Some people raise the head of their bed 6" by putting it on blocks. You may want to try a medicine like over the counter Zantac, and or Prilosec. If it doesn't go away you need to see your doctor. The asthma could possibly be resolved if you get this under control. You are aspiration stomach acid during your sleep is what it sounds like to me. Good luck! GERD is no fun! But yes, the asthma can be caused by the reflux.

Prilosec really seems to help my husband with his acid reflux. Though it's been pretty tame since starting back on LCHF.

Hooray! That's good news! I hope that the trend continues! Keep us updated!

Dragonwolf wrote: »

Hopefully, Goat can chime in for whether it's normal for people new to this way of eating.

However, my guess is that your new way of eating is increasing your requirement for stomach acid that your stomach hasn't met yet. As strange as this sounds, heartburn is more often caused by too little stomach acid, not too much. As I understand it, too little can cause the valves keeping the stomach contents in the stomach to not remain closed as tightly as it should.

So, the remedy is actually to add more acid, as counterintuitive as that is. Take about a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar (white vinegar will work in a pinch, though may need more water) and mix it with 8oz of water and drink it (you can use more water if necessary). And yes, it's okay for the challenge. This falls under medicinal use.

Also, what meats are you eating? Some people find that things like chicken or pork don't agree with them. If you're eating chicken or pork, try backing off and limiting yourself to beef and see if that changes how you feel. It might also be worth experimenting with grass fed and finished beef to see if it's soy and/or wheat proteins in the meat that you're reacting to.

I did a ton of research when my young daughter was diagnosed with GERD. Typically severe acid reflux and things like GERD are traditionally like 85% of cases) caused by not only having too little of acids, but many times, those people are missing an entire class of acids, and not always the same ones. That is why apple cider vinegar is ambrosia to some and hell in a glass to others. I believe that there is a particular type of apple cider vinegar that is raw/and has some other too it (Bragg's seems to ring a bell for some reason).

But if ACV worsens someone's reflux, do some research. There are other types of acids you can add in - as the on the OP is looking for.

Know too that if you problem is not enough acid, taking stuff like Prilosec, Zantac, and Pepcid can actually worsen the problem long term (this obviously does not affect everyone, but mainly those without enough acid) and cause you to become dependent on medications for life. You are better off identifying the acids missing (and yes, they can actually test this if you find a good doctor) and adding them in to your life.

SAD/LF diet can cause this when started during development, as can drinking acid water regularly (most water is acidic and can be made more alkaline by adding salt - though I know you can buy more alkaline water, too), and basically confusing your gallbladder and bile system by majorly shifting high and low fat days. A lot of times, adding more fat can help balance this system out too.

Also, as far as the flap not closing, one of the main things my daughter was taught to avoid is peppermint. It confuses the signal to close the flap over your stomach, allowing acid back up into the digestive tract and trachea, causing burns and pain.

I can personally attest that I no longer have a gallbladder and still had bursts of bad heartburn for the last decade plus. Since going LCHF, I have only had one episode during adaption, and it had to do with drinking a lot of water while my stomach was digestion, causing some of the acid to float and give me horrible heartburn. I'm happy to report no episodes in a few months now... I wish any sufferers of this noting but peace and the best of luck. Heartburn/reflux is hell!

Yep, Bragg's is the common one. It's raw, unfiltered (with the "mother"). Since vinegar is fermented, kinds like Bragg's have the probiotics still in them, which can increase their benefit for medicinal purposes.

But yeah, I second the observation that LCHF resolves heartburn issues (or can resolve them) in the long run. I've since found that refined carbs from any source, and even some non-refined, starchy carbs, are heart burn triggers for me.

Has the amount of fat you're eating increased significantly and are you trying to eat huge amounts (like the bad example I set by eating two pounds in a single meal)? Both of those can trigger issues.

If you are adding fats or drinking bulletproof coffee type concoctions, I would cut those extra sources of fat out and see. It could help. You can see what I ate yesterday, which is not typical (I was out all day), but even without adding fats I was at 77% fat.

Being at 75-80% fat is typical. Eating out all day is not. I prefer eating at home where I have more control.

Edit: and don't judge me for the carbs in the denny's hearty breakfast sausage. I only notices that after I ate it. I wouldn't order it again anyway, the spices did not taste good to me. Would have been happier with more bacon.

Do you still gave a gallbladder? Before I got mine taken out I used to get that every time I ate anything with ANY amount of fat in it. Ouch!

Wow, @wozy46 thank you for bumping this! Just last night I had trouble sleeping due to reflux. It was good to be reminded about ACV, and good to know that some fats can be the culprit.

Digestive enzymes worked for me

There is actually very little sugar in Kombucha because the scoby has taken it all to brew the tea....

1. Do I have to use sugar? I never consume sugar so it puts me off Kombucha.

The sugar in Kombucha is for the culture to consume, not for you. When done fermenting, there will be about 2-6 grams per 8 ounce glass of unflavored Kombucha. By contrast, an 8 ounce glass of orange juice has about 24g of sugar. Natural carrot juices have 13g per 8 ounces. If fermented longer, say for 3 weeks or longer, sugar levels in Kombucha may be even lower – Recommended for diabetics and others with low sugar tolerance.

2. Why does Kombucha need so much sugar?

Without sugar, Kombucha cannot ferment. Sucrose is most easy to digest by the yeasts; they consume the sugar and put out CO2 (carbon dioxide, i.e. the bubbles in your booch) & ethanol (alcohol). Which is nice.

From here.