Wondering... if it's low acid (hypochlorydria), would alkaline foods actually worsen it?
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Hi all. I spend a great many hours each and every day trying to figure out this extremely confusing and incomprehensible illness. It's driving me mad, really. (I'm sure you can relate!!) Something I'm wondering: A low acid diet is highly recommended for GERD and it really helps a lot of people. I am starting a low acid diet, although the fruit situation is hard to figure out. However, is a low acid diet helpful for people who actually don't have enough stomach acid, or would depriving it of acid in the diet only make it more severe?
I'm confused about pH, and haven't had a test for it yet. But I gather that low pH is highly acidic, and GERD is generally presumed to be caused by too much acid, in other words, a low pH level in the stomach? So if the theory about low stomach acid, rather than high, is true, these people have a pH level that is too high? And so foods that are high in pH (alkaline), could theoretically make it even worse? Do you actually NEED acidic foods when your stomach isn't producing enough acid?
Is anything alkaline bad for people who have low stomach acid? Is baking soda and other "antacids" and neutralisers actually a bad thing? Could diet be an experiment in whether you have excess acid or not enough? So, for example, could you try orange juice to see if you're too alkaline and not producing enough, and try banana and melon for a few days with no other fruits or acid foods to see if you're too acidic and excessive? Or does this theory not work in practice?
Hmmm. Thanks all for your views :D Apologies if this only confuses people even more! We are all dealing with a disease that we have to figure out ourselves aren't we, it's exhausting!
1 like, 23 replies
wknight pixie95097
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mary27278 wknight
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I am in the US and in my experience and others I know, the doctors did not do a ph test first or never. As a matter of fact my doctor had no idea what was wrong but yet wrote a prescription for ppi. Later went to Gastro dr and found the problem. I got it under control for a couple of months, I was feeling wonderful until...i went back to dr. for urinary problem . Though culture came back no uti she still gave me a prescription for antibiotics and like a dummy I took it and this is what triggered my gastritis and gerd back.
My experience US drs tend to overwrite prescriptions, they don't get to the root of problem but only treat the symptons. That is great that you know the real problem. I need to look into having the ph test done.
Raffa99 wknight
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terrie27149 mary27278
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