my cure for GERD

I don't know about weird dreams, but I definetly feel anxiety when I sleep. Notive I tend to clench my fists. You probably have something stressing you in your unconcious. It takes time, Try to explore your feelings more deeply. Meditate and search. Sometime emotions are buried deep inside, so deep sometimes we're not even aware. Try mediating and journaling, see if that helps.

Yeah, I am feeling anxiety, where I wasn't before I quit the drug. Maybe this is a side-affect of cold turkey? Other drugs that are as powerful as the purple pill cause withdrawl symptoms. Seems like a lot of stuff is "coming up" for me right now. Maybe anxiety from going off the security blanket of Nexium, and remembering all the horror stories of what could happen if acid reflux returned full force. I want to wrap my mind around this clearly since I know taking drugs for the rest of my life is not something I want to do if I don't have to. . .Thanks for your thoughts and suggestions, very helpful.

for those attempting to get off the drugs and repudiate the symptoms using this method, I would suggest that you will need to set aside some time everyday to think about what could be making you angry or upset...make a list, if you like...also see exercises below...

this treatment method is not to simply drop your drugs or bring back your old diet and do nothing else...you have a real problem, a mind-body problem that needs to be addressed...so, if you want to use this method, set aside the time, write in a journal, consider talking to a counselor (always a good idea to check in with a counselor or friend now and then about our state of mental happiness), and check out appropriate self-help books, etc. Warning: You may need to make actual changes in your life...if you hate your job, the best answer may be to get a new job...but, hey, wouldn't working a job you hate all your life make you a little angry inside?

I do a powerful exercise where I meditate and visualize doors that are marked "anger" and "sadness" and when I open the doors and go inside, I feel emotions that may be hidden...I have had therapy in the past, so I am not doing this for the first time after some childhood of terrible abuse, etc....be good to yourself and don't push too hard without professional guidance...this is very important to remember

another exercise relates to age regression...visualize yourself from an infant growing to your present age...at each development stage (a la Eric Erickson) feel good things: infant (unconditional love and security), toddler (boundaries, saying no), preschool (competence), school age (friends and peer group acceptance), older school age (self-identity), young adult (intimacy with another), adult (generativity, creativity) John Bradshaw is a good writer on this type of exercise. This exercise can be very healing.

such exercises are an active way to work on mind-body issues and take you away from fixating on physical symptoms ... the mind wants to deal openly with emotional issues and not create illness, if you will open the door to that experience

if you use this method, it is common for other symptoms to pop up...if your GERD goes away and your knee starts to hurt for no good reason, suspect that your mind is fighting you some more...fight back

just my two cents

riverotter

To MOB's questions:

1) I never took meds on a daily basis...I would take a full course of a strong drug (2 - 4 weeks) and then taper off with less strong drug, then with something really mild ... taper was about 2 weeks ... I was doing this about 2 - 3 times a year when symptoms really flared and herbs weren't helping enough .. this was my doctor's suggestion.

like most people, I was motivated by fear to go see my doctor a few times ... I usually tried home management, but as the symptoms got worse I got afraid that I would die of the ulceration, then barret's, then cancer etc progression, and got annoyed by the pain ... the last time I saw the doctor he wanted a scan; that is when I decided to break free ... I did a full course of the hard core drugs, then tapered, then applied only the Sarno technique (that is, go back to all normal activities and stop babying myself; example for me was to drink alchohol and not worry about it) ....

2) the only diet change was to eat anything I liked ... I think now if I ate really horrible fatty food along with beer and other junk, I might get some stomach pain, but it wouldn't be GERD ... it would be a stomach ache ... the lie is the notion that we should have a chronic GI problem for the rest of our lives and never be able to eat / drink foods we like .... I thought I had given up wine for the rest of my life, now I have it whenever I want and don't think a thing of it.

I think it is a bad idea to rely on ginger or chamomile or licorice or aloe etc to cure your GI ... there is scant evidence that they help and it is treating (ie, fixating on) symptoms .. I drink herbal tea sometimes because I like it, not as a drug

my esophogeal pain / soreness went away really fast once I stopped the drugs and did the emotional techniques, without any other "soothing" potions ... I think it was healing itself overnight, as soon as it learned that I wouldn't tolerate it as a symptom anymore ... I did swim per my usual exercise to boost my immune system and get plenty of sleep

3) Sarno (I think) says that if you really can't change something, then you have to at least feel the anger / sadness. The thing to think about most is how / why are you mad at YOURSELF? When you are mad at yourself, then your body may punish you, right? With anger at others, can you tell them how you feel? That may help. The answer to your question is the subject of many books, I imagine.

Example: if you step on my foot and I say nothing, I feel angry at you for stepping on my foot, but I feel REALLY mad at myself for not sticking up for myself (?) We can't expect an easy or perfect world, but our insides produce emotional energy that has to go somewhere .. where does it go?

riverotter

Hi there ya all,

For this same problem I've been using Citro-soda, Bicarbonate of soda, Magasil (the one that worked best), etc. (for what seemed like an eternity). Something needs to be done to elliminate (if possible) the cause of this problem, and I believe that a good diet along with the right mind-set would be the solution (certainly not the "I believe I can fly" kind of thought).

There's a lot of literature on this subject and I came across one very interesting, yet scary solution. Some of you will probably think I'm nuts if you continue reading, but I've been doing it for 5 days now and WOW! Cayenne pepper. Say what? Yes, Cayenne pepper works. There was a guy who had a stomach ulcer for three years, couldn't take it any longer, and decided to commit suicide with Cayenne. He swallowed a lot of the stuff and waited, and waited ...

Instead of dying he was recovering, and everybody lived happily ever after. Still don't believe me? I found the following at http://www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com/cayenne.htm

"Cayenne can rebuild the tissue in the stomach and the peristaltic action in the intestines.  It aids elimination and assimilation, and helps the body to create hydrochloric acid, which is so necessary for good digestion and assimilation, especially of proteins.  All this becomes very significant when we realize that the digestive system plays the most important role in mental, emotional and physical health, as it is through the digestive  system that the brain, glands, muscles and every other part of the body are fed."

I will post sometime again to let you know how it's going - thumbs are still up this side!

This, too, is my 8th day off Nexium. It's been a reeeeally rough week, but today I'm feeling much better. Re: the cayenne pepper: I've heard of this and think it sounds feasible. Cayenne is one of the ingredients in the enzymes I take (5 mg), but I think I will go get a bottle of the higher dose today. I think it would be considered homeopathic, "like cures like". I almost caved and bought Priolosec, but intuition kicked in and told me to give it a few more days. I took the Orange Peel Extract twice, and I gotta tell you, it made my symptoms much, much worse.

Today, even though I'm feeling a little floopy without a whole lot of energy, I believe I can beat this thing. Whoever said that getting off Nexium was like kicking the heroin habit probably hit the nail on the head. Very difficult, but I think in the long run, I'll be better off. I sure hope so.

Good question...I don't think I'm angry with my son for leaving so soon. A little history: Craig had drug problems most of his life. I believe much of it stemmed from chemical imbalances, however, during the 70s we did not really know of such things (long story). He made some seriously wrong choices based on, I believe, confusion in his mind that resulted in him unable to face earth's reality. So he covered up these feeling with drugs.
My feeling now is that Craig is happy and very safe. Although I miss him, I know I will see him again, and then I will see my son whole instead of in a constant struggle between his mind and body. My philosophical beliefs are metaphysical, so I know there are no accidents, nor is anyone left out or unsafe in any way. This is probably more than you wanted to know, but I thought a good question deserved an honest answer.

Hi folks,

I've been reading the development of MOB1123 and saltlaker's quest to get off meds. I can see it hasn't been easy, but want you to know you have support out here!

I liked riverotter's comment about "emotional energy" having to go somewhere. The CDs I'm listening to talk about that, and have an exercise of being "in the moment." When you feel pain, thinking, "What am I feeling right now?" and allowing yourself to feel that feeling. The other day when I did it, I realized I was feeling fear at my impending move, and I actually felt my heart beat speed up and my face flush. I think that was the energy of the emotion actually being felt so it didn't have to be repressed. Pretty cool feeling.

Hang in there.

WDC

Hi MOB1123, What site are you referring to, "The Secret"? That's the only one I suggested as self-help and tuning into your body and emotions. You may have been thinking of another site.

As the day progresses, I am feeling my old self again, really up--and I feel good. After this last week, I am relieved. The whole week was a total suck-fest.

sorry was talking about shirley'swellness....

Hi again,

It would be too soon to say for sure, but the Cayenne is definitely bringing about its rewards. The burning feeling from my stomach upwards has decreased dramatically - I can sit for long periods of time, twist & turn, and even bend over forward to play with my dog. Have to admit, I also drink loads of water (and not because of the Cayenne, hahaha).

about the mind thing, if I could share my thoughts: I also believe that one's mind has a great effect on one's well-being (you think before you act, right?), but I don't believe that you can out-smart your body (in terms of serious conditions or situations) by way of thinking. It would be like falling from a cliff and thinking to yourself, "No, It's not gonna hurt when I hit the ground".

Perhaps my understanding of what is being said is off the mark. Allow me to explain my reply: There was a wonderful lady who was diagnosed with cancer quite a few years ago. And, being very religious she went to church on Sunday as usual, were prayed for by some self-professing healer (of God), and was pronounced healed.

As she went home she was told that if any "seemingly usual" pain arose and / or the thought of cancer came to mind, she had to resist it and believe that she was cured. To cut a long story short ... she died three months later of that very same disease / condition. Obviously people said that her faith wasn't strong enough, but even more obviously they did not know that godly woman very well.

My point is this: If we are sick, we need either medical or some nutritional treatment, and that's why I'm so keen on natural stuff (like Cayenne). We live in a world where we are dependent on food, nutrition, etc., and I thank God for the stuff He has provided (along with the others) to aid us with healing. Loving ain't He?

What we eat will have definite consequences on what happens to our bodies (I know this guy with a beer-belly), but does that mean that we must stick to an alkaline-only diet? Maybe for the duration of our "getting better," but not beyond that I think. It's like staying indoors until you've recovered from a bad case of sunburn.

Cayenne pepper has really been a great help to me, and I want to share that with all of you that are suffering from the ailment mentioned in this Forum (and more if possible). I truly hope & pray that it would be rendered a source of comfort to others as well.

Regards, D.

Hi WDC,

Yes thanks, your explanation cleared up all of those grey areas / perceptions that I had w.r.t. the mindbody thing. It not only makes a lot of sense now, but I agree with the concept.

Best wishes and a merry Christmas, D.

Riverotter & folks,

Although I have not read the book, I must admit that a vast majority of us with GERD, also live/lived stressful lives and also have a lot of emotional problems at the same time we experience GERD.

I believe the approach of the book is not simply about denial of a situation, but rather about facing the truth of your GERD.

For me it has been 3 fundos, and still GERD (since 10 yrs ago, mild at first, then worst on the last 5), although xray swallow showed no GERD after my 3rd surgery, I am still burning, why?

I had been GERD free all my life until my 21 years old when I married and the stressful life began, and stress has not simply stopped for me.

Cause I dont like my job, the place I live, the fact that I have no time for my personal activities, and I fight constantly with the mrs.
Yes, I have a lots of things in my life that I dislike, actually, I had been GERD free all my life until my 21 years old when I married and the stressful life

Does my burning have a psychological origin? I am starting to believe it has, so big changes are around the corner for me.

Is it what you eat , or what is eating you?

For some of you that are interested in reading books,and considering the mental approach, I have read a few that are interesting:

---- Louis L Hay- You can heal your life

---- Dale Carnegie- How to stop worrying and start living

---- Eckhart Tolle -The power of now (have not finished it yet)

Why do most normal people eat anything they like and nothing happens?
Because it is the natural way the body works, of course, you cant go crazy and eat lots of unhealthy stuff cause we all have a limit, my point is, we were all born healthy (excepting some cases of babies and children with GERD), and then at certain point in our life GERD appeared.

******* Were you living a stressful moment when GERD appeared?
******* Was anger/fear/frustration/desperation present when your GERD started for the first time?
******* Whom among you does not have GERD and emotional/life problems? GERD and emotional problems are almost a common denominator
among us GERD sufferers.
******* Has it happened to you, that when you go out on vacation, your GERD diminishes or even stops?
******* Have you had times when you eat a lot of food and drinks, and nothing happened? Did you notice you were having a great time during those meals and you were happy?
******* Have you noticed your heartburn increasing after a stressful situation like arguing with someone or a situation at work?


We all live situations that we dont like (sometimes for years), yet, we dont do anything to change them, we suffer in silence and acumulate anger (energy) that, as someone said, has to go somewhere, and that somewhere for some of us is our stomach and GI system.


Are you familiar with the work of Dr. Masaru Emoto?

http://www.life-enthusiast.com/twilight/research_emoto.htm

Feelings and thoughts are energy, and if they can do that to water, what can they do to us?


For all of you that believe this is a physical problem, 3 fundos have not done enough for me, I have not improved not even 10% after any of them, I am proof that physical correction does not improve the symptoms, I am beginning to believe that part of the key might lie in the mind.

Someone said in a previous post "So it's not about "outsmarting" your body. It's about dealing with psychological issues so the body doesn't have to manifest them in physical ways "

For all of you, here are some testimonies from people that have cured themselves trough the mind approach.

Angela´s story:
http://www.heartburn-help.com/Angelia's%20Story.htm

David´s story:
http://www.heartburn-help.com/david.htm
http://www.heartburn-help.com/david's.htm
http://www.heartburn-help.com/David%20Surgery.htm

Feel free to contact me or discuss anything related to this matter, because now I going to take if from the mental approach, and keep you posted.

One last note, these advices do not constitute stopping all medication and stopping all medical attention and substituting it with a mind approach, they simply try to show that there might be more than one solution to the same problem.
After all, medication only cures the symptoms, and I believe we are all interested in finding the root cause of our illness.

Although this is a heartburn forum, perhaps we might put together a group of people who share the same thoughts about GERD.

Thanks Riverotter for starting a thread like this.

Bernardo in Mexico.
[email protected]

Post Edited (Mandrake) : 12/22/2006 8:10:36 AM (GMT-7)