Acid Reflux---

[Glutina]

Hello all you inspirational gluten-free people,

I have been having SUCH amazing results since being gluten-free for 2.5 months now. And while I can mark my progress in many areas, the one I am having a hard time telling if anything has changed is in the area of acid reflux. I have noticed a SLIGHT improvement, but not as much as I was hoping.

My shortened story is that, because I am a singer, and was having some vocal problems years ago, I was sent to a proactive doc who diagnosed me with reflux...I had all the symptoms. I was put on Nexium---6 years ago!!! (I am 25 now). Although there have been a few months of not being on it for various reasons, I have been on this strong medication for a long time, and I worry that it has compromised my digestive system. I want to be able to live without this medication, and now that I am making the switch in careers from an opera singer to a nutritionist (with a singing business on the side) I feel I can take the time to go off my medication and see what happens. I definitely know that as of right now, I get mild-moderate reflux if I eat tomoatoes, lots of caffeine, onions and strong garlic, unk food and I used to get it with bread...or now if I accidentally get glutened. (I usually get it at night, no matter how early I stop eating...and yes I have my bed raised heh heh). I do not get intense burning, but I get a sense of fullness all of a sudden in my chest, and belching. If I have eaten a lot of triggering foods, I wake up with a raw throat, although this is becoming more rare as I go along this gluten-free journey.

I should mention that the wonderful GI specialist who diagnosed me with extreme gluten sensitivity had me switch to Pantoloc (he said Nexium was too harsh...?) and said that there's no harm in trying to go off the medication if I have the time for the adjustment period, so long as I get this monitered regularly.

SO---have any of you out there dealt with anything similar? Were you on PPIs for a long time and then tried going off them....for good? What happened, how lon did it take for your system to balance out---how did it all work out?

Thanks so much for reading!

PS---I am currently reading/applying 2 great books: "Wheat Free/Worry Free" by Danna Korn and "The Gluten-Free Vegetarian Kitchen" by Donna Klein. (I am not really vegetarian, but I don't find that I eat red meat very often so this seemed fitting for me)

Wishing you a great day,

Glutina

[RiceGuy]

Well, firstly I haven't had such chronic heartburn, so what I know on the subject is from reading only.

Besides the obvious things that can help with heartburn, like certain nutrients, there are some lesser known remedies that seem to help many people in this area. One I've read about is apple cider vinegar. Yeah, I know, it sounds like it would make heartburn worse, but if you look it up you'll find lots of people are saying it works. It seems many (but not all) people with heartburn actually have insufficient stomach acid, and there's something in apple cider vinegar which gets the stomach producing more acid. That means food is broken down faster, thus not irritating the stomach. When you think about it, this does make good sense, as heartburn is often associated with indigestion. Some even report that after a while they no longer have any heartburn. However, you need to make sure that the vinegar is real apple cider vinegar, not flavored. Otherwise it won't have the naturally occurring compounds that do the job.

Something else to be aware of is that long-term use of antacids can damage the stomach's ability to produce acid. That of course leads to all sorts of digestive issues. One such problem is Pernicious Anemia. That's basically where the stomach no longer produces something called Intrinsic Factor. One result of this is that vitamin B12 from food cannot be broken down for absorption, making life-long supplementation necessary.

Here's the first of many links that came up on Google:

Open Original Shared Link

I hope you get real, permanent relief soon!

[curlyfries]

I was on Prilosec for years, before I knew I had gluten issues. I had the burning in my throat, always feeling like there was something stuck in my throat. I started eating yogurt every day and my reflux went away . If I went a few days without it the symptoms would reappear. Once I started eliminating gluten from my diet, I no longer needed the yogurt. But now I'm having problems again. I am hesitant to try the yogurt, as I am now dairy free. So my feeling is that this time it is either candida, or another food sensitivity.

Lisa

[1965kid]

I was on PPI's for close to 15 years. Had the worst case of Reflux/chronic heartburn you could imagine!

I read about and tried the ACV method and it CURED me. It doesnt treat symptoms, it cures the problem.

You must make sure the Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) is raw, unfiltered, with the Mother. Bragg is the brand I use. I mixed it with RAW natural honey and drank it twice a day for about 3 months and my heartburn was cured. I dont drink it everyday anymore, but I do use ACV to make my homemade salad dressing and eat a salad everyday.

Drink it twice a day and dont stop till your problem is cured. Throw away those meds and cure your problem yourself. The doctors wont tell you this because there is no money in it for them.

[Glutina]

hi again and thanks for the replies!!!

RiceGuy---thanks for the link---scary thought/info, but good to know!!!

Curlyfries---how frustrating that your reflux is returning. Have you heard of H. Pylori...? I know that can cause reflux that seems to be helped by yogurt.

1965---yes, I have heard of apple cider vinegar. I dont think i woul want to try it until I am off Pantoloc for at least a week, just so i can see what will happen with my refulx on its own. I hear the stuff is gross...and I also hear that it can make refulx worse if it's caused by excess acid production which is also common. So...I am open to it, but will wait before trying it I think.

SOOOOOOOO----anyone else out there have reflux experiences to share....were/are you on meds for it?

Thanks again!!!

Glutina