<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>
Sorry this took so long to finish. I nearly forgot about it. There's just
a few more items I wanted to include. [My comments in brackets.] ~Valerie
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When I was on Cimetidine and/or Ranitidine for acid reflux, the heartburn
was pretty bad. And the medicine helped less and less every day, until I
could not get any relief from it. Then I heard about chamomile tea, and
started using that instead. Now I am prescription-free. I get occasional
acid reflux, but only if I accidentally get gluten; then it's chamomile all
. . . it's the way for me! Deb
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My Dr. recommended Carafate. This is also known as sucralfate suspension.
It is a coating that promotes healing. It is now increasingly being used
for reflux but had another use many years ago..
I take 2 teaspoons (10 mL)after meals and at bedtime.
[That's one of the things Dr. Wright recommends in his book, WHY STOMACH
ACID IS GOOD FOR YOU. Carafate is an old timey prescription medicine that
coats & protects the stomach, clinically proven effective to prevent
formation of ulcers in high stress situations such as hospitalizations &
chemo, illness, etc. It's excellent because it is not absorbed in to the
circulation and doesn't upset stomach acid & pH. But pharmaceutical reps
are so busy promoting their more profitable acid blockers that many doctors
have all but forgotten that basic Carafate.]
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[A couple people complained that HeartBurn Free is expensive because it's
only 10 gel caps for $27. But it's really NOT expensive because you take
one gel cap every other day & one treatment can give relief for up to six
months. I haven't done the math, but I'll bet TUMS everyday would cost less
than $27 over a six month period.
Even though I don't believe anyone is gullible enough to believe this, I
feel like I need to point out that simply popping a pill, any pill isn't
going to cure all heartburn. [Say it ain't so! Please, say it ain' so!!!]
There are also lifestyle & diet changes that need to be made. Heartburn
Free was only ONE component of a comprehensive program that helped me
eliminate a serious case of GERD I had
4 years ago. Other things that helped are discussed in great detail in Dr.
Wright's book, WHY STOMACH ACID IS GOOD FOR YOU. Sorry, there's no one
magic bullet that will eliminate all heartburn forever!]
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Lin: Yup. Almonds. Very old natural answer to heartburn. (At least usually)
Strange but true....sometimes I find that if I drink orange juice
(diluted...I never drink it straight) that it relieves the heartburn. So go
figure. I would never recommend that to someone else. Chocolate really does
me in...but I just try not to overdue it. Spicey foods never bothered me,
but it kills other folks I know.
Val: Spicey foods don't bother me either. I think people blame the spices
when it's actually something else in the mix that's causing the problem such
as cheese, pizza crust, food allery, etc. Food allergies can trigger
heartburn.
Lin: Yup, we're all different. What makes me wonder is why so many people,
not just celiacs, have
heartburn these days. What's in our diets that makes it such a prevalent
disorder? Why are we a nation living on Rolaids and TUMS? Stress?
Val: Yes.
Lin: Rich foods?
Val: Yes. And too much of it.
Lin: I remember my grandparents drinking AlkaSeltzer or baking soda in
water...but not as often as we hear now.
Val: I remember my dad's AlkaSeltzer habit. But once he retired, he rarely
used them. It was the stress of his horrible career that tore up his guts!
But, I read once a fascinating study of ulcers in WW2 prison camps. A
survey of Japanese prison records showed that the Japanese prison guards had
a very high rate of stomach ulcers while their Allied prisoners didn't.
(Can you imagine a more stressful situation than to be a prisoner???) The
study results showed the difference was most likely tied to diet. The
Japanese soldiers consumed refined white rice, but the prisoners were fed
the cheaper rice bran. So apparently stomach troubles are somehow connected
to refined rice & the rice bran was somehow protective against ulcers.
Interesting, huh? Especially considering how much refined rice Americans
eat, expecially in GF baked goods! HA!
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Gum chewing after meals relieves my heartburn.
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Just a thought--would a ph balanced diet help? Has anyone tried it?
Basically it means consuming less or very little of high acid foods and
more of high alkaline foods. See www.betterbones.com I started with a ph
balanced diet (and I am not perfect) to help my osteoporosis. It has helped
and I think I feel much better too. In fact, (I am not diabetic) the less
sugar I eat the better I feel, especially my joints. Betty
[If a ph balanced diet is as beneficial as it's touted to be, it certainly
couldn't hurt. However, stomach acid balance is a totally different issue
from pH balanced diets. I've heard of some people recommending alkaline pH
balancers with meals. I don't recommend that as it will neutralize the
stomach acid that is so vital in properly digesting our foods & helping us
absorb important minerals such as iron, calcium & zinc. If one choses to
use oral pH balancers, I believe they should be used one hour before or one
hour after meals so as not to interfere with digestion.]
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* Visit the Celiac Web Page at www.enabling.org/ia/celiac/index.html *
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