Alternatives to PPI's Part 2

All this talk of anxiety has led me to add a new post on my blog. I hope it might have some information that is beneficial to all of you that have anxiety. I don't have anxiety and tend to not think the worst of things so I'm not sure if any of it will help but it may be worth a try.

As for an update from me, today is day one on starting the carrot juicing. Straight carrot juice isn't too bad but I'll definitely be adding kiwi to it next week when I am able to pick some up while grocery shopping this weekend. I think the added nutrients from the kiwi will help a lot along with the carrots. So far today I drank about 2 cups (measuring cups, not glasses) of carrot juice. I ate a medium sized bowl of honeymoon melon. For lunch I had bbq (used Stubb's bbq sauce, it is all natural with no fructose corn syrup or msg.) pork tenderloin medallions. Steamed and lightly seasoned broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots. And so far not a bit of heartburn. I've had a little here and there the past couple days. I also have some fresh broccoli and a white peach for an afternoon snack. I'm working on eating larger portions of vegetables and smaller portions of meat to see if that helps at all.

I've also changed my view on things. According the information in the pdf I started reading yesterday, your first goal should be to allow the LES to heal and then start working on other things. So I'm focused on that right now. I'm going to make sure my body gets the proper nutrients so the LES can heal naturally and I'm hoping it will work. I'm getting some digestive enzymes and will take those as well as keep up with my probiotics. Even if they don't seem like they are working, I'll keep them up as I am going to be optimistic that they are helping with the healing process.

I hope everyone is having a good day!

Lily,

The way I do the pork tenderloin medallions is I cut the pork tenderloin into about 1 inch thick pieces. I then season them with some sea salt and other seasonings that I might want on them. The sea salt will help with keeping the juices in the meat. I then let it sit in the fridge overnight. I cook on the grill but on the stove or baking would be fine as well. For the grill I let it heat up on medium high four about 10-15 minutes until the temperature is about 300-400 degrees. I then turn it down to about medium and then cook for 2 minutes on each side twice for a total of 4 minutes per side. If putting on bbq sauce I put that on for the last 2 minutes of cooking. They always come out all the way cooked and juicy and tender. If cooking on the stove top I would use a cast iron skillet and the same way as the grill. In the oven, I'd prefer using the broiler over baking and would probably do the same method with the broiler set at 500 degrees. I'm not sure exactly on the baking. Probably 300-350 degrees for about 20-30 minutes putting the bbq sauce on the last 5-10 minutes if desired.

For the LES, based on a lot of what I read in my research, most places agree that nutrients from fruits and vegetables are good for allowing the body to heal. I think that juicing may work better and faster as it gives your body the nutrients naturally at elevated doses and your body doesn't have to work nearly as hard to digest them so they are used for healing. What I'm going to do is juice carrots and kiwi for the next couple of months probably and eat fruits for breakfast and more vegetables at meal times and see how I feel. If I don't feel any improvement within a couple of months then I'll try to find something else. All I know is that I tend to feel worse when eating meat so I think I may try some days without any meats and see what that is like as well. I don't want to give up meat though as it has nutrients too, but not as much as fruits and vegetables.

Another thing that may help is the way I tend to think about things now is that my body has a symptom because it is trying to tell me something. It's kind of like the check engine light on the car. Something is wrong but you don't know exactly what. For the car you go to a mechanic so for your body you go to a doctor. But I don't think doctors are as good at fixing the problems with your body as a mechanic is with fixing your car as a car is man made and there are specific troubleshooting steps. With the human body, one symptom can mean many different things. What I do is tend to look at the smallest problems are that are related to the symptom. The reason for this is that I believe that worst case problems are probably more common when the symptoms have gone ignored for a long period of time. It's when the symptoms first start to show up is when the problem is probably small enough to handle easily.

Once I get the symptom I then do some research on possible resolutions to fix the possible problem or problems that are causing the symptoms. By just taking medications all you are doing is masking the symptoms but allowing the problem to escalate further. Our bodies are hearty machines that can take a brutal beating before they give out. It takes many years of eating unhealthy before some symptoms start to show then many years after that before things start to get really bad. That gives you some time to fix the problems before they start making things even worse. I believe that every symptom we encounter that we were not born with is due to bad eating habits. Fixing these eating habits will set things straight. It's just something that may take some time.

So in short, I would say that symptoms are a warning sign that things are on the track of getting bad and that you should learn how to react to that and change things to make the symptoms go away. It is ok to take medications for some symptoms to help out but our bodies are not designed to live off medications.

Javery!!!!!!!! The link you shared and your blog as well has helped me realize some things! It gave a positive outlook for me! Thank you!!!!

pazshalom, hugs to you too! Me too - i am not in best shape today. Anyway we should try to concentrate on something else.
Send to you all positive waves of energy!

pazshalom , did you try melatonine? There is some evidence that it can help to heal esophagus and to make LES stronger. But first of all it can be helpfull with your sleep issues.

As to belly-breathing. I exercise once per day for 30 minutes. I inhale with nose for 3-4 seconds and then exhale trough mouth for 6-7 seconds. I have read that the ration 1:2 (inhale:exhale) is best.
But honestly i don't see any improvement because of this training. Maybe it is to fast to make conclusions. Any way i go on with it.

Hope this helps!

Hi - just wanted to give an update on my situation, today is 1 month since i left PPI cold turkey.

I'm doing alright, still get heartburn, but it doesn't linger for hours/etc., and the belching I had earlier last week which i complained about is gone, i took ACV tablets twice a day, realized it didn't help, it may have added to the belching. I took one 20mg Pepcid that did help. Past 2 days I've taken one 20mg Pepcid at lunch, it's helped a bit.

I've been reluctant to go to Walmart to buy another bottle, but today i'll buy the Pepcid AC Complete along with the Kefir, hopefully its easy to find. I hope that will be sufficient.

I'm not having stomach pains, just heartburn, I barely use Pepcid or any other tablet, I sometimes take DGL tablets, but the NatureMade version works best in terms of DGL tablet.

One mistake I'm doing is the times i start feeling good, I start going back into old habits like eating pastry/donut/etc.

I tried the Acid Ease product, I find it useless, I still have that $18 bottle, i may try it again to finish it, it hasn't helped.

My biggest culprit more than food is water, i know that's strange, but with drinking water i get heartburn. I don't use alkazone drops regularly but am going to starting on a regular basis today.

Also, I will go back to the ACV tablet today as well since past two days i've been having more heartburn. I've lost weight (about 15 lbs) by doing cardio/weight lifting that has helped plus low carb diet. I still have 16-17 lbs more to lose to get to 150lbs which is my target.

I have Betain HCL supplement but have been reluctant to try them. I may give them a try, today I will try the ACV again, plus get the Kefir (im thinking this will be in the milk section, is that right?)


javery - I read your blog, great job with it, i see you are looking into enzymes, it appears they help digest food better, and your focus has changed to more items that help aid digestion, i know you want to avoid supplements (I'm in the same boat, as i can't figure out one particular item helps) -- but have you thought about revisiting the Betain Supplement?

Post Edited (joogle) : 5/15/2014 11:25:54 AM (GMT-6)

Hi everybody, I hope this is a good day for all. I must add to the complaint of not sleeping well. I have always slept pretty well up until the last couple of months. I am always busy and enjoy going to classes at the gym. That sort of dwindled since February as I was just not well enough to go. I started back a couple of weeks ago just a class here and there and I really enjoyed it and felt like I was getting back on track. However, I go to bed late and wake up very early which is not my normal thing to do. Of course right now I am so stressed over taking these tests on Monday. I keep on telling myself that worry does not change anything but I can't stop it.
Javery, I read your blog about enzymes and find it very interesting. The only sprouts I know are Brussels sprouts. So, when you get your seeds and start to plant I hope you will keep us posted on the progress and how you are going to incorporate them in your diet.
I also want to thank for taking the time to send me the recipe for the pork medallions. I will indeed try that out maybe next week. I don't eat a lot of meat and haven't for a long time. I find seafood is much better with lots of veggies. however, I also like carbs, potatoes pasta and love love love bread. It is so hard to forgo most of those things. I did take your advice and have white rice or potatoes sometimes and I find they sit very well with me and fill me up. Like you say it is very hard when having a good day not to indulge in some comfort foods. I just don't know if and when I can get off this omeprazole. I have so many symptoms on and off even taking the 20mgs. I never had such symptoms pre-ppi years ago. I wonder if I will ever be 'cured' and I often wonder if I am doing damage to myself. I don't 'feel' acid coming up but when I get that feeling of something being 'stuck' I know it must have done. Today that feeling isn't there, yesterday it was really there. I am really enjoying your blog and your postings on this site they are so helpful and reassuring. You tend to keep me on the calm side. I also read somewhere about deep breathing helping to heal the LES so I also try to do it when I remember.
Joogle - good to hear from you again. It sounds like you have some improvement. I am not sure all these 'natural' things help at all. I also tried the acid ease, intestinew, digestive enzymes, aloe vera juice Kefir and DGL. The only things I really think have helped me is the kefir and the dgl. so far I haven't taken any other 'help' but as I start to reduce the omeprazole I might have to. Yes, I got the kefir in where the milk was located in wal mart. If you have an Aldi store close by they also have it and it is less expensive than anywhere else. They also stock Almond Milk which I have tried but after one carton I could not do anymore and have gone back to my lactose free milk.

lily - i wanted to ask you how much kefir do you drink per day. I bought it today and drank a plain glass like 30 minutes after dinner, it was fine but 5-10 minutes but later had a lot of heartburn, just wanted suggestion on the serving size i need to take as it caused me heartburn.

I believe there is adjustment period to kefir but want to ensure i didnt go overboard drinking an 8 oz cup.

Actually I believe Kefir is quite acidic and I actually took an ACV tablet before dinner, which was working fine, but I think adding the Kefir made it very acidic for my stomach causing me this extended heartburn tonight.

Thanks

Post Edited (joogle) : 5/15/2014 8:55:39 PM (GMT-6)

I don't think that brussel sprouts have the same benefits as the sprouts I'm going to be doing. Brussel sprouts are from the cabbage family and it takes awhile before they can be harvested. The sprouts I'm going to be doing is the process of soaking seeds in water for 4-12 hours depending on the type and then allowing them to germinate and grow for 2-5 days. It's when they are in this "baby" stage that they are full of nutrients and enzymes and considered a super food. I think it is a great idea because it doesn't take months before you get an edible product, just a few days. I keep reading that it is very inexpensive so I'm hoping that is the case. On amazon I am able to pick up a 1 lb. bag for $10 - $20 depending on the type of seeds. I'm just not sure how long it will last. I'm hoping 1 bag will last at least 2-4 weeks. If that's the case, or it lasts longer, then it is most definitely worth it. The hardest part I'll have starting out is trying to find in my schedule for the starting up and harvesting parts. Once they are in the sprouting container all I need to do is water them 2 times a day so that will be easy to do in the morning and when I get home from work. They don't need sun or soil so it is kind of like hydroponic gardening without the light source which is nice. I also bought some concentrated kelp solution that I'll mix with water and use that and it's supposed to give more nutrients to the plants. I may buy another sprout container depending how much the one yields and how much I eat. My goal is to make sprouts be at least 60% of my diet as they should contain nearly everything my body needs. The only things they don't have is some things contained in meats and of course enough carbs and fats for energy.

Once I get a supply built up and get a schedule established, the plan is to eat some mid-morning, with my lunch, mid-afternoon, and some with dinner. If I find that I get hungry I may snack on them here and there. They should make my stomach to produce very little acid as they are full of enzymes to break themselves down for digestion. I've tried to do some research on enzymes and how the body works with them, like if it can store them or something, but can't find any information on that. I know the body can store a certain amount of many different nutrients but I don't know about enzymes.

I'm also hoping to get my kids to eat them to so it'll help them out. One goal of mine is to get them to eat healthy now as they are 1 1/2 and 4 1/2 years old so they don't have to go through the same problems I am. The good thing is that my oldest wants to drink just water most of the time which is nice. She also likes to eat fresh fruits for snacks rather than processed foods. It's also nice that she doesn't constantly ask for candy even though we have a jar with her Halloween candy in it and only gets a piece if she finishes all her dinner. Sometimes she gets full and says she doesn't even want any candy which is really nice.

Anyways, as for an update on my carrot juicing, I ran out of carrots this morning so I had to add a couple slices of pineapple in with it. So far it's been working good and the juice doesn't bother me at all. I'll keep everyone updated with the sprouts and how they do for me. I get everything in today so I'll get everything started this weekend. The sprouting container comes with some alfalfa which I guess is a really good one. I also ordered a 1 lb. bag with a mixture of Mung, Adzuki, Green Pea, Red Lentil, French Lentil, Green Lentil seeds.

joogle,

Another thing to take note of is trying to gauge how much acid is needed for the food you are eating. For instance, more meat needs more acid. Fruits and vegetables need less acid. Cooked food needs more acid than raw foods due to enzymes present in raw foods but not in cooked foods. Maybe if you kept track of what you are eating and if you have any heartburn afterwards, it may be due to too much acid based on the food content. Just some things to think about.

javery said...
I am happy to say that I managed to eat chili last night for dinner and today for lunch and no heartburn after eating it either time.

 

Great news Javery!

 

Thank you so much for the info about ACV. I will try it before meals.

 

I appreciate all of you. I hope all are having a good good day.

May The Lord heal us all!!

Hi everyone, I haven't been on the computer at all today so I have just been reading everyone's posts.
Joogle, I know on the Kefir it says drink 8ozs at one time but I have not done that but started off small. I think I might drink 3-4 ozs and I drink it for a little snack in the afternoon if I can. I forget some days but I have not taken more than that at a time. I think you will get used to it but lower the amount and try that. Are the HCI tablets you take with Pepsin?
Javery, I am absolutely fascinated with the 'sprouts'. I hope it works for you. I am going to take note and then I might give it a try. I have spent a lot of time reading on that website you gave us regarding the reflux cure. The chap that wrote it has gone into a lot of detail and taken a lot of time in order to help people suffering from what he cured himself of. I spent this afternoon looking for a juicer. I found one at bed Bath and Beyond and will now shortly turn to juicing. I went into the fresh market and bought a whopping bag of organic carrots. So once I figure out how to use it I am going to be drinking some nice alkaline carrot juice. I might add an apple or some kiwi depending on the taste. I hope this is going to help and speed my recovery somewhat. Anything is worth a try isn't it?
wonderful you ate chili twice!! I made a big slow cooker pot of it last week but couldn't have any. My husband loves it but we had to freeze a bowl of it for another time. You give me hope that one day I will be able to enjoy some. I am sure you were happy to have something so tasty and different than the normal foods.
Pazshalom - I hope you are hanging in there and feeling somewhat better.