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GERD & Acid Reflux
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Posted 1/11/2007 3:38 AM (GMT 0)
I feel like there is all this info that is contradictory out there...

I got a pamphlet from a GI doctor and one of the things it lists is that chewing gum is bad for reflux because it causes an increase in swallowed air which leads to belching and reflux.  But I also heard from other sources that gum is good for reflux since it produces saliva...

I hear that apple cider vinegar is good to treat heartburn.  Yet others say that it is not good for it (same for baking soda).

There's also a ton of other conflicting info out there. With all this conflicting information, who do we listen to and how is it possible to get better? 

Does anyone else feel the same way?

frustrated, friendlygal

Posted 1/11/2007 12:14 PM (GMT 0)

Friendlygal,

Chewing gum (I only chewed cinnamon gum (Trident) after a meal helps to produce saliva.  Chew with your mouth closed, so as to not take in too much air and don't chew for too long.   Saliva is alkaline in the stomach.

Cider vinegar (I have already posted this) is an alkaline food.  It should not be used while you are in distress with GERD since it's still an acid and willl burn going down the esophagus.  It's fine to use in salads with a little olive oil AFTER you are mostly healed.

This is the reason why even if one is on an alkaline diet, they still have to be careful what alkaline food they eat. 

For example, LEMONS.  They are very alkaline when they reach the stomach(Romans used them in ancient times as a digestive aid) but extremely acidic going down the esophagus.   Therefore, if you have GERD you should not use lemon juice or any other citrus juices.  Use them when you are healed.

I healed myself by using the DGL licorice and a CORRECT (there are many contradictions on alkaline foods on many sites but I just made some educated guesses on some) alkaline diet- it coated the esophagus, therefore healing it.  You heal by being extremely disciplined, the diet I put myself on was very strict.    I refused to take more drugs when I saw they didn't help (prilosec for one month).  I didn't have any other illnesses to deal with though, maybe that was in my favor.

Hope this clears up the contradictions.  Good luck.

Danie

Posted 1/11/2007 3:05 PM (GMT 0)
hi friendlygal..
I have found since all of my friends have gerd also that it depends on the person.. 1 friend like peppermint when flaring. Another friend swears that ice cream helps. I think coke helps me.. My hisband can not chew any gum at all. So it is kinda a trial and error thing with me and all my friends..
TCCIC
Posted 1/13/2007 1:36 AM (GMT 0)

poobear said...
hi friendlygal..
I have found since all of my friends have gerd also that it depends on the person.. 1 friend like peppermint when flaring. Another friend swears that ice cream helps. I think coke helps me.. My hisband can not chew any gum at all. So it is kinda a trial and error thing with me and all my friends..
TCCIC

coke helps you?  wow, that's surprising (since it is gaseous).  coke actually makes me burp a ton...

i'm going to try the ice cream!  thanks for the post...yeah, i'm confused about the gum thing because i thought that cinammon was also bad for GERD (since it's a strong spice)...

Posted 1/13/2007 12:27 PM (GMT 0)
Coca Cola may seem to help in the short term but you are actually prolonging your problem. People with GERD should not be drinking anything sparkling and definitely nothing with CAFFEINE - which coke has lots of!!!!

Ice cream (all dairy products are very acid) is also a no no!

Cinnamon gum is the best to chew since cinnnamon is very alkaline in the stomach and cinnamon is not irritating in the esophagus. Chew for a little bit after eating, it will promote saliva - Saliva is alkaline!!!!!!!!

I'm going to keep posting since I tried everything and I was successful in gettting rid of GERD in one month. From what I've read in these postings, there really aren't that many answers out there. I'm giving you all the answer that I found!

It will not work if you keep alternating from very acid foods to alkaline, I'm convinced of that. I didn't know anything about alkaline way of eating and suffered for more than two months (for me a long time, I can't even imagine what many of you are going thru suffering for years) even though for one month I was on prilosec and was doing well on it until I had a total rebound effect!!!!
I knew then that I had to try something on my own.
I saw a posting on this site and it merely said to try an alkaline diet.
After reading about it on many sites, I knew that was the answer along with the DGL before every meal. That was my only chance of getting better. Belive me, it was extremely restrictive and definitely not social. I ate everything at home, never ate out.
I don't know how so many of you can keep suffering like this - pain was a HUGE motivation for me to get better as quickly as possible.
Posted 1/13/2007 3:44 PM (GMT 0)

DANIE, that is great that you got better.  It makes me feel happy to see that there is hope and I always love reading your posts.

But prilosec worked for you for a month (though you had a rebound effect).  NOTHING works for me.  That tells me that my GERD may actually be more vigorous than yours was.

The ice cream that I have is a special kind that is not dairy.  It is soy.  I even have wheat free bread. 

But my new GI place tells me to eat bread and dairy so that they can test me for these allergies.

I tried the alkaline diet (though they don't even believe in it where I go), and it didn't work for me.

I primarily got GERD from taking tons of medications after a car accident and tonsilitis. My heartburn went for more than a year untreated and no one told me that's what I had.  They kept telling me that the pain in my chest and sternum was musculoskeletal and kept giving me more and more drugs...

Posted 1/15/2007 2:16 AM (GMT 0)
Friendlygal,

How long did you try the alkaline diet for? You have to be extremely consistent. I'm sorry that you had the car accident and then all the pain that followed.
Posted 1/15/2007 3:41 AM (GMT 0)
Friendlygal and Danie,

I, too, always ate very healthy food - was known as the "salad queen" for all the fresh salads I would always bring to dinners..almost no red meat, low fat, low dairy...the GERD developed slowly, I think - I was starting to eliminate certain foods from my diet, and had gastritis once or twice - then my first ER admission where they had to rule out the cardiac angle because I didn't know what I had.

Anyway, Friendlygal - I appreciate your question about the contradictions. Like you, I haven't found anything that works. I have a friend that was "successfully" on PPI's and Zantac and something else - used to eat anything she wanted - and then 2 years ago she had to have a fundo wrap and it seems she's back on taking meds again. One question I continue to have is about the too much/not enough acid question. It seems they prescribe PPI's for either.?

Danie, how long were you on the DGL licorice before you felt it was a positive thing to do? It's hard to continue taking stuff when you feel you're worse. I like the taste of DGL licorice but can't say I feel better. (Gone are the days when, if you had a sour stomach, you could just eat some lettuce and celery and your stomach would correct itself.)

Sorry this is so scattered. Thank you, Danie, for continuing to take an interest in us.
Posted 1/15/2007 11:30 AM (GMT 0)
Lonibel,
I took the DGL every day for one month 20 minutes BEFORE EACH MEAL (they were always very small meals) and at BEDTIME. I had read that one or two at a time might not be enough and they weren't for me. I took 3 each time and found that really worked.
After I got better I felt I needed them just once in a while for maybe a few more weeks.
Within ONE MONTH my horrible symptoms (nausea/dizziness) had disappeared and I never had them again. All my research on line pointed to the DGL and alkaline way of eating as a solution to GERD. Go back and read the articles I had posted, they all make so much sense.
I wish you good health soon.
Danie
Posted 1/15/2007 2:56 PM (GMT 0)
DANIE,

My bottle says to take the DGL twice each time, not three of them...

Maybe yours had a different quantity of one of the substances in it?

Posted 1/15/2007 8:46 PM (GMT 0)
I took 2 and found that amount wasn't that helpful. I had read that Dr. Weil (medical md) had suggested even 3 at a time and tried it. Apparently that was the key, larger amount. Try it, maybe it can help you too.
Posted 1/15/2007 10:03 PM (GMT 0)
Well, i bought two different brands and one brand has a stronger amount of licorice in it.  so it probably depends on the amount you have in yours, as to whether or not to take 2 or 3??

Posted 1/15/2007 10:17 PM (GMT 0)

OH, bye the way DANIE I just read the bottle and it says to take ONE tablet 20 minutes before a meal and TWO for increased benefit...

In that case, are you absolutely sure that I can take even three?  Mine have 380 MG of DGL...

Posted 1/16/2007 2:36 AM (GMT 0)
Well, try two and then see. If you need 3 take them. What can you lose, after taking so many drugs this is the least harmful thing you can take.
It certainly helped me. By the way, I have been telling ALL the medical doctors I know about DGL - no one had every heard about it. The fact that Dr. Weil gave it the seal of approval was enough for me.
Posted 1/16/2007 12:31 PM (GMT 0)
Yes, but you still haven't told me how many MG are in your pills?  Are you sure that I can take as many as I want?  I don't mind taking 3 if it's not harmful.  But maybe mine are different than yours...who knows...

Posted 1/19/2007 8:53 PM (GMT 0)
I have been hearing about dgl what it for what does it look like
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