The All-Natural Regimen That Has Helped My Reflux Problem

[stargazer]

DGL (De-Glycyrrhizinated Licorice)

Hi Nyer!

I have found your info to be amazingly great! I have used several items you have suggested and found relief with them. I have a hiatal hernia and have been reading up on gdl licorice. I remembered you use this. Where do you get yours and what strength do you use? Thanks for your help!!!!!

[NYer]

DGL Licorice

Hi Star,
Thanks for the good word!
I'm really happy to hear that you've found some help here.
This is the DGL that I use:
Enzymatic Therapy is the brand.
DGL (deglycyrrhizinated licorice) Fructose Free/Sugarless
2 chewable tablets = 760 mg.

I take it 15 minutes before each meal. Chew it slowly so it mixes with your saliva and swallow. You can also take it at bedtime or anytime you feel like it might help.

You can order them from Vitacost.com or vitaminshop.com or even directly from enzy.com (that's Enzymatic Therapy's web site). You can also find it in many local stores. They make an almost identical looking product, which is the same thing but not sugar free. I prefer the sugar free, I actually think it tastes better.

Best to you!
-NYer

[Mark_in_Seattle]

So NYer do you take 760mg before each meal (ie 2,280mg/day)? I've been wondering about the dosage and any possible side effects myself. It's early, but seems like it may in fact be quite helpful for me. I don't understand what these pills could be doing that is so helpful. Some sort of coating on the stomach? Makes me wonder if I have a stomach problem if these stomach pills are helpful, at least that's how I've seen them advertised...helpful for stomach ulcers.

[NYer]

Yes, 760 mg before each meal and often in the late evening. No side effects. The deglycyrrhizination is the key because the glycyrrihizin is the factor in licorice that if you take too much of it, it can raise your blood pressure. But they take that component out and that leaves it side effect-free.

Yes, it coats the digestive tract, but also it helps in re-building the mucosal layer of the digestive tract.

[Mark_in_Seattle]

Well that's good to know as I've been tepidly increasing my dosage. I haven't had any symptoms the past few days except for when my coworker gave me some tiny little piece of cake that I don't know the ingredients. Wish I did.

[Ray in Texas]

Just found this thread

I was diagnosed with LPR about 4 years ago and got it under control with Protonix twice a day and then a maintenance program of one prilosec OTC for a couple years. The LPR came back last June and I’ve been trying to beat it down again and am back on twice a day protonix.

I saw this site and am going to start the Calcium Citrate, Digestive Enzymes and DGL today if I find these at Whole Foods on the way home. I’ll let you know how it works.

One thing I did not see mentioned in this thread that I saw elsewhere and did not work for me is ACV (Apple Cider Vinegar). For those of you with low acid this may work. It seems that others have posted that it seems to help close the LES.

You can add me to the list of people that sit at a desk all day. I’m a programmer.

[NYer]

Hi Ray,
Whole Foods carries the good DGL and they do carry digestive enzymes but not the brand that I like (AbsorbAid). I've tried "Digest Gold", which sucked. So some work and others don't. Just be forewarned that if you get a brand that doesn't help, it doesn't mean another brand won't work much better.

I haven't tried Apple Cider Vinegar. Frankly, the thought of swallowing ACV with my esophagus and my stomach terrifies me. I'll let you try it and tell me if it helps, LOL. I'll stick to my bland diet with nothing acidic in it for now. I've read anecdotal stuff about ACV on various sites but I haven't encountered anyone here who has said that it actually helped them. And I'm more inclined to trust people on this site than others.

-NYer

[i_nelson]

I agree that you have to be careful in trusting some of the stories on the internet.

eg: if you take a look at this thread on LINX, the poster does not seem to be real.

[url]http://www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=45&m=1646140[/url]

its sad that people do this to those having health problems. Its the meanest thing to do..

[sjhon_fabio]

Where to buy natural supplements online

Hey Nyer:

I contacted you already before to ask you about the natural supplements for GERD that you talk about.

I just wanna know if you can perhaps recommend me a good website to buy all these drugs from.

I mean the digestive enzymes, the probiotics, the calcium citrate powder and specially the Betaine HCL.

I saw you on another forum talking about this last one that seems to help.

I live in South America, and we don´t get any of those here. So I have to buy them online, but I´d like to buy them all from the same website, so I only have to pay for just one shipment.

Thanks for any help,

John.

[NYer]

I buy a lot of stuff from [url]www.vitacost.com[/url]. Their prices are very good but I have no idea about shipping internationally. Another good option is [url]www.vitaminshop.com[/url]. If you want the black raspberry powder, the only place I know of is [url]www.nutri-fruit.com[/url].

And yes, I was TALKING about HCL in another thread, but I'm not the one who took it. I think it's a good idea and worth trying, but I can't give you any information about how to take it, because I haven't taken it. That said, it's available in pretty much every vitamin store around here and easy to find. I'm sure they'll have it on both of the sites I mentioned above.

[PeacefulCo]

I have brought from Vitacost

Hello Board,

Peace be with you.

I have brought from Vitacost, as well in past. Now I am not taking any herbal supplements, but my son still is. Be aware, that people that sell these products don't always and won't take any responsibility if u have problems. Nor do they offer any apology. Vitacost, is probably one of the better ones, however when I shared with them what Reservatrol did to me, and also the Colon Cleanse, they didn't do anything about warning people about reservatrol, there is no warning about the potential of an adverse reactions/or what those reactions could be in some people on their website for selling reservatrol. There is a standard disclaimer, but that disclaimer, does not speak of the horror that can come from this adverse reaction or even the potential damage. And part of what I took that caused the problem, was from a quarter of a capsule, it wasn't even a full dose.

U see I am in the situation I am in, because of a terrible adverse reaction to these supplements. I sustain a digestive system injury, my esophegus and voice box, the restriction there is dreadful and has been, I lost my whole diet including my capability to swallow properly, and it also triggered a gluten intolerance now and now I can never eat gluten again. And my bowels are not functioning as they should be even now. And I have lining damage in my digestive system. Where only a couple of years a go I had a little inflammation there and no gluten intolerance.

After months I still can not eat properly. And the gastro said I have another two dilatations to go before my esopheogus is of normal size again. I am having them every couple of weeks, which also means an endoscoptomy. And that is the treatment they are giving to me. 4 Dilatations and endsocptomies in two months or it could even be more, as many as i need to get it back to normal. So u can imagine what that is like to live with,a nd I have to travel sometimes over 400kms weekly since Beginning of February and I am tired in it all. I look at the photos they took and no wonder I was having trouble eating etc. In one photo my vocal chord and opening was only as big as a dot. But I see also the improvement after each one and that I am healing, but its a very slow journey out. And can be painful at the voice box as well.

So please be aware of what u buy, and put into your stomach for healing, because it can cause harm or potential for harm, there is just as much risk with herbal supplements as there is with taking medication. People with stomach and digestive problems are a lot more sensitive than those that don't have these. And so are a lot more sensitive to side effects of these or even reactions, and there are side effects that can make the situation worse, or may even be tolerable to some. But to me they weren't. And to my stomach/throat/digestive system, I am so sorry I ever put these supplements into my body. I took these because I was really tired and not functioning properly and my digestive system was sluggish. And the only side effects they claimed was dry mouth and anxiety. But woah in me it was absolutely a living nightmare that I am still recovering from. And it has been dibilatating.

I am not writing this because I am a horrible individual that wants to spoil people's fun, or dampen what they need to do for healing or wants to do a poo poo on what other people are sharing or suggesting. I am writing this, because I wouldn't want anyone to go through what I went through, its dreadful. And my body months later, is still getting over it, and I still have dysphagia as well as my whole digestive system is out of whack but it is coming back into alignment and healing. I am hoping after the next two dilatations that the dysphagia will go and I will start to be able to eat properly again and then I can properly start eating the gluten free diet. Babies eat better than me at the moment still. I am still on a liquid, soft foods and some times a little solid, not much solid diet. I am also hoping my body's immune defense system will settle down and the constant constricting will go and have no more an allergic type reaction, its like having anaphylaxis at the voice box. And I still am sick from all of this and have lost a lot of weight. But I am starting a healing program today,lots of stretching, being creative and spending a huge time with God. And I am not the only one in the world that has had an affect like this from taking herbal supplements.

As for the probiotics, u can do that through eating yoghurt, two serves a day. It is a lot safer than taking it as a medication/capsule tablet form.

If I ever get to have my juices again, that is the way I will be going in future. making my own juices, healing, delicious and a lot more safer.

Now I have my gastro being like a mum, Are u eating a gluten free diet, whenever he sees me *lol* if only I could have that complete diet right now, I would feel even better than now.

Nyer

As for the Apple Cider Vinegar which I can not take right now, if i could I would be a lot better, but I have found it delicious as a side dressing don't have it with garlic or it can make the weight come off quickly unless of course u want to lose weight. I use to have it with lemon and honey in spring water, an alkaline hit and yummy. Also u can have it in juice, as well as only a couple of drops in spring water, u can't even taste it. And u can then build it up to having a teaspoon. My son was taking this when he was 11 and for him to take this was a miracle, so it had to be yummy or he would not have taken it. Also the alkaline drink we used for all sorts of things and stopped my son being rushed to the hospital and also stopped panic attacks etc.... But just be aware also, make sure u r not sensitive to this, or have a reaction. Be safe in ur healing please but also please be mindful of what u recommend to others. Not everyone is the same, and can not always take nor should take the same things. From what I learnt we should not treat ourselves or others like guiena pigs in our quest for healing.

I also now have a very helpful healing team of professionals that I now ask. I also am happy with our doctor, who gets excited when I have improvement, our Chiropractor as well as the Gastrologist. I like our Gastro now after the initial uncertainty phase, I have a better relationship with him, and he is now joking with me. They thought it was funny, when I said the anesthetic made me feel like I had been eating chocolate. So now they are making a joke with me did u have ur chocolate cake. And now after years of having issues with the medical, hospital and specialists, I am now getting healing and feel better about it all. Its good to have the support for a change as well. And to speak to people that know what they are doing or about what I am going through. The chiro is a wellness chiro so can also deal with our nervous system problems as well.

And by the way, Chocolate can give me a headache, so I am not a great lover of chocolate.

Peaceful Co.

[NYer]

Sorry to hear you had side effects from Resveratrol but that is not a supplement that anyone would take for GERD. And the supplements that are discussed in this thread are all for the purpose of helping GERD and are all safe. It's not a discussion espousing the wonderfulness of all supplements.

No one who has contributed to this thread is saying that just because something is a supplement you should take it. The point is to take good quality supplements and only the specific ones that are helpful (and proven by other people posting here) to be harmless for them.

I've been taking probiotics in capsule form for years now and they've been tremendously helpful to me for a lot of purposes and have caused no harm. I'd have to eat a ridiculous amount of yogurt to consume the equivalent amount of probiotics. DGL, digestive enzymes, calcium, vitamins, and everything else I take are fine and do no harm. And every supplement I've mentioned here that I take, I make sure are of extremely high quality...I don't buy discount-store junk.

Again, sorry to hear that you suffered from something - but I don't think that applies to the discussion at hand (except to be careful about the quality of anything that you buy that you plan to swallow) - it certainly doesn't apply to my experience.

[sjhon_fabio]

Nyer:

Hi. I wanna specially ask you about 2 supplements:

The Apple Cider Vinager and the Betaine HCL. It seems as if you would have a reason to take these having low acid, but I understand if you don´t. You don´t wanna get anything acidic or irritant into your esophagus/stomach and make things worse right?

You still haven´t tried these? What brands/websites can you recommend? How about the capsules forms?

How about the black raspberry powder? Are you still taking it? The L-Glutamine? the Active Manuka Honey? The Rooibos tea? the night time Gaviscon? I couldn´t find the canadian Gaviscon online. They didn´t have it on CanadaDrugs.com.

Do you take probiotics? Do they help for GERD?

What supplements are you currently taking right now that you know work? (And I promise I read all this thread yesterday!!!).

Thanks,

John.

[sjhon_fabio]

Coffee Tammer/Calciblend

Nyer:

I forgot to also ask about this Coffee Tammer/Calciblend product they announce here. What is it made of and does it work? Have you tried it?

John.

[NYer]

Could we slow down a bit here? I'm not a Nutritionist or a doctor and I'm not a sales person. Give me a break please. I have documented everything I take in this thread already.

Sjhon, you're going to have to search the internet yourself to find good deals on products and everything I take is available online and I've posted the sites where I buy that stuff numerous times in this thread. You are wrong about the Gaviscon. Yes, CanadaDrugs DOES carry it.
If you want to know about Coffee Tamer, then post your question in a thread about Coffee Tamer. I've never used it.

Yes I take probiotics, they are wonderful but no, they don't help my GERD.

You can buy Manuka honey online - I order it directly from New Zealand. That's the only place it comes from, although you can buy it from some stores in the US, but they are getting it from NZ anyway and it's the same price.

No, I don't believe that Apple Cider Vinegar would do me any good. I don't know anyone who has had success from it and I'm not interested in trying it. The ridiculous claims about ACV range from A to Z and people make it sound like it can save you from absolutely everything. I don't believe it would help GERD. Enough people on this site have tried it unsuccessfully.

Peaceful,
You're going all over the place in that post and I'm not sure what your point is but you talk about adding garlic and lemon to something... If you have GERD, you might want to start watching what you eat more carefully before you search for a magic cure. Lemon and garlic are both pretty obvious GERD triggers. And you're talking about chocolate - whether it gives you a headache or not is not the point - it's a common GERD trigger. And your doctor told you to cut out gluten but you haven't, so you're not doing what you need to do and that's why you continue to have gastric problems.