My Acid Reflux / Heartburn / GERD Problem - What to do?

[Jonny Law]

DR. PATTI KIM BITCH

[Winston]

I've been taking apple cider vinegar mixed with water. It's worked to stop the symptoms of acid reflux and heartburn. But the thing is, it's just a temporary fix because the heartburn keeps coming back later, so I have to drink more. What's a better more long-term solution?

I bought a box of baking soda at the town store today. Is that better? But I heard it tastes really bad though. There are a number of benefits to drinking baking soda. It acts as an antiseptic on your stomach too.

http://www.md-health.com/Drinking-Baking-Soda.html

[Winston]

Ok I tried taking baking soda with water, one teaspoon with eight ounces of water. It did work. Afterward, I had no heartburn for 24 hours. But after a day, it crept back again.

What should I do? Take the baking soda every morning? Will it ever go away so that I don't have to do that? The baking soda tastes weird.

Or is apple cider vinegar better?

[jamesbond]

[Winston]

Thanks all for your suggestions. I'm glad to announce that ever since I started drinking baking soda every few days, or once a week, I've had no more problems with acid reflux or heartburn! I didn't know such a natural remedy would work so well! At first I drank it every few days and then it would come back again. Now I drink it about once a week and it keeps the symptoms away.

So if anyone else has this problem, I'd highly recommend it. Baking soda only costs one dollar for a box. Just put one teaspoon of it in an 8 oz glass of water, mix it up and drink it. It tastes salty, but if you want you can add some honey in it. It also works as an antiseptic and cleans out your digestive system. But only drink it on an empty stomach, or else the baking soda could mess with your digestion if you've just eaten.

I wonder why most doctors don't recommend this to their patients. It would save them the trouble and cost of having to take proton pump inhibitors such as Nexium or Prilosec, which suppress stomach acid and are not good for you. Why doesn't the mainstream media tell everyone about this? It would help a lot of people. Instead, the media always talks about useless shit. What a waste of expensive broadcast time.

Obviously the reason is that there is no profit for big pharma if everyone drank baking soda instead of buying expensive drugs for it. That's so stupid. Why does the media help such a corrupt industry?

[Mr S]

Baking soda is good for removing toxins as well. It can help you body to become slightly alkaline as well which can kill off most bacteria and viruses as well as other illnesses. I've started taking the stuff too a few times a week. Synchronicity strikes again among the receptive ones...

[Taco]

Place 2 pillows on top of each other when you sleep. This will prop your head up and create a slope which might help the acid in your stomach from draining into the bottom of your esophagus. Acid reflux happens when lying flat for too long. Its a simple solution that might work.

[pandabear]

Nexium recently became available without a prescription.

[johnponting74]

It's important to know that acidity flow back illness is NOT a illness of too much acidity being created, but rather it's a situation relevant more generally to hernia - a situation in which the acidity is coming out of your abdomen, where it's expected to stay.

[Winston]

My acid reflux and heartburn has returned. It flares up in the Philippines for some reason, maybe from the bad polluted air or all the carbs and fried food I eat here. The worst thing is when I take a bite of food and the GERD makes me feel like I'm choking to death and can't breathe. Also when I wake up and the acid feels like it's shooting from through my throat into my mouth. Terrible.

Again, the baking soda eliminates this problem. But I have to take it every few hours or at least once a day to keep the heartburn away.

Here are some great health benefits of taking baking soda.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKC45xXVKKc[/youtube]

Some say baking soda cures cancer too.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Grtrm8tk4d4[/youtube]

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XdgNYiOcp8[/youtube]

[Kradmelder]

Have you ever had liver function checked. At one stage I had heart burn often and was popping piles of Rennies a day. Other symptoms started as well. Eventually it was traced to a virus that affects your liver. I've never had it again but they did say the virus can reoccur in some people.

[Winston]

Could this be the reason for my persistent heartburn now? If so, what can I do? I think I had this bacteria long ago when I had an ulcer. But antibiotics took care of it. Should I take antibiotics again to get rid of this? Especially if it's the real cause of persistent heartburn? The carbs I eat do seem to ignite the heartburn the most. And it says below that vegetarians have the lowest stomach acid.

http://bodyecology.com/articles/3-ways- ... -heartburn

H. Pylori: The Role It Plays in Heartburn

An infection of the pathogenic microbe called H. pylori is now understood to be largely responsible for heartburn and stomach ulcers. One large study found that H. pylori infection is more common in patients with acid reflux and less common in patients without acid reflux. (1)

At one point in time, no one believed that any living organism could survive the highly acidic environment of the stomach. This all changed in 1982 when Dr. Barry Marshall drank an entire beaker teeming with H. pylori. A week later he developed gastritis, or in other words, inflammation of the stomach. This changed the minds of the medical community.

* H. pylori reduce the acidity of the stomach in order to survive.
* When stomach acid is too low, this invites H. pylori infection.
* As the body ages or after an extended time of eating a vegan or vegetarian diet, the body produces less stomach acid, or hydrochloric acid (HCL).
* Antacid medication (PPIs) can also reduce the secretion of stomach acid.

Reduced stomach acid means that carbohydrates are less likely to break down and more likely to feed bacteria, causing overgrowth in the small intestine (SIBO). In addition, the pathogenic bacterium called H. pylori favors a low-acid environment and produces its own chemicals in order to reduce stomach acid.
What NOT to Eat

Knowing what not to eat is half the battle. In addition to following the steps of the Body Ecology diet, when healing heartburn, limit or remove:
Taking an antacid isn’t the solution for heartburn relief. To heal heartburn, avoid sugar, prebiotics, fiber, and carbohydrates to stop bacterial overgrowth.

* Sugars. Even sugars like fructose can lead to an increase in bacterial overgrowth. One of the biggest culprits is agave nectar, which many people believe is a “healthy sugar”. Remember, bacteria eat all forms of sugar.
* Prebiotics. Many times a prebiotic can benefit intestinal health. Sometimes, however, this just provides more food for unwanted bacteria.
* Fiber and Carbohydrates. A certain percentage of fiber and carbohydrates that we consume escape absorption. This means that, like a prebiotic, these become food for unwanted bacteria.

[El_Caudillo]

Winston when I was in Taiwan I had acid reflux...I'm not sure of the reason, perhaps the change in diet? Stress? Although in your case I'm guessing you are less stressed right now. I too took to the internet to look for answers and concluded from my symptoms I had a yeast infection. When I went to the doctor he told me it wasn't so and gave me anti-acids and something a bit like laxatives/anti-inflams. I have to say that the medicine did work to relieve symptoms I also ate a lot of yogurt which helped. I agree with you that doctors are actually brainwashed by their training and drug companies - but it's also dangerous to speculate on your problem looking at the internet. Try to find a good doctor and/or change up your eating habits...

[Winston]

Winston when I was in Taiwan I had acid reflux...I'm not sure of the reason, perhaps the change in diet? Stress? Although in your case I'm guessing you are less stressed right now. I too took to the internet to look for answers and concluded from my symptoms I had a yeast infection. When I went to the doctor he told me it wasn't so and gave me anti-acids and something a bit like laxatives/anti-inflams. I have to say that the medicine did work to relieve symptoms I also ate a lot of yogurt which helped. I agree with you that doctors are actually brainwashed by their training and drug companies - but it's also dangerous to speculate on your problem looking at the internet. Try to find a good doctor and/or change up your eating habits...

Youre lucky the doctor didnt give you a prescription drug like nexium. That's usually the first thing they do. Why didnt you try baking soda? Its the easiest and most natural solution. And it works. Thats what i use. So do you still have acid reflux now that youre in New Zealand?

[El_Caudillo]

Youre lucky the doctor didnt give you a prescription drug like nexium. That's usually the first thing they do. Why didnt you try baking soda? Its the easiest and most natural solution. And it works. Thats what i use. So do you still have acid reflux now that youre in New Zealand?

No acid reflux here. If I'd known about baking soda I would have tried it. Somebody told me to use apple cider vinegar, that just made it worse

What is the healthcare like in the Philippines? Is it hard to see a doctor? Expensive? I suppose they all speak good English?

In Taiwan it was about 10 USD to see the doctor. Here in NZ it is about 30.