In need of a natural way to heal and remedy my reflux/esophagitis/gastritis, Help!

[Athora80]

I have had reflux on and off since pregnancy (almost 10 months ago). It got so bad that my throat became so inflamed it took me forever to eat and even drink something, felt as if I was choking a few times on food as well. This prompted me to see a GI doc. So an exam and endoscopy later it turns out I have chronic reflux esophagitis and chronic gastritis. It's been a few months since the endoscopy and my throat isn't as inflamed but it isn't really improving either. He wanted me on Prilosec for a few months but I never took it for more than 4 days.

I am hesitant to take any prescription drug but after months of natural remedies not working I am thinking of trying the prilosec, just to allow my esophagus to heal. I also am giving up dairy since I have a mild allergy and think it's a possibility that is causing all my problems but I am not sure.

I just read Dandelion Root extract is good for reflux but that it shouldn't be taken with gastritis. I am still breastfeeding so I have to be careful of what I put in my body. The Prilosec is a last resort and is fine short term and might allow me to heal but I heard rebound is ten times worse so is it really worth it? Has anyone had similar issues? If so, what worked for you? And has anyone had success with Dandelion Root?

Thanks!

[BellinghamCrunchie]

Of all the medications they can give you for reflux and gastritis, Prilosec is probably one of the mildest. I could breastfeed while taking prilosec; I could not while taking Reglan. Prilosec is not hard to get off of if you taper it. Don't follow their taper directions - they go too fast - I went from 2 per day to zero by decreasing 1/4 of a pill every 2 weeks or so.

Did they see any sign of Barrett's in the esophagus? You really want to heal that esophagus before you get Barrett's.

But unless you also identify the cause of the gastritis and reflux, the Prilosec is really just a bandaid. I eliminated all dairy, grains (wheat, corn, oats, quinoa), sugar, caffiene, soy, and.. well, it would actually be easier just to tell you what I DO eat: fruits and greens in a green smoothie, skinless chicken breast, potatoes, carrots, lentils, and peas, and just drink water. That's it. Probiotics and some enzymes for digestion. That has almost got my gut completely healed and I will start slowly adding more foods in, but I know wheat and dairy are out for good.

[Athora80]

I know I have a dairy allergy but never saw any external effects from eating it when I was pregnant and afterward. Beforehand I would get hives once in a while and a stomach upset here and there. But I am thinking that I was not seeing the effects because it was bothering my digestive system. I also think most of my reflux is when I sleep as well. The doc took biopsies and they all came back normal, I do not have Barrets. 

I have cut out coffee (decaf) and I don't consume caffeinated drinks anyway. But citrus and tomato sauce bother me so I avoid those too. But I will still get reflux from things I eat and sometimes I don't even know what is the cause. My husband is a picky eater so if I have to have a bland diet I guess I have to make 2 dinners. I just wonder how long the bland diet will have to last....

[BellinghamCrunchie]

I think your best bet is to see a naturopath. They seem to do much better with reflux and gastritis than western medicine.

[Athora80]

Thanks, that's a good idea :D

[dany1982]

Hi,

Can you please let me know what did you take/eat to heal?

thank you

[WuWei]

Heartburn is generally caused from *inadequate* stomach acid, not too much.

For natural comfort, I'd try Tum-Ease or Gripe Water (fennel and ginger are the ingredients), or improving stomach acid and thus digestion, are safer solutions than antacids which don't address the *cause*.

When food is incompletely digested, it begins to putrefy in the stomach. Purification of food in the stomach causes gas, which regurgitates up the esophagus (with stomach acid).

Suppressing stomach acid only relieves the discomfort of the regurgitation. Suppressing stomach acid DECREASES the ability of the body from digesting food properly and completely into nutrients. Undigested or poorly digested food leads to further digestion issues in the gut (and nutrient deficiencies).

Inadequate stomach acid allows pathological bacteria to survive in the stomach. Undigested food is then sent to the small bowel where it increases the growth of "wrong" gut microbials and feeds candida, for instance.

Stomach acid is the first line of defense against disease, after saliva.

A squeeze of lemon juice in water or raw apple cider vinegar in water with meals, or a forkful of whole food probiotics with meals will improve stomach acid, digestion, nutrient absorption and gut microbial balance.

Cabbage juice, sauerkraut, zinc, apple cider vinegar, fermented vegetables, B12 all help to improve stomach acid naturally.

Spices, teas and herbs, i.e. camomile, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, nettles and other "bitters" etc. stimulate digestion also.

Eat beets. If they turn your urine pink/red, then you have low stomach acid. Stomach acid is a very important first step in digestion. Without enough, you can't absorb B12, and you have trouble absorbing zinc as well as several other nutrients.

If you don't have adequate stomach acid, proteins aren't broken down properly, and so they can cause trouble in the small intestine and/or get absorbed whole into the bloodstream. This leads to inflammatory issues, food intolerances, digestion and bowel issues, allergies and asthma as the body reacts to the *foreign* products in the blood.

If one system (digesting proteins with HCl in the stomach) doesn't work, then the next system addresses the problem, if it is functioning. If the HCl is present with zinc and B1 and B6, then the proteins are digested!!

Pat