Acid Reflux

[lobita]

Hi all,

I've been on a gluten-free diet for over ten years, but now my mother has just been diagnosed with acid reflux. My instict is to tell her to go on an elimination diet and avoid gluten, even though her doctor didn't tell her to do this.

I found one discussion on here talking about people prior to going gluten-free dealing with acid reflux. I was just wondering if there are others here who have or have had acid reflux and how their experience with going gluten-free turned out. I'm really unexperienced with AR and I just want to be sure I'm telling her the right thing.

Thanks!

[RiceGuy]

I think there are quite a number of members whom have or had heartburn, and that a gluten-free diet helps. Fortunately, I haven't had that problem, but it seems there are posts by members about it on a regular basis. Have you tried a search?

[burdee]

Hi all,

I've been on a gluten-free diet for over ten years, but now my mother has just been diagnosed with acid reflux. My instict is to tell her to go on an elimination diet and avoid gluten, even though her doctor didn't tell her to do this.

I found one discussion on here talking about people prior to going gluten-free dealing with acid reflux. I was just wondering if there are others here who have or have had acid reflux and how their experience with going gluten-free turned out. I'm really unexperienced with AR and I just want to be sure I'm telling her the right thing.

Thanks!

Many things can cause acid reflux, but almost never excess acid in the stomach. Acid reflux occurs when the lower esophageal sphincter (LES)opens at inappropriate times. Foods including caffeine, chocolate, peppermint, onions and alcohol can relax the LES and allow food to reflux. Drugs including NSAIDs (like Ibuprofen or Advil) and analgesics like Demerol can also relax the LES. Overeating, wearing tight waistbands, going to bed soon after eating and other lifestyle havits can also influence reflux. As you mentioned, people with gluten intolerance and other food allergies or intolerances often suffer reflux because their digestion is impeded by allergen induced inflammation in their intestines. Also the H. Pylori bacteria can destroy the stomach's parietal (acid producing) cells, impair digestion and cause reflux.

Ask your mom if she changed her diet, began a new prescription or suffered symptoms of intestinal inflammation from gluten or other food intolerance reactions. Most docs will just treat the symptoms of reflux with acid blockers, because drug companies convinced them that too much acid causes reflux. So traditional docs seldom research and/or treat the causes of reflux.

I also had reflux before my celiac disease diagnosis and before diagnoses of my 6 additional allergens. I had even worse reflux when I had an H. Pylori bacterial infection. However, I recently took a Heidelberg capsule test which measures stomach acid production. That indicated I had low (and very slow) stomach acid production. So after treating the H. Pylori and healing my stomach lining, I began taking Betaine Hydrochloride supplements with meals. Now I rarely have reflux, but I also refrain from foods that commonly relax the LES.