
- I'm also taking 1 teaspoon of fish oil each day, along with my daily serving of lean fish (cod or trout). I presume it's helping lower inflammation, which is probably a very good thing.
- Lots of skinless chicken breast.
I don't take any medications or supplements. I've never taken PPIs or H2 blockers. However, I took Lexapro off and on for the last 9 years. I stopped again about 4 months ago. I wanted to see if my reflux would improve after stopping that medication. It hasn't helped, as far as I can tell.
For the past several years I've been eating a mostly paleo diet. The LPR reflux started 3 years ago when I was trying the Perfect Health Diet, which is a high-fat version of the paleo diet. It allows "safe starches", like white rice, sweet potatoes, potatoes, taro, etc. When the reflux started, I noticed a large lump in my throat, and a bad, bitter taste in my mouth. I was eating a lot of fat (olive oil, butter, coconut oil) and quite a bit of white rice. And lots of vegetables (lots of fiber). Little did I know that was a recipe for disaster. I've learned my lesson -- be careful when following extreme diets that stray too far from what most experts would recommend.
Like you, I've also drastically lowered my salt intake. I don't use any table salt at all -- not even when cooking. And I don't eat any processed food. So my sodium intake (according to fitday dot com) is around 600mg. Very low. I'm a little worried it might be too low. But that Swedish study in 2004 was pretty convincing about the strong link between the risk of GERD and heavy use of table salt. Because I haven't been eating processed foods for the past several years, I thought it was a good idea to use lots of table salt, so that my blood pressure wouldn't drop too low. Maybe that was part of the reason I began experiencing reflux. I don't know.
Anyways, I've been off salt for the past 6 weeks. But I haven't noticed any improvement in my LPR symptoms from eliminating salt. I'll keep at it, so long as I don't experience any adverse effects (like heart palpitations or such).
What seems to help most is: several small meals throughout the day, strictly paleo, not too much fat, not too much fiber (I cook my veggies), low-acid foods, not eating within 3 hours of bed time, sleeping on a wedge pillow, no bending over or lying down after a meal, no tight clothing around the waistline, not drinking water during a meal (just a sip or two immediately after, and then waiting an hour or two before drinking plenty more -- I drink about 2 liters a day), not letting myself get constipated (fruit and water help, but grain and dairy seem to hurt).
I hope your symptoms go away again. I hope all of us can figure out what helps us and then stick to it.
Scott
emma666 scott20738
Posted
I dont eat sugar, wheat or dairy and fat is definitely the worst thing for me to eat.
I do have a green vegetable smoothie every afternoon consisting of
raw brocoli, spinach, cucumber, romaine lettuce, alfalfa sprouts and avocado. Do you think I am having too much fibre and that this might cause problems? I was hoping it might make me more alkaline and give me more nutrients, but I dont want to make things even worse.
Thanks, Emma.
ines6375 scott20738
Posted
Thank you for sharing. I am glad you found something that works for you. Before I got sick I followed a high fiber low fat diet for a while, and I wonder if the amount of fibers I ate contributed to the onset of my gastritis (I was taking a fiber supplement too). I was eating a lot of salt too because of low blood pressure.
LPR and gastritis are slightly different though. There are two main approaches to LPR: the first one inspired by Dr Koufman is to eat only non-irritating food for the stomach. She seems to think LPR comes from an irritation of the stomach. The second one is inspired by Dr Norman Robillard (you might want to check him out and his list of gas inducing foods. I think he recommends not eating bananas but jasmine rice is ok). He thinks GERD comes from excess gas in the bowels. If I understand well, this is your experience with LPR but the diet you follow is a mixed of the two approaches.
For gastritis, the lining of the stomach is inflammed and we must try to protect it to help get better. Fat causes more inflammations, fibers are mechanically irritating, so it is good to eat as little as possible of both. But because the diet is restricted in fat, it is hard to get enough calories, so I find it good to eat some starches like rice, potatoes, ... Moreover they absorb the acid and feel soothing. The problem I have with eating only fruits as a source of carbohydrates is that one hour after eating a fruit, I am hungry again, while with rice/potatoes/... they satisfy me for a few hours.
It is good that you eat fruits. Without it you would be forced to rely on proteins for your energy and the process of transforming proteins in sugar create a toxic amound of amonia and all sorts of other health problems. I personally tried some sort of paleo at some point and I was not feeling good with the acidosis induced by the diet. It really adds an additional stress to the body and it is not healthy. I did some research about different ways of eating and found out that the most healthy groups of people have a more balanced diet with starches.
You might want to look into how you feel after taking the fish oil, I read that it can be irritating for the stomach.
4 tablespoons of olive oil seem like a lot to me. I started my diet with 2 teaspoons a day, now that I am better I am less careful and I probably use about 2 tablespoons a day. But since you don't eat starches, you must get your calories from somewhere I guess.
I find juicing very helpful too to avoid fibers, and you get vitamins that are destroyed by heat.
ines6375 emma666
Posted
If you are worried that fibers are causing you problems, you can always juice your vegetables. I would be careful with brocoli (and all vegetables of the cabbage family) and they create problems with the thyroid (they are fine if cooked). Also cucumber is irritating for some people, and spinach in high quantities regularly can cause kidney stones because of the oxalic acid. I personally stick with carrots (lots of beta-carotene that is know to help restore tissues), fennel, celery and sometimes parsley or spinach. Avocado don't go in the juicer though but you can always blend your juice with the avocado afterwards. Be aware that avocados, like salmon, contain a lot of fat and fat increase inflammation of the stomach.
emma666 ines6375
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Sometimes I start to panic that there is so little to eat. Do you work?
I have just given up as I was on the checkout in a supermarket and found it so depressing seeing what people were buying. I do get very
depressed with this illness. I know I shouldnt want to eat cakes and sweets, but I have a really sweet tooth.
Going to start having a carrot juice every day as well like you suggested.
ines6375 emma666
Posted
Actually in the book "Ulcer Free!" they say that brocoli sprouts are helpful as well as cabbage. So maybe brocoli is beneficial for your stomach lining. The problem with the thyroid is annoying though. Something in the vegetables of the cabbage family interact with thyroids hormons and provoke an hypothyroidie. Did you feel more tired and cold than usual since you started having brocoli in your smoothie? If you feel good with it there is no reason to not have it raw every now and then. Have you tried steaming it? The toxin against thyroid is destroyed by heat.
I am not working at the moment. It would be really hard if I was working with the stress and the temptations. But I am planning to look for a job soon.
I forgot if you are taking a PPI and/or something to coat the stomach. After almost two weeks on the PPI I feel so much better.
I know what you mean about having so little to eat and being depressed. I was very depressed by this the first months, especially when the pain was preventing me to sleep. Also I stopped going out with my friends to the restaurant. I used to be a foodie. The rare times when I go to a place where people eat, I am amazed by the variety of foods and the amount of fat and spices people eat. I try to not go two days in a row because I don't know if I would have the willpower to resist and I always eat before going out. Good quality pizzas is what I miss most. I know some excellent restaurants who make the most delicious gluten-free pizzas.
I have a sweet tooth too. When I can't take it anymore I make low-fat oatmeal banana cookies with hazelnuts, I put butter on the was paper to give it a taste of butter. I have a great healthy gluten free pancake mix too (the brand is Pamela but it contains dairy). Sometimes I just saute a banana, it becomes so sweet. For a sweet snack on the go I have raw coconut water, have you tried? You should be able to tolerate it.
emma666 ines6375
Posted
I dont get a bad reaction to my green smoothie even when there is brocoli in it so perhaps I should continue to have it. I do in fact have quite a lot of energy if I stick to the diet.
I was put on a ppi from the doctor but suffered quite a few side effects so dont actually take anything now but a probiotic.
I think my lining must be more sensitive than yours as it was damaged by painkillers and an overdose of oregano {this was to kill h pylori)because I cant have coconut water and I cant digest nuts.
I havent seen a Dr for a long time. I had an endoscopy 18 years ago but it didnt show anything so they said it was non ulcer dyspepsia. My husband would like me to go back now but I dont want to go through another endoscopy. I know my stomach lining is damaged and gets very sore and I know ive got intestinal permeability (leaky gut). The diet we are following does help and I do start to get better but then I dont stick to it when I start to feel better.
Have you ever tried mashing two bananas in a non stick frying pan, and adding two eggs to it, stir well then cook. They are very nice.
ines6375 emma666
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I agree with your husband. It might be good to check up what is going on and get the right medication. Medecine has made a lot of progress. I had an endoscopy at the beginning of the year, it was under anesthesia and I did not feel anything after. It was like nothing happened. Also the PPI (dexilant) that the doctor prescribed is very useful, in just two weeks I feel so much better and I have no side effect from it, quite the contrary. It is very hard for the stomach to heal itself in the presence of acid when you don't take a PPI. I tried for three months with the pepzin GI and no PPI but I got more results in two weeks of PPI than three months of natural supplements. If the doctor can do something to make you recover faster, I think it is worth it. I was just thinking that I should take an appointment too to check what is going on as well.
Which PPI did you take before?
Mixing eggs with bananas sounds strange. I will let you know if I try it, I still need to get used to the idea. I have put mashed bananas in pancakes, cakes and cookies before, it was delicious.
emma666 ines6375
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I think I do need to go back to the Dr. I was originally put on omeprazole but everything I try seems to hurt my stomach, so I have got to the stage that I dont want to try anything in case it makes it worse. Will have a look at dexilant and see if its available in England. Thanks
emma666 ines6375
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Have just made an appointment to see Dr tomorrow. Thanks for your help again.
ines6375 emma666
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Let me know how your appointment goes!
emma666 ines6375
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emma666 ines6375
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Been to Drs today. Theyre going to do some blood tests, an ultra sound and an endoscopy (to check mainly for cancer as I have had problems for so long). In the meantime she has put me on esomeprazole and peppermint oil. Im not sure about the peppermint, its mainly for spasms caused by ibs and think it might make me worse. Have you any knowledge on peppermint?
ines6375 emma666
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I read that mint relaxes the sphincter between the stomach and the oesophagus, so it causes reflux. Also I understand that you are scared about it for your stomach. I have not tried it but I took classes about essential oils many years ago and I remember the teacher saying to never put an essential oil on an inflammed tissue. Your stomach is very sensitive that it might be hurtful indeed. If you massage a few drops onto the skin on your belly area, that would be ok, but I would not eat it.
If you don't trust your doctor, don't hesitate to go see another one and get another opinion. My previous doctor was not very helpful, he told me nothing about diet, juste gave me prescriptions and unhelpful advice. So I just took an appointment with another one.
ines6375 emma666
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emma666 ines6375
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I am just going to try and take the esomeprazole, not going to risk the peppermint oil. She is a nurse practitioner but I really like her and she is very thorough. She is doing a blood test for coeliac disease as well.
The one condition I know I have because I had a test done years ago with a natural practitioner is leaky gut. When I mentioned this to the Dr, she said she didnt know what that was.
My opinion of what is wrong is that the stomach lining is inflamed, damaged and leaking so whether this shows up on an endoscopy, who knows. At least if it comes back clear again, I will know I dont have cancer. Thanks for your help Ines.
scott20738 emma666
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I'd hate to offer any diet advice, as I'm not really confident I know how to control my own problem (LPR reflux). That vegetable smoothie sounds very nutritious.
I think a big part of my problem is mental. I need to understand that this reflux problem will probably be with me for the rest of my life. It's probably caused by a combination of genetics, age (I'm 45), and that very high-fat, high-fiber diet I was eating a few years ago when I first noticed the symptoms.
If I lower my fat intake, and I don't eat foods that are very acidic, the reflux is mild (and sometimes I don't notice it at all). Fiber is tricky. Too much fiber can worsen the symptoms -- especially raw whole veggies (smoothies might be okay, I haven't tried), whole grians, and too much fruit (or fruit that is not ripe enough). But I need fiber to prevent constipation, which itself can lead to a worsening of reflux symptoms (because it allows gas and pressure to build up). So I try to eat plenty of cooked veggies (broccoli, leafy greens, carrots), and ripe fruit. Those things help. But I expect to live with this condition for the rest of my life. I need to accept that, otherwise I'll probably drive myself nuts trying to find the perfect diet that will cure this problem forever -- I just don't believe that's possible. So I'm going to do the best I can to minimize the symptoms.
I wish you the best of luck.
Scott
scott20738 ines6375
Posted
Thank you for your advice. I certainly agree that starches are far more satisfying than fruit. When I go strictly no starch for more than a few days, I begin feeling intense cravings. And sometimes anxiety. Not good.
I've read Robillard's "Fast Tract Digestion", and his new "Fast Tract IBS" books. I agree with him that difficult-to-digest carbohydrates (fructose, lactose, resistant starch, sugar alcohols, and fiber) can increase gas and thus increase pressure on the stomach/LES, probably worsening reflux. That's certainly been my experience. So I try to minimize those. On the other hand, I must include plenty of fruit to help prevent constipation.
I may try adding some white Jasmine rice and reducing my oil some more. You're right that 4 tablespoons is not a small amount. I want to lower it, but I need to get more calories from somewhere. White Jasmine rice may be the answer -- if it doesn't cause constipation.
Thank you again. I wish you the best of luck.
Scott
emma666 scott20738
Posted
Thanks for your reply. I know that the worst offender for making acid for me is fat, so think you are right in lowering your fat consumption. Ive not noticed a problem with fibre, but sugar, wheat and dairy make me produce too much acid as well.
I think if you know what to avoid having too much of, then you can learn
to live with it.
All the best, Emma.
ines6375 scott20738
Posted
Jasmine Rice cause constipation like all rices. If you want to eat some starches it might be better for you to pick another one in the easily digestible list of Dr Robillard's book. The book "heal yourself with fruits, vegetables and grains" by J. Valnet has a good description of which foods are good and bad against constipation.
ines6375 emma666
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I have noticed that some foods hurt directly like acid and spices and other in a less obvious more insidious way like fat. Fat cause me some pain but it appears with some delay, the pain is not as strong but it lasts.
About fibers, I notice that some hurt more than others. For example when I can taste the roughage like in whole spelt bread it is going to hurt for a few hours, but when it tastes smoother like in steamed vegetables, I am fine. Bananas are fine too.
ines6375 scott20738
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If I remember correctly russet potatoes are easy to digest according to Robillard but I don't think they cause constipation. I have not checked quinoa, millet, ...
scott20738 ines6375
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scott20738 emma666
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