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How I cured my gastritis

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ines6375
ines6375

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

3077 Replies

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  • chrisgee
    chrisgee ines6375

    Posted

    I want to thank you for taking the time to post this information.

    eight weeks ago I was diagnosed with Gastritis and started taking Omeprazole 2x day. I didn't realize it starts working after 2 weeks and so when I still had symptoms (although lesser) I quit taking the Omeprazole. After 2 weeks that pain in my stomach and nasea came back so I went to the Doctor (A new one). She prescribed sucralfate 4x day and omeprazole 2x day. I have been taking these medicines for the past 4 weeks going on 5 weeks. And I have to say I really believe the Sucralfate has helped a lot. Within 2-3 days my appetite came back and I was able to sleep at night and I felt better all the way around. after a couple weeks I was feeling pretty normal then I had a flare up. Again, I had another period of a over a week and then another flare up, but this time it wasn't as bad. I was wondering if the Pepzin GI could be taken with these medications, or if I should just stick with the medicine I am currenty taking. I've cleaned up my diet a lot, no coffee, chocolate, pizza or burgers. I mostly eat scrambled eggs, white rice, baked chicken, fish toast.. I would appreciate your feedback greatly.

    • ines6375
      ines6375 chrisgee

      Posted

      The pepzin Gi is meant to help you heal your stomach in the presence of acid. I don't know if it helps when you decrease the acid with a PPI. Also I don't know about possible interactions. Having tried different approaches of healing, I believe the medication (PPI and other) with a strict diet is the fastest and most efficient so if I were you I would just continue with the medication and the diet, then when you are better and can stop the medication, you can try the pepzin gi if you want to.
    • chrisgee
      chrisgee ines6375

      Posted

      That sounds like a good idea. I have an appt with my doctor later this afternoon, and I'll run this by her as well. The first time around I only took omeprazole and started to change my diet. after a couple weeks saw a little improvement so I quit taking the omeprazole thinking my diet was reason for the improvement. I learned afterward that omeprazole starts kicking in from 2-6 weeks. So two weeks later when symptoms returen, I saw a different doctor who prescribed omeprazole again but also sucralfate. Almost immediately after taking sucralfate I felt a LOT better. My appetite returned to almost normal and didn't lose any more weight. It's been almost 5 weeks and I've had two flareups, the first time it came with a little nasea, but the second time there was no nasea only unsettled unhappy stomach. So it seems I'm making a slow progress from week to week. But, I really feel like the sucralfate has helped a lot, and some of the products you mentioned seemed like they would be a good companion. I almost feel like the sucralfate is the only thing working.. I'm very anxious to try these supplements because I think the coating of the stomach is what really works. Thank you again for taking the time to post this info.. If my Doctor says it's ok or it's not ok, I'll come back and post it here. take care =)
  • ali63625
    ali63625 ines6375

    Posted

    Quite by accident I came across a potential cure for several issues including gastritis.

    Drinking two glassfuls (600ml) of water first thing in the morning before doing anything else - even cleaning your teeth.  you then need to wait at least 45 mins before eating.

    it is quite commonly done in Japan.  It helps to cleanse and flush out toxins that have accumulated overnight.  600ml or just iver half a litre or one pint is enough.  Too much more could flood the kidneys and dilute electrolytes.  Personally I add a small amount, around quarter to half a teaspoon of good Celtic Sea Salt (for the added minerals) to one of my glassfuls.

    you can do a search for 'drinking water in the morning' to find out more.  I am 5 days into the water remedy and it is starting to help.

    • juan98366
      juan98366 ali63625

      Posted

      Could you tell us if you're improving after drinking water in the morning?
    • ali63625
      ali63625 juan98366

      Posted

      Hi it is still early days (only a week) but yes, I feel as though it is helping.  My digestion has been poor for a very long time, so it ain't gonna be a miraculous recovery, but so far there is a little improvement,

      because I am diabetic, I have Gastroparesis, so food tends to be in my stomach for hours so I take digestive enzymes to help that and am hoping the water regime will help too.  The food didn't seem to be in my stomach quite as long last night.  

      It seems water can cure many things if followed properly, including gastric issues.  Your Body's Many Cries for Water is a good read.  He cured many ailments with water and salt.

    • ali63625
      ali63625

      Posted

      I have also started adding colloidal minerals into my regime and they are such a help.
  • breia123
    breia123 ines6375

    Posted

    Is it normal for cabbage juice to irritate your nstomach and cause more acid in it?
  • breia123
    breia123 ines6375

    Posted

    Is the cabbage juice suppose to make your stomach produce a crap ton of acid??...like I took it a cup a day... And it made me feel HORRIBlE... SUPPER NAUSEATED AND MY STOMACH FILLED WITH ACID... I mixed it with carrot ..it was alright until it hit my stomach.. And now I'm dealing with pain of that...like back to day one... Before the cabbage juice it sucked....it was that annoying burning..feeling in the upper region above my bely button but under ribs.....and I hated that...so I took cabbage juice and BAMMM back to day one..please can you help me I don't know what to do....I'm only18 I have been dealing with this for now 8 months...the doctors won't help me....😢😢😢 everyone makes me feel like I'm crazy ..but I know there is something wrong. I didn't get this way until I ate bad food which caused me to have a lot of acid then on top if that I drank huge amounts of alcohol(vodka straight) I've also lost 50 pounds...I look great however.... I cannot enjoy this body if I'm constantly in the bed depressed and reminiscing about my old life.….it burns and I tried the alkaline diet but when I eat supper healthy food..it burns bad....but when I eat fat food(fish burger and large fries) ....it feels a bit better but I deal with the effects later...I'm tired of eating a lot....I wish I hadnt of drank that cabbage juice.. I don't know whatys wrong with me I just want to feel normal again... HELP ME PLEASEEE
    • juan98366
      juan98366 breia123

      Posted

      Hi, have you hear about low acid stomach? Maybe your case becouse you improve when you're eating acidic food, and getting worse with alkaline food, try to study the supplement betaine hcl, people with low acid stomach is talking really good about this supplement. 

      Cabbage juice is, in my case, the best way to down the acid and burn fastly.

  • alice10848
    alice10848 ines6375

    Posted

    Hello coleagues.

    Its been a while since I participated.  I started with the strict diet and some ppis.  I started losing weight from 90kg to 70kgs.  At first things seemed to be good.  But recently things have turned.  I dont have a normal bowel movement only loose stools every morning sometimes once during the day and once evening.  Usually it starts with intense stomach paid followed by either passing of gas or loose stools.  This has been going on for some time.  I havent been to my GP for the past 2 or 3 months.  Now I am getting worried.  When I try to eat something outside my diet no matter how little or small I have a reaction.  I have been taking the water therapy for some months now.  I was taking about one and half ltrs every morning before cleaning my teeth and almost half ltr during the day.  Now I have reduced to two glasses in the morning. 

    I stopped taking the ppis two months ago when I felt better, but now I have started taking them.  I did so coz one GP told me that I have taken too much of them and they are causing some problems to other parts of my body.  during a scan  six months ago there was a comment that my liver looks coarse in texture.  This got me worried but my Gp told me that there was no problem as the blood results were oky (Liver function test).  But when I started the strict diet all the symptoms I had before then (dizziness, weakness, etc)  vanished.  The only problem is that I want to gain some weight but I cant coz I have to keep on with the strict diet.  Any advice? Another problem is that most of the ingredients in the Dropping Acid Book are not readily available in our setting they are imported and  some you cant even find them in the shops which makes it difficult to cook an appetizing meal. (for those who may not know I am a Malawian in Africa lady aged 58 and I have had this problem more that 20 years .

    • eric49486
      eric49486 alice10848

      Posted

      The problems caused by following the strict diet for too long, Dr. Jamie recommends strict diet for 2 weeks, after that in the tansitional phase, the diet becomes half normal, only watch for the triger food, then normal once the symtoms are gone. By following strict diet for 8 months, my side effects are lost 30 lbs and constipation, now I am trying to add back other foods gradually, Ines gave me a excellent recommendation about a month ago, I gained back about 2-3 lbs. I added the "scary" fruit too, I never thought about plums or apple during that 8 months, now I eat them everyday without problem. Besides the symptoms we already experienced, there are other damage to our body due to short of vatimines and minerals, and I add multi-vat, B12, and D3 too. Our degestive system gets used to the simple food, now every unfamilar food will irratate our system, but we should try anyway to get them back. My GP is not happy with my strick diet, she said, "your reflux is just a minor issue, your strict diet causes big issue to your health, you need to eat everything and 5 meals a day to get back to normall."

      BTW, you don't have symptoms anymore, why you are back on PPI again? Don't forget 30% or more of any medicine is poison. 

    • ali63625
      ali63625 alice10848

      Posted

      I was like this 8 years ago.  Virtually everything I ate was going straight through me.  I was limited to just a few foods, had gastritis, a hiatus hernia, acid reflux, palpitations, and horrendous gas and bloating. Ci was on the toilet every 20 minutes.

      When doctors could find 'nothing wrong' (!), left to my own devices I started researching.  I found a link between my issues and grains (wheat/gluten) and dumped them.  That helped a lot.  The diarrohea and stomach pain stopped overnight.

      but I quickly realised I had issues with ALL carbohydrates.  So I adopted a very low carb diet.  I also took supplements, vitamins, etc., and gradually things slowly improved.  It was hard at first, but got easier over time, by gradually lowering the carbs and increasing the good fats - coconut oil, butter, lard, tallow, etc.

      since then I have had no recurrence of the digestive issues.  Everything calmed down and I have kept following the low carb, high fat diet without issues.  I was a little constipated but found increasing the fat and lowering the carbs to no more than 20gms per day helped (you kind of have to tweak the diet until you find your body's 'sweet spot').   I also take around a teaspoonful of good grey sea salt every day to give my body the micro minerals it desperately needs.  I add some in water and put some on my food.  I also take some colloidal minerals too, and that has helped a lot.

      I think many of us are VERY mineral deficient.  Not necessarily the macro minerals like calcium, magnesium, etc., but the micro ones.  Our soil is very deplete and they are lacking in a lot of our food.

  • alice10848
    alice10848 ines6375

    Posted

    I also want to ask about beans.  are they ok for us or not? Can someone enlighten me how to make cabbage juice please.
    • skythroat
      skythroat alice10848

      Posted

      It seems ok at least for me. But with strict bland diet, you can do it better imo.
    • ines6375
      ines6375 alice10848

      Posted

      Beans, lentils, chickpeas, ... are great!

      To make cabbage juice, buy a juicer, put the cabbage in it.

    • skythroat
      skythroat ines6375

      Posted

      Do you think that fiber is not good for gastritis sufferer?

      Bland diet recommends low-fiber intake and it's perfectly suitable for gastritis, reflux, dyspepsia as I read.

      Yes, legumes are not bad at least for me, but strict bland diet could be better than it.

      Please let us know what you think.

    • ines6375
      ines6375 skythroat

      Posted

      Fibers from raw vegetables and added bran can be irritating but I think they are ok from cooked vegetables, cooked cereals and beans. But I would pick white rice over brown and white bread over brown when given the choice.
    • Henrinho4
      Henrinho4 alice10848

      Posted

      is cocunut yougurt bad for gastritis. I keep outside of the fridge at room temperature one hour then eat. With granola. As my first snack.
    • alice10848
      alice10848 Henrinho4

      Posted

      The problem is that we react differently with different types of food.  Some people say yoghurt is good, but I react badly.  Recently I took plain yoghurt but the reaction after that was very bad.  But Ines should be in a good position to enlighten you of good and bad foods for gastritis.  Ines please respond to Henrinho
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