The All-Natural Regimen That Has Helped My Reflux Problem

[NYer]

Shayward,
That little blurb at the end of your post "maybe it is all in our heads" really bothers me. No, it is not all in our heads. It's a physical condition that can be helped physically. And medical doctors do not have a clear understanding of how to treat it. So BAD doctors convince you that it is all in your head.

It is NOT in your head. And so long as you have a statement like that in your profile, and are resigned to believe that, then you'll probably suffer from depression as well as gastric problems.

Here is a link to a study having to do with calcium and LES function. It's not a real detailed article but maybe it will help steer you in the right direction to find what you want.

[url]http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18628484[/url]

TD,
I actually was told to do the calcium by my Ear Nose and Throat doctor (MD), who is very informed about nutritional info. He said to use powdered calcium citrate. It is, apparently , the most well-absorbed type and even though it is, in itself, acidic, it shouldn't cause additional problems. Taking calcium pills (as opposed to powder) doesn't help with the LES because by the time it is absorbed, it's way past your LES. And this is the same thing it said in the Galland article.
I've been doing it for two months - but to be fair, I've also been doing all of the other things I described above. So I'm not sure how much of my improvement, if any, is due to the calcium, versus other steps. But, with that included in my regimen, I'm feeling tremendously better.

[NYer]

Here's another related study:
[url]http://ajpgi.physiology.org/cgi/content/abstract/289/6/G998[/url]

[Buffy]

Nyer - Do you know whether or not age has anything to do with needing to use digestive enzymes?b

[NYer]

Actually, yes. It seems that as we get older, we produce less stomach acid and less enzymes. But age is not the only reason. Some people (myself for one) just are low in those things.

I also just found out this week that people who are low in acid often have rosacea (which I do), and another typical trait of low acid is a lot of belching. So why didn't any of the gastroenterologists notice the link? It seems this is not new information - they just choose not to give a rat's behind.

Anyway, obviously, if you're low in acid, you're low in enzymes, too. It's astounding what a difference the enzymes have made. At some point, I will start taking enzyme supplements that also have HCL and Pepsin in them, but I'm taking it one step at a time and just doing enzymes now.

[Mark_in_Seattle]

Thanks for the post NYer.

I just pulled up the full text version of this article. Unfortunately it was one of the most purely technical studies I've ever laid eyes on, total Greek to me.

So anyhow, I pinged the author to see if he would be willing to go out on a limb and offer any conjecture as to the implications of this research. His final statement in the study simply states, "We speculate that alterations in the contraction of LES or EB smooth muscles in spastic esophageal muscle disorders or [GERD] may reflect abnormalities in the Ca2+ sensitization pathway."

Not being precisely up to speed on the idiosyncrasies of Ca2+ sensitization, I'm finding it hard to appropriately draw inferences. I specifically asked whether the research may suggest a problem with either calcium intake or synthesis or any other vitamin/mineral.

If he's like most authors I ping, I'll never hear from him.

Mark

[tdonline]

Glad you copped to it Mark! I was going cross-eyed reading those articles.

I take calcium citrate capsules. Can I take the capsules and take the powder from them? I think that there is a reason that the capsules are used and if I take them apart, I'd negate their usefulness.

[NYer]

Yes, you can take the capsules apart and mix them in water or juice or applesauce or yogurt, etc.
It doesn't spoil the efficacy if you open them. Calcium powder is in capsule form for convenience. I can attest to that. For the past few months, I've been scooping a 1/4 teaspoon of powder out after each meal. And since I don't eat every meal at home, I sat and scooped a bunch of spoonfuls into little plastic bags and put them in my purse. What a pain in the neck. And then I finally realized I could find the powder in capsule form. So the capsules are like little pre-made plastic bags!
Keep in mind that not all calcium powder dissolves well, though. So pouring it into water or a thin juice doesn't work well. It's fine in yogurt or applesauce. And the label says to mix it with a pulpy juice....well we can't drink citrus or tomato juice, can we...
I find the way that works best for the "NOW" brand (which does not dissolve well in water) is this:
I pour the powder into a dry tablespoon. I gently pour water over the powder in the spoon just to cover it. I put the spoon in my mouth and swallow the water/powder mix in one swallow and then I just drink some water to wash it down. Works fine. A little gritty but no big deal.

[NYer]

Calcium and Aluminum

Oh, I learned something new today. If you are taking calcium supplements, you shouldn't take medications that contain aluminum around the same time. The Calcium causes the aluminum to have a more potent effect in your body. And aluminum sucks to begin with. So be careful with some of those antacids that contain aluminum.

[Mark_in_Seattle]

....well we can't drink citrus or tomato juice, can we...

...maybe i'm an lpr oddballl......nowadays when i thirst, I drink OJ, not water. For some reason, water brings on gerd cough; OJ does not. Go figure.

[NYer]

That's interesting, Mark. Water makes me burp. I have no idea if OJ would bother me but I haven't had any in 6 months - I'm afraid to!

[shayward]

Shayward,
That little blurb at the end of your post "maybe it is all in our heads" really bothers me. No, it is not all in our heads. It's a physical condition that can be helped physically. And medical doctors do not have a clear understanding of how to treat it. So BAD doctors convince you that it is all in your head.

It is NOT in your head. And so long as you have a statement like that in your profile, and are resigned to believe that, then you'll probably suffer from depression as well as gastric problems.

My statement refers to the fact that I believe that a large portion of GERD is caused by anxiety. When I am completely relaxed and happy I don't have GERD. I am not implying that the symptoms and physical effects are not real at all, just that the digestive system is very closely linked with the nervous system.

I am willing to bet that most (not all) people who post on this board also suffer from some form of anxiety, and that the worse the anxiety the worse the reflux.

[NYer]

I'm sure anxiety exacerbates reflux but I know it doesn't cause it in the first place in most of us. Nor would getting rid of anxiety cure the reflux. (Doctor put me on Klonapin...didn't make a particle of difference. Just made me tired.)
But digestive enzymes DID make a difference.

[Davran]

Naturopath

Hi NYer,
Can you let me know what Naturopath did you see? I work in NY and live in NJ, so probably I could see him/her and get some help.

Thank you,
Davran.

[NYer]

Hi Davran,
Have the webmaster send me your email address and I'll email it to you. Also, you can find a good geographic listing by zip code at [url]www.naturopathic.org[/url] .
-NYer

[Davran]

The email to webmaster is sent.
Thank you again.