For People With Gi Issues / Acid Reflux

[MarkR555]

Hey guys, this site has already been very helpful to me so I thought i'd share something in case you didn't know about it.

I was diagnosed a celiac because I have bad GERD / acid reflux and my doc did some biopsies during a gastroscopy. My stomach problems started badly when I had a 2 week holiday and went back home to my hometown and did a lot of binge drinking. Up until recently I just thought I had bad acid reflux so spent a couple of years looking at ways to cure/alleviate that. I'm sure people have mentioned this before but I thought i'd make a thread to catch anyone that hadn't had heard of it.

The best thing I found in that time is slippery elm powder. It is made from the bark of the slippery elm tree, and is best used by making it into a drink. What I do is mix a heaped teaspoonful with a little milk (lactose free) in a cup until it is like a paste, then add some more milk and a bit of sugar or some honey to sweeten it a bit, then microwave it until warm. If you keep stirring it until it's fully mixed and leave it for 2-3 minutes, you'll see that the grains/powder swell up very large and what you end up with is basically a cup of something akin to mucus. It is very soothing and I presume gives the inflamed areas a bit of protection and helps them heal up.

The taste is a bit odd (woody?) but perfectly bearable and the texture a bit gross at first, but it is amazing for settling the stomach and helping with acid reflux / inflammation. I have it every night before bed but have had it 2-3 times a day before when things were worse. It has been used for centuries, people often give it to animals that have had stomach / GI episodes. It is a very inert substance and has no know side effects, interactions, or any downsides I can think of. Many people on GERD sites around the net swear by this stuff, a lot of people use it to wean themselves off PPI medications.

If you are having acid reflux or sore stomach problems I would really implore you to buy some and give it a go, I found it helped me more than anything else. I haven't tried anything other than the powder but I can't see how a pill with a much smaller amount in it will be as effective as a big spoonful of the stuff made up into a drink. Buy some powder and give it a go if you are having trouble.

I am in the UK so can't help with where to buy it but I bought mine online in a 250g pack. You can find out a bit more here:

Open Original Shared Link

Hope this helps someone

Mark

[ravenwoodglass]

Your post could be helpful to many that are in the early stages of healing and still having problems with Gerd. Thanks for posting the University of Maryland link. One thing to keep in mind, from that link is this:

"Slippery elm has no serious side effects. Because it coats the digestive tract, it may slow down the absorption of other drugs or herbs. You should take slippery elm 2 hours before or after other herbs or medications you may be taking."

We have had others who have mentioned slippery elm and also found it helpful.

[MarkR555]

Yup good point, don't take this at the same time as a PPI or any other medication.

On a side note I think I got my first glutening (after 3 weeks gluten free) last night. Woke up this morning with a stomach that was a lot more sore than normal, my guts felt a bit inflammed / bigger and had some real D when I went to the bathroom (I never get this normally). Hope this won't set my recovery back too far, my stomach has been feeling better already.

Seriously though anyone with GI pain please try the slippery elm, I tried dozens of different remedies / suppliments and it is amazing stuff.

[GFinDC]

Hi Mark,

Thanks for the tip. Slippery elm sounds like some thing I would like to try out.

I read that marshmallow root has a coating effect on the intestine. I think natural remedies are interesting to learn about and use.