Acid Reflux Advice Needed - DIET based
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JessicaLCHF
Posts: 1,265 Member
So I'm going to my primary Thursday. I have had acid reflux for years. I used to take Tagamet but it interacted with a med I take, so my docs switched me to Prilosec. Problem is: the Prilosec is stopping my magnesium absorption to the point that no matter how much I take, I'm too low. My doc warned me not to stop it cold turkey cause she said it usually rebounds and ends in failure.
Over the years, I've tried diet changes and eating early - none of that helped. I posted as a comment of another thread and someone recommended Apple Cider Vinegar pills. I'm going to try that, after I talk to my doctor. Her plan is to wean me off the Prilosec but how - I don't know yet.
I just want to come to the table with a little knowledge. One option I was also considering besides the ACV (which I bought the other day but haven't started) is kombacha? Any other options out there? Anyone else with a success story?
I'd much rather control it via something like ACV than a medicine like Prilosec, anyway.
Over the years, I've tried diet changes and eating early - none of that helped. I posted as a comment of another thread and someone recommended Apple Cider Vinegar pills. I'm going to try that, after I talk to my doctor. Her plan is to wean me off the Prilosec but how - I don't know yet.
I just want to come to the table with a little knowledge. One option I was also considering besides the ACV (which I bought the other day but haven't started) is kombacha? Any other options out there? Anyone else with a success story?
I'd much rather control it via something like ACV than a medicine like Prilosec, anyway.
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I did kombucha for a while, but I did it for the gut health stuff. I didn't notice anything on the heartburn/reflux side with it.
I do one ACV pill (was doing liquid, but taking with every meal, my doc suggested the pills) AND
One NOW Brand Super Enzyme (I started with Betaine HCL straight, but I didn't tolerate it well.
If it doubt, I would to the Super Enzyme pill only. I prefer the combo, but if I have to take a second pill, I take a second enzyme pills, and for emergency heartburn, I might add the liquid ACV, depending on what seems to be causing it...
But the enzyme pills are what made ALL the difference for me.
When I go back to my endo in a few weeks, I'm really excited to see how the changes are reflected in my nutrients, because iron, D3, B12, they all require enough acid to digest and properly breakdown fully/absorb. So does T4 converting to T3 and use of T3... Among I'm sure dozens of other things.
Here is the product link so that you can research what's in it. https://www.amazon.com/NOW-Foods-Super-Enzymes-Capsules/dp/B0013OXKHC/
@anglyn1 is the one who got me started on the low stomach acid path and solving things...and I'm forever in her debt. It's been lifechanging! And no more pure bile poo unless I go well beyond 12 hours anymore of fasting... (used to be could trigger at 6-8 hours, depending)...0 -
Oh, and something else. Low stomach acid and lack of proper enzymes can lead to candida overgrowth and all manner of gut problems, because not having those acids/enzymes allows bacteria and bad crap to make it to our gut and destroy all the good things, etc.0
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Before I started this diet I took a Fenugreek capsule with meals for acid reflux - recommended to me by my pharmacist (Walmart has it) & it worked, now that I am doing this WOE I usually forget to take it & just take a tsp of Braggs Apple Cider vinegar in my glass of water with a meal. Totally works. I used to have Zantac, Eno, Tums & Rolaids stashed in the car & all over the house. Dr. Eric Berg says contrary to what most ppl believe - acid isn't the problem it is that as you age the acidity isn't enough that is why you take the apple cider vinegar. I haven't had acid reflux now for maybe a month or so and used to be all the time.2
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Any acid in your esophagus is going to burn. Having acid reflux does not *necessarily* mean you are making too much (like KnitorMiss said - could also be too little) it just means it is getting into a place it should not be, even if just a little of it. So if the flap that keeps stuff in your stomach from going back up (throwing up, etc) is weak or lax, some stomach acid could get back up there and feel like heartburn (because it is).
In addition to the great suggestions you will likely get here regarding diet based solutions, pay attention to your posture. Picture your stomach like a balloon, and if you bend over or slouch you are squishing the balloon and the contents will have to go somewhere - they will take the easiest route which is probably back up where it came from. Practice standing or sitting up as straight as you can, especially when eating. Avoid laying down after eating, or prop your head up (or better yet, raise the back two legs of your bed so the whole thing is at a slight angle).
Another possibility: Be aware that drinking while eating will make it worse - makes it all liquidity and mobile, and dilutes the stomach acid so it doesnt do as good a job. Try to limit your drinking in the half hour before and after a meal, and avoid drinking during your meal (other than small sips). Worth a try
Good luck!2 -
Tried all those many times with no affect, Aylajane. I think it is def over or under production of acid. I'm guessing over. The only thing that helps has been meds. I also am prone to getting gastritis or ulcers.
I'll update this with docs recommendations and my progress.1 -
I was on this medicine for many, many years. I went off it last year when I read how bad it was for you, regarding nutrition and digestion. I started taking it every other day for a while, then every third day, once a week and then off it completely. To be honest, my first month completely off of it was this side of hell. I bought Maalox, kept it in the Fridge, and chugged it when I needed it. Eventually the acid reflux decreased significantly, but never fully went away until I started LCHF. It is now totally gone!1
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I was on this medicine for many, many years. I went off it last year when I read how bad it was for you, regarding nutrition and digestion. I started taking it every other day for a while, then every third day, once a week and then off it completely. To be honest, my first month completely off of it was this side of hell. I bought Maalox, kept it in the Fridge, and chugged it when I needed it. Eventually the acid reflux decreased significantly, but never fully went away until I started LCHF. It is now totally gone!
That's awesome! Yes, Maalox is great. I've done that at night when I realized too late I was out of meds. Did you ever experiment with apple cider vinegar?0 -
JessicaLCHF wrote: »I was on this medicine for many, many years. I went off it last year when I read how bad it was for you, regarding nutrition and digestion. I started taking it every other day for a while, then every third day, once a week and then off it completely. To be honest, my first month completely off of it was this side of hell. I bought Maalox, kept it in the Fridge, and chugged it when I needed it. Eventually the acid reflux decreased significantly, but never fully went away until I started LCHF. It is now totally gone!
That's awesome! Yes, Maalox is great. I've done that at night when I realized too late I was out of meds. Did you ever experiment with apple cider vinegar?
Not for my acid reflux. I recently started taking it in water, when I remember to.0 -
@KnitOrMiss if you take ACV as a pill, are you still getting the benefit of the "mother" (that sounds so weird) that's in liquid form? The friendly bacteria?0
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@KnitOrMiss if you take ACV as a pill, are you still getting the benefit of the "mother" (that sounds so weird) that's in liquid form? The friendly bacteria?
According to my doctor, it is supposed to be yes. It has a specific level of acetic acid or whatever it is, and they have a warning not to get too hot and all that. I researched when I first started taking it (it's been 8 or so months now), so honestly, I don't remember what all I found out at that time, as I've had other issues on my priority table since then... I just recall that the article said to look for specific things on the label, and this one I got had them all.
That being said, I cannot do the 1 tsp-1TBSP diluted in a glass of water thing. It's instantly an aversion, so I was doing 1 TBSP in 2 oz water and chugging it like a shot, but I was still getting some of the burn feeling from it, which was GREAT when I got sick, but not so much the rest of the time. My doc suggested switching to the pills since I was using it with every meal...she said it was what she herself did.
I just know that most of my issues have resolved, as long as I don't go from one extreme to the other in my eating.
@aylajane - my research has shown that the under-production of stomach acid is far more rare than the over-production, unless dramatically influenced by a less common medical condition or medication side effects. Do you find this to be untrue or closer to 50/50? My understanding that around 5% or so of cases of heartburn were related to underproduction of stomach acids. I'm just asking, because I'm sincerely curious.
And yes, I remember the "floating bile" feeling if I drank too much water with or at my meals, which was very very rare for me, and generally only happened if I was very dehydrated already.
I know one of the strange things that can trigger the "flap" that closes the stomach off for digestion to stay open or not close is peppermint. My daughter was diagnosed with GERD 6 or so years ago, and that was one of the many things she was told to avoid, as well as caffeine, excess sweets, and others. Simply by bringing attention to what to avoid and all that, we were able to have the majority of her symptoms resolve within that year.1 -
I was on this medicine for many, many years. I went off it last year when I read how bad it was for you, regarding nutrition and digestion. I started taking it every other day for a while, then every third day, once a week and then off it completely. To be honest, my first month completely off of it was this side of hell. I bought Maalox, kept it in the Fridge, and chugged it when I needed it. Eventually the acid reflux decreased significantly, but never fully went away until I started LCHF. It is now totally gone!
@Aquawave - My situation was much the opposite. Before I had my gallbladder out 7 weeks postpartum, I had the worst heartburn ever - would wake up choking on bile and all that. Had it out, nearly everything resolved, but I started having bathroom drama. Several years later, and it's mostly managed.
Then I went low carb and things were positively awesome for a while. Then I hit a brick wall with my digestion that felt like hitting it at 100 MPH, speeding up, no brakes involved. Went of plan a few weeks later. Kombucha and diatomaceous earth helped me control it for a time. Then, rebooted low carb in January. Before February was over, I was back to digestive misery.
A few weeks in, @anglyn1 posted some information in a "keto diarrhea" what causes it post - and one stood out to me, and I went down the info rabbit hole, and have been feeling and heckuva lot better since. Night and day, change my life, kind of better!0 -
@KnitOrMiss - oh I am no expert or anything, but in googling (not scientific research!) there were quite a few articles that stated it was very prevalent. I of course did not care to prove or disprove anyone, just looking for help with my symptoms and experimenting with various suggestions.
Here are sites that threw out some stats (that I did not try to confirm)
http://www.ndhealthfacts.org/wiki/Hypochlorhydria_(Low_Stomach_Acid)
" Approximately one third of individuals over 60 years-of-age have achlorhydria and a much higher number have hypochlorhydria."
http://www.collective-evolution.com/2015/03/16/are-your-symptoms-related-to-low-stomach-acid-the-truth-about-heartburn/
https://nutritiongang.com/low-stomach-acidity-hypochlorhydria/
http://www.eatnakednow.com/13-signs-you-have-hypochlorhydria/
Here talks about symptoms indicating it
http://scdlifestyle.com/2012/06/hypochlorhydria-3-common-signs-of-low-stomach-acid/
http://drmyhill.co.uk/wiki/hypochlorhydria_-_lack_of_stomach_acid_-_can_cause_lots_of_problems
As a WLS patient, I dont have malabsorption issues (VSG) due to intestinal changes, but I do have digestive issues with food not being broken down enough in my stomach, so vitamins etc are not able to be absorbed properly (other surgeries alter the intestines on purpose to shuttle food out before it has time to absorb - my issue is not the time it spends there, just the form it is in when it gets there is inappropriate).
My philosophy is self experimentation - not trying to change or fix the world, only myself... so anything someone else has found that works and sounds reasonable and seems to apply and wont hurt me more, I try. So I throw out things to others thinking maybe it will spark something in them that makes sense and leads them to a solution. Most of the time it doesnt 0 -
Well, I appreciate any and all input. Who knows what will end up working for me. It's a journey. I'm glad my doc is on board with getting me off Prilosec.
I have a suspicion the ACV will work. Or the enzyme pills.2 -
@JessicaLCHF It is also worth noting that the ACV gave @auntstephie321 bad stomach pains, but adding the enzymes has really helped her, as has adding probiotics. She worked out a schedule to stagger it up to make her feel her best.
@aylajane - I really loved the articles that were posted before about using Betaine HCL versus the compound enzyme formula. The Betaine HCL alone was horrible and not well tolerated for me, but the enzymes have a combination of bile acids and the enzymes which work in the intestine. My understanding is that stomach acid starts the process, and the enzymes continue it, so both must be present for the whole process to work well.
In not having a gallbladder, the time in the digestive system is dramatically lessened, because if there is not enough acid to break down say, lettuce, will be expelled nearly whole within 1/2 hour, which is dramatically less time that it should be in the system...
I hope medical science focuses more on how much things like VSG and other surgeries impact digestion... It makes huge differences when treated properly after an important surgical event... I was never give any suggestions after my gallbladder removal. Just "go back to normal." Horrible. Had I known about low carb those almost 16 years ago, I might never have had to have that surgery...0 -
@KnitOrMiss is right, I had much more success with digestive enzymes than with the acv. Though it's possible I was diluting the acv to much at the time making things worse. One day I did more acv and honey in water and it helped almost immediately.2
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My spouse has had success with ACV pills. Braggs with the mother burned his throat, and he started skipping doses, so I switched and he is doing much better.3
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My spouse has had success with ACV pills. Braggs with the mother burned his throat, and he started skipping doses, so I switched and he is doing much better.
I find that it burns too. I mix about a tablespoon with maybe half to 1 ounce of water and some sea salt and it tastes kinda like pickle juice (which I love!) and no more burn.1 -
If you don't get heartburn anymore, is there a reason to stay with the ACV?0
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@KnitOrMiss - I had my gallballer removed about 10 years before the VSG and never noticed any issues related to it, but I wasnt really looking either. I have found that minor issues exist for years but I dont notice them until something more obvious presents itself, then I start looking at overall "symptoms" and realize something was there all along... So its possible that is part of my issue as well - never thought of that!
I have tried the Betaine HCL and it did not agree with me. Just ordered some digestive enzymes a few days ago so hoping that works out!0 -
If you don't get heartburn anymore, is there a reason to stay with the ACV?
@kmn118 - ACV with the mother has probiotic and other benefits, so one might continue taking it for those reasons. But if you're not getting heartburn anymore, it might be BECAUSE you're still taking ACV. I would "wean" off of it if that's what you're wanting to do, cut down the dose, then drop every other day, etc. to make sure you don't trigger a mad resurgence!0
