Acid Reflux, like an epidemic

Originally posted by Reap
Eating Processed food, sitting eating at your desk while still trying to get out the lastest report on time.
Lack of exercise, or time to relax and chill out.

Originally posted by sigung86
Unfortunately,, most of the food we eat is pre-prepared and done so in a mean-spirited way. the natural goodness is processed out and we add chemicals like msg, white sugar, fats, and stuff I can't even pronounce (and I have a college education .. LOL ) processed flour, on and on...

I have simply gone back to simpler foods, salads, fruits and the like. And am finding myself losing weight as well. Although I do reserve a once a month, or once every other month opportunity to avail myself of a local Italian restaurant that serves the finest prime rib I have ever eaten....

What's really irritating to me is that it is less costly to eat all the food that has had so much processing done to it and far more expensive to eat naturally healthful foods that have no added chemicals, etc.

Processed food can be a big part of it. Much of the ingredients (variations of MSG) and other things can be a contributing cause. I'm pretty sure a lot of it has to do with all the chemicals and crap in our food, like pesticides and herbicides, growth hormones, antibiotics, GMO food, etc.

Antibiotics and antibacterial products themselves have decimated our digestive systems and killed all those good bacteria that have helped us so much in previous ages

sigung, you made the points before I did. I agree whole-heartedly.

cybertroy, nyfem and all the others that are echoing the same points, thank you for your responses. I'm like the only person I'm familiar with who tries to eat organically and really watches out for this stuff, and it's nice to see some familiar points

Try this Protexid

I wouldn't call it an epidemic. I'd call it marketing.
It used to be called heartburn.

I had Acid Reflux for years and it would flare everytime i ate anything with HFCS.

In 2006 i had 5 way heart bypass surgery and they put me on a powerful antibiotic after surgery and i have not had Acid Reflux since.

Many people with Acid Reflux have a Helicobacter Pylori infection to the point they get pain but not to the point they get a ulcer.

The medications for Acid Reflux only mask the symptoms.
They do not kill the Helicobacter Pylori.
Helicobacter Pylori feeds on sugars like HFCS

It takes antibiotics to kill the Helicobacter Pylori infection

Good responses on this thread! I also believe its the diet. The PH of the food we eat is dropping decade by decade as we were not really meant to eat what we eat ,in the proportions we eat. A balanced diet with good PH (not too acid, not too alkaline ) would definitely be a boost. Also this would decrease the number of people suffering from cancer..

I was also diagnosed with GERD and the docs wanted me to "take the purple pill." Knowing Western medicine does nothing but suppress symptoms, I refused and said I would figure it out on my own, which I eventually did. I paid close attention to what I ate and when the symptoms subsequently arose. It turned out to be wheat and gluten based grains. Once I eliminated them from my diet, my symptoms disappeared within a few days. I have been gluten free for 5 years now and my heartburn has not returned.

why is it like half of people in hospitals get prescribed nexium or prilosec? in nursing homes its probably closer to 100% of patients prescribed one or the other.

it might have something to do with the fact that they charge $20 per pill for them, and the side effects are mild.

Originally posted by boeserwolf
I was also diagnosed with GERD and the docs wanted me to "take the purple pill." Knowing Western medicine does nothing but suppress symptoms, I refused and said I would figure it out on my own, which I eventually did. I paid close attention to what I ate and when the symptoms subsequently arose. It turned out to be wheat and gluten based grains. Once I eliminated them from my diet, my symptoms disappeared within a few days. I have been gluten free for 5 years now and my heartburn has not returned.

It's interesting that you mention elimination of wheat-gluten products. I had figured they were one of several causes too. But a lot of people who eat a lot of salads also have the problem.

There are many crops that are genetically modified to stop bugs from digesting the food. Lettuce crops are among them. Lettuce is one of many crops that are genetically modified so that the new genetic structure of the lettuce becomes its own "pesticide". By changing certain DNA strands of lettuce, a bug comes along and bites yet the bug becomes incapable of digesting the genetically modified lettuce.

And the possibility exists that when a crop is genetically modified so that bugs-insects are incapable of digestion--that when humans eat the crop, they too might not be able to properly digest. Thus leading to Acid Reflux.

Many pasta eaters have higher rates of Acid Reflux and many suspect the pasta sauces that they use. When it's most likely genetically modified durum wheat used to make the pasta itself. Years back, I made the mistake of buying a non-organic spaghetti brand on sale at Walmart. Sometimes I eat pasta with nothing on it--just boil up the pasta and eat. No sauce, no cheese, no topping. And immediately eating the plain genetically modified spaghetti brand I began to get gas--flatulence for about 5 hours straight. Made me angry. Switched back to organic spaghetti (plain-no sauce) and never had the problem again.

So, it could be genetically modified wheats (GMO durum wheat) that is also modified to become indigestable to insects---thus the human stomach can't digest it very well either.

Originally posted by Tomorrow
I am in the medical field and am amazed when taking historys how many people have acid reflux. Acid reflux meds are some of the most prescribed
drugs around the world.
In the last , fifty years or so it seems to have become something everyone has or gets. Over a period of time it can result in esophageal cancer

I wondered what some factors are that may be contributing to this outside the normal flow of thought, such as overeating. Whats differnt in the last 50 to 100 years in how we prepare and consume food ? Also the enviorment?

Some of my thoughts were Teflon type pans. Another thing was Pam type cooking sprays. What about microwaves? I bet a whole bunch of the board has acid reflux. I know I do. Come on guys ... Why are we bubbling up?

Your in the medical field and you seriously cannot answer your own question..
WOW,..
Well not a surprise really most those in your field are not really taught to heal people anyway,.
shame..

Here is a start for you and it begins with diet
Eliminate man made sugars from your diet.
Stop eating any breads with Gluten or yeast in them.
Cut back on coffee,
Cut back on alcohol
And learn how to balance your Body PH levels..
I have "cured" many people of heart burn issues and Acid reflux.
with this same "diet"
And have helped people get off Pump inhibitors

reply to post by Tomorrow


Hello All,

Took awhile to read through the entire thread but I wanted to make sure I wasn't rehashing... I'm not. The most common causes cited here are sugar (especially HCFS), things that break down into sugar (like alcohol, corn based products), and a lack of balance in the body (especially in the intestines). I was getting heartburn/reflux so bad it would wake me up at night. I asked my doctor for years to run some tests or check me for H. Pylori or anything else. He refused and said "you're just getting old and I can put you on a daily drug if you want". I finally had enough and switched doctors. This new doctor told me to reduce caffeine to one cup a day, cut out as much corn as possible, switch from cow to goat dairy whenever possible, take a balanced regimen of supplements, avoid tomatoes, and most importantly, balance the bacteria in my gut through probiotics. I followed her advice and am so happy and comfortable and acid free I feel like I've been given an enormous gift. Since largely tackling the problem, I occasionally cheat and have determined that sugar at night is the biggest culprit followed by corn. Good luck finding your factors but I strongly suggest you try natural balance before drugs. I'm loving it.

it's causedby a highly acidic blood/serum pH. Coffee, Coke, excess salt. Salty, greasy foods like bacon will do it, as well. Basically just the stygian American diet, more or less in general.

Anyone have a definitive cure for Acid reflux or "GERD"? I'm currently suffering from it, I only eat chicken cooked with pure olive oil, spinach, a slice of multi-grain bread(which makes me feel tired BTW), I eat "light yogurt" and I''m currently taking Probiotics from Shaklee, and some enzymes called "Gas Stop" from a company called Renew Life.

I have noticed that if i don't take the enzymes I start feeling really bloated and get abdominal pain, I did some blood tests 2 weeks ago and according to my doc everything is within range and he just wants me to take Nexium which i know is a big NO-NO.

A month ago i ate some bacon and after a few hours i felt like i was having a heart attack, I had these symptoms:

Headache
Chest Pain
Shortness of breath
Feeling of Fainting
Trembling
Felt really bloated with pain
BUT no throat burning at all until midnight.

Is all this really due to Acid Reflux?

I went to the ER and they did some X-Rays , my heart was fine according to them and I was only sent home with some Ibuprofen.


Any help!! please!

Yeah... Acid Reflux is a bummer

Take time to eat and digest your food properly, instead of bolting it down.
Sit up at the table, instead of balancing it on your knee's hunched over.

The only times I've ever suffered indigestion was when pregnant and that really can't be helped.

reply to post by Tomorrow


well - this thread is pretty old :-)

but since it has popped up again, and OP - if you're still in the medical field and you're still interested in ideas...

there is a connection between allergies, asthma and acid reflux
www.sciencedaily.com...
ezinearticles.com...?&id=726574
www.webmd.com...

allergies and asthma are on the rise
www.msnbc.msn.com...
www.physorg.com...

there's some connection between allergies/asthma, pollution/particulates, greenhouse gases and global warming
www.nwf.org...
newsdesk.org...

I've read up on this before - these are just the first few things I came up with right now - but there's plenty more out there on the magic internet