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Interesting article regarding cause of acid reflux

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GERD & Acid Reflux
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Posted 1/1/2012 12:08 AM (GMT 0)
Was wondering what the community thinks of this:

http://chriskresser.com/the-hidden-causes-of-heartburn-and-gerd

The argument is that reflux is caused by a build up of bacteria and undigested carbs which creates gas. That gas creates pressure on the stomach which pushes acid up through the LES.

While I don't really buy into alternative medicine, it does seem logical to me that 1. by using prilosec or whatever PPI we are reducing stomach acid which isn't the cause the GERD / acid reflux. So this is treating the symptom not the problem. 2. The LES malfunction is closer to the root of the problem, and there has to be a reason for that to malfunction. 3. internal pressure on the stomach is known to cause acid reflux ( e.g. in the case of pregnancy) .

I think this article makes some great points, of course it should be critically scrutinized. Some of the results / studies he cites don't exactly seem legit to me.

Anyway I'm going to follow his suggestions and try a low carb diet w/ priobitocs and see if that makes a difference for me.

One thing I've noticed over the past several weeks of acid reflux is my stomach gurgles like crazy. Its like world war three all the way through my guts, and i've been burping up a ton of gas. So my particular case seems to fit right in to what he's saying.


Anyway, maybe its a bunch of bull, maybe not. I'm going to give it a whirl, but please let me know if any one has any theories on this.
Posted 1/1/2012 12:19 AM (GMT 0)
hi there,

The imbalance of "good bugs' vs "bad bugs" as a cause of reflux has come up before - and I've often thought about it because my GERD started after loads of antibiotics for my cystitis. I've tried a probiotic but not a very potent one. Another member posted that her reflux went entirely after using a probiotic drink - which made sense to me as you're trying to deliver the bacteria to the stomach not the intestine. I'm in search of a dairy free probiotic as I have an intolerance, possibly true allergy, to cow's milk. I think the other poster mentioned Pro Vita shot, if that's any help to you.

I know the acid suppression seems like a poor solution when the real problem may be the valve, but for most of us it's all we can do to protect ourselves from further damage to the oesophagus.

Let us know how you get on.

MMM
Posted 1/1/2012 12:22 AM (GMT 0)
PS Have you been tested for Helicobacter as that causes burping no end!
Posted 1/1/2012 12:22 AM (GMT 0)
Will do! Thanks.
Posted 1/1/2012 12:26 AM (GMT 0)
I'm interested to read the article - tomorrow though as it's 2012 already here in the UK!

MMM
Posted 1/1/2012 12:26 AM (GMT 0)
I have been tested. It was negative. I have a gastro appt in 3 weeks. I hope to learn more then. This just appeared out of nowhere for me, and its terrible. On thing that seems different w/ my reflux is its constant, and does not seem triggered by foods. Its at completely random times sometimes 8 hours after I've eaten, and i've been belching , but not like a normal burp. The belch seems to come from very deep somewhere if that makes sense. I also don't have a lot of burning sensations, mostly chest pains that feel like 'trapped air' that quite frankly scare the crap out of me, and also regurgitation. So anyway its been going on for 1 month , and i'm hoping this article leads me down the right path! Thanks for the input!
Posted 1/1/2012 12:44 AM (GMT 0)
Hi bonez05,

his VLC theory makes sense.

I am on it and have made decent progress so far.


Try eating minimal carbs.
drink alot of water.
take a some vitamins now then if possible. (cause of the low carbs).

you also want to read up on the atkins diet, somewhat similar to that.



i saw dramatic results with my sore belching like in 2 weeks. I am still testing it out, i'll post more details later.

The other advice, i would wait on till your stomach is somewhat normal. Taking HCL can be counter productive if you are having bad symptomps.


you also want to make sure to see the gastro, as your symptomps might be caused by something else.


-jesse
Posted 1/1/2012 12:46 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks Jesse! Yeah i'm going to go low carb for a bit and take some probiotics, and skip the HCL for now until I can get it under control
Posted 1/1/2012 3:58 AM (GMT 0)
Hi all-

This is a great discussion. I particularly like the well thought out posts. It is a very intriguing thought.

I myself was plagued with a weak LES and can be traced back to my Dad's side of our family. Several of my aunts, uncles, cousins, and my dad had this. Mine is a physical defect that started showing when I was a teen. Sure wish I could have traced it back to something like improper digestion though. My teenage kids are having symptoms also. They blame me too, LOL! Like I could do anything about it.

Take care and Happy New year!

Bill
Posted 1/1/2012 10:55 AM (GMT 0)
OK . . . I've read some of the articles now. He's saying that bacterial overgrowth is a cause, and he cites Helicobacter as evidence of this. He doesn't explain how people without Helicobacter (those who test negative or have had it eradicated) can have GERD. He says a lot about the damage/side effects/repercussions from taking acid suppressing drugs- risk of infection, poor absorption of nutrients etc - nothing we don't already know and fret about. He doesn't explain that many people put up with the ppis because life would be unliveable without them - he just says that his final article will explain how to fix things without them. The final article does not yet appear. . .

One thing he does say, which I think holds water, is to illustrate a trap the drugs put us in - without stomach acid we can continue to have an imbalance of bacteria and this causes the gas build up, which he says causes the LES to fail.

Not sure I could do a low diet - carbohydrate is one of the things that settles my stomach. I wouldn't get through the mornings without porridge!!

MMM
Posted 1/1/2012 2:55 PM (GMT 0)
This also strikes a chord with me. During the last 6-8 months that my reflux has been flaring, I have noticed large increase in stomach gurgling, gas, and nighttime reflux. I do tend to eat a fair amount of breads and starches. While my Demeester score was normal, it did show 100% coorelation between a "belch" and a reflux event. So in my case, this makes a lot of sense. The hard part is getting your doctor(s) to look closely at this conection and not dismiss it out of hand. I'm getting close to making a decision on Nissen surgery ( I see second surgeon Tues. ), but still feel that maybe something else is going on.
Posted 1/1/2012 4:30 PM (GMT 0)
Mudmagnetmum - There is dairy kefir which is a probiotic but there is also a water kefir which is non-dairy - you can grow your own and you might want to check into it.
Posted 1/1/2012 5:40 PM (GMT 0)
Will do, thanks.

MMM
Posted 1/1/2012 6:02 PM (GMT 0)
I didn't read te article but if you want to test for the bacteria & parasites you shouldn't go to your regular dr or Gastro. Why? Their lab practices are not the best and they don't admit that those things can cause GERD OR heartburn.

If your test came back negative for h pylori it would be wise to consider an alternative lab to test you for h pylori, bacteria and parasites. I actually do believe in this theory because when I was younger I use to eat "garbage" food lots and lots of fast food literally. But My case may be unique though I am not overweight I'm underweight now.
I was at my ideal weight when my symptoms got crazy. I'm still underweight now and having issues.

However I am taking natural medicines to help me. I would like to say in September of last year of 2011 I treated a parasite and man oh man my bloating went down to "0" almost. I felt good but I never eradicated h pylori completely. This is the reason I'm still here. All my lab work has been done with other labs since I don't insurance at all.
Posted 1/1/2012 7:33 PM (GMT 0)
Good article that seems to correspond with my problems as when i take PPI i get worse and my tounge gets whiter.

He says that limiting acid contributes to bacterial overgrowth and increased abdominal pressure.

So taking PPIs or H2s lowers the acid in stomach which will make the bacterias overgrow.

I haven't taken one acid pill in almost 3 weeks now and feeling much better, yes i have gastritis and soar throat but it's much better and not as acute as before.

Doing proper diet is what makes me get around and have it under control and Probiotics(Proviva) as liquid twice each day, also i have lost weight from 118kg to 91kg today in 3 months time

I do beleive 110% in treating GERD the natural way.

Post Edited (lanab) : 1/1/2012 12:37:24 PM (GMT-7)

Posted 1/1/2012 8:15 PM (GMT 0)
I do wish we could get Proviva in the uk :-(
Posted 1/2/2012 9:31 PM (GMT 0)

mudmagnetmum said...
I do wish we could get Proviva in the uk :-(

I might be able to help you if you like?

There doesn't seem to be any PM function on this forum, could you please give me your email for further discussion?
Posted 1/2/2012 10:08 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks - there doesn't seem a way to do email without the address becoming public?

I think what I might do is try the ones that contain milk - my dairy allergy isn't very strong and the yakult only contains some skimmed milk. I think I'll try it and see if it can help my stomach without triggering my eczema. I found one dairy free one via Amazon but it was very expensive!

MMM
Posted 1/2/2012 10:14 PM (GMT 0)

mudmagnetmum said...
Thanks - there doesn't seem a way to do email without the address becoming public?

I think what I might do is try the ones that contain milk - my dairy allergy isn't very strong and the yakult only contains some skimmed milk. I think I'll try it and see if it can help my stomach without triggering my eczema. I found one dairy free one via Amazon but it was very expensive!

MMM

Ok email me, i have changed the visibility in options, just press the email button under my name.
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