Category Archives: Chronic illness

Got Acid Reflux? Addressing acid reflux with homeopathy

Acid reflux, Chronic illness, Digestive health, Homeopathy, Homeopathy for the Family, Total Health, , , , , ,

Acid Reflux – Article summary:   Acid reflux affects many people. What is acid reflux? What is GERD? Foods that aggravate acid reflux, what increases your chances to get acid reflux. The causes for acid reflux. Dangers of low stomach acid. Antacid medications linked to serious health problems.  Homeopathic remedies for acid reflux. 

Acid reflux is a common condition that makes life very challenging for many people.  One out of five people experiences heartburn or acid regurgitation on a weekly basis, and two out of five people experience heartburn or acid regurgitation at least once a month. 2 The number of people having acid reflux has increased in the past decades. 3

woman patient with acid reflux

What is acid reflux?

Acid reflux is a condition where stomach contents flow backward into the esophagus. The esophagus is a muscular tube that connects the throat with the stomach.  The stomach contains gastric juices, a mixture of hydrochloric acid, mucus and enzymes, that will irritate any other tissue outside the stomach. There is a mechanism in our body that prevents influx of the stomach contents back into the esophagus. Lower esophageal sphincter (LES) seals off the esophagus from the stomach. LES only opens when we swallow or belch. If the sphincter becomes relaxed in the wrong time, the stomach content goes back into the esophagus, and we experience unpleasant sensation called acid reflux.

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)

If the root cause for acid reflux is unaddressed, the condition can worsen and from occasional event acid reflux might start happening twice a week or more. When that happens, it becomes a more severe form of acid reflux called Gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERD. 15-30% of the US population has GERD. 1  One of the symptoms of GERD is heartburn, but other symptoms might be present as well, chest pain, persistent sore throat, hoarseness, difficulty swallowing, dry cough and bad breath.

Certain foods can aggravate the symptoms of acid reflux.

Foods that can aggravate acid reflux:

  • Citrus
  • Tomato sauce
  • Chocolate
  • Coffee
  • Tea
  • Fried food
  • Rich food
  • Spicy food
  • Alcohol

Risk factors for acid reflux:  

  • Being overweight, being pregnant, overeating
  • Anxiety medications, antidepressants, antibiotics, high blood pressure medications, osteoporosis medications, painkillers 8
  • Smoking
  • Low level of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori)7
  • Being older than 40

What causes acid reflux?

Heartburn is the most frequent symptom of acid reflux. It is unpleasant and can be limiting your activities and foods. Acid reflux affects not only quality of life, it can also have long term consequences. Chronic acid reflux causes the scarring of esophagus that makes swallowing food difficult, and can cause esophageal cancer if left unaddressed for long time. Conventional theory is that the damage to the esophagus occurs because stomach acid is caustic and causes scarring of the esophagus. That is why the goal of conventional medicine is to reduce stomach acid by antacids.

Many acid reducing medications, antacids like Tums, Rolaids, Mylanta, Pepto-Bismol, Zantag and Pepcid (Histamine-2 Receptor Antagonists),  Prevacid, Prilosec and Protonix (Proton pump inhibitors)  are readily available.

The study4 done in 2009 showed that the damage to the esophagus starts from deeper layers of esophageal tissue, not the superficial esophageal tissue layers. That means that the mechanism by which acid reflux causes damage is not really from stomach acid itself but rather because the stomach contents does not belong in the esophagus. When the stomach contents is regurgitated up to the esophagus, the immune system builds a reaction which in turn triggers the damage of deep layers of esophageal tissue. Eventually, the immune reaction proliferates and the cells of superficial esophageal tissues are damaged as well. The study suggested “an alternative concept for the development of reflux esophagitis in which refluxed gastric juice does not directly damage the esophagus, but rather stimulates esophageal epithelial cells to secrete chemokines that mediate damage of esophageal tissue.”4 Chemokines are a special type of cytokine (protein, signaling molecule) that attract white blood cells to infected or damaged tissues.

Stomach acid by itself does not open LES. Increased pressure between stomach and esophagus causes stomach contents to go back up. That pressure can be created from being overweight, pregnant, overeating, or bacterial overgrowth and/or low digestive motility. Smoking relaxes LES making it easier for stomach content to go up.  Certain medications, like antibiotics,  antidepressants, osteoporosis medications (Fosamax),  pain relievers and some others8   irritate esophageal lining and cause heartburn. Research showed that after eradicating H. pylori with antibiotics people who have low rate of  H. pylori bacteria have a higher rate of GERD.7

Dangers of low stomach acid

Reducing stomach acid does nothing to address the root cause of the problem, and low stomach acid can actually cause serious health problems including acid reflux.5

Low stomach acid causes malabsorption of nutrients from foods. Inability to absorb vitamins and minerals causes heartburn, indigestion, osteoporosis, fatigue, and anemia. Stomach acid also plays an important role in protecting gastrointestinal tract from microorganisms, fungi, bacteria,  that are in the food we eat. When the stomach acid is low, candida and bacteria like clostridium difficile and other unfriendly bacteria11 can proliferate and cause bloating, nausea, constipation, diarrhea and other digestive disorders.

Antacid medications are linked to a variety of serious health problems

Prolonged use of Histamine-2 Receptor Antagonists (H2A) antacids medications is associated with cognitive impairment16 and interferes with sleep and other medications absorption.21 H2A antacids effectiveness wears with time, and another class of drugs – proton pump inhibitors,  is being used often in chronic cases.

More and more research link popular heartburn drugs called proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), medications that include Lansopazole (Prevacid), Omeprazole (Prilosec), Pantoprazole (Protonix) to a variety of serious health problems. Originally, PPIs were recommended to be used for 2 weeks only, but now millions of people take PPIs for very long time. Long term use of PPIs causes gut dysbiosis12,  serious kidney damage10, bone fractures13, dementia15, heart attacks17, osteoporosis14, pneumonia18, cancer19 and is associated with an increased risk of death.9

To reduce discomfort from acid reflux:

  • Do not overeat
  • Avoid trigger foods
  • Avoid tight-fitting clothes
  • Exercise
  • Stop eating three or four hours before bed time
  • Keep your head elevated

How to avoid acid reflux  

The best way to address acid reflux issues is to address the root cause. In most cases the core reason for acid reflux is impaired digestion.  Restore your digestion with the help of natural homeopathic remedies – improve digestive motility, address dysbiosis ( bacterial overgrowth or imbalance), improve microbiome diversity, detoxify your body. Restore your digestion, and acid reflux will be the problem of the past.

Homeopathic remedies for occasional acid reflux:

Abies nigra- relieves stomach pain after eating, sensation of pain on the top of the stomach, feels as if one swallowed a rock or an egg. Worse after eating.

Carbo vegetabilis- relieves heartburn due to stomach bloating with gas. Slow digestion. Worse rich foods, exhaustion. Better belching, cool air.

Nux vomica- relieves heartburn due to overindulgence in food and/or drinks. Craves spicy foods, alcohol, coffee, tobacco. Worse tight clothes, after eating, cold. Better warm drinks.

Robinia pseudoacacia- relieves heartburn with water brash. Burning in the whole digestive tract. Worse at night and in bed. Worse fat and flatulent foods. Sour belching.

To relieve occasional discomfort consider homeopathic remedies listed above. If you have tried 3-6 doses of a homeopathic remedy and you do not see expected results, or to address chronic acid reflux contact your homeopathic practitioner for more specific suggestions.

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