Acid Reflux Article from Nutrition Guru Charlie Smigelski, RD

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Charlie Smigelski RD

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Help With Acid Reflux

Reflux is fluid flowing in reverse, up from the stomach, into the lower part of the esophagus. Sometimes, stomach acid washes up there with the flow. This is “acid refluxâ€.

Why this happens is not well-understood. In part, the valve at the top of the stomach does not close enough, and fluids leak upward. So far, though, the goal is just to stop the acid part of the backwash, so that no damage happens. Acid eroding the cells of the lower esophagus for too low can cause scarring and cancer.

There is one odd piece to having the extra acid all the time. As people age, stomach acid production usually diminishes. Yet here is a situation where there is too much acid around. One concept, though, is that the stomach acid volume never rises enough to hit the shut off switch. Picture the fill-tank in a toilet, it continues to run until the float in the back rises high enough to hit the shut off switch.

There is some speculation that central command for the acid regulation system is further down the intestines. It might be that the acidity level in the lower part of the small intestine has something to do with controlling stomach acid. So, the amount of bicarbonate coming out of the pancreas may be the key. If the pH of the gut does not rise high enough, stomach acid keeps churning.

The nutrition concept here, then, is to get the whole gut ecology system in its best shape, so that the pancreas is working at its best.

Food and Nutrition Supplements for Gut Ecology

It’s all about the “friendly bacteria†that populate the intestines. They make the groceries (special fats and amino acids) that keep intestine cells in good repair. Also there are about 200 species of foreign bugs that live in the intestines, but some can irritate cell system. The Lactobacilli and Bifidobacter, beneficial bugs, are the best ones to have dominating the crowd in your intestines: a good supply of them keep the bad news agents squelched.

The lactobacilli species have names like Lactobacillis acidophilus, L. Casei, L. rhamnosus, L. plantarum, L. vulgaricus.

These all depend on the fruit fiber called pectin for their nutrition. Oat bran is also yummy food for them. Ground flax seeds are also a super type of fiber for them.

Step 1 for having a good gut ecosystem, then, is eating 3-4 servings of fruit per day. Ideally among those fruit encounters, you eat one banana, or one apple or one pear each day. These fruits have the most pectin. They can be fresh, frozen, canned or dried. Just eat the fiber.

Oat bran cooks up like cream of wheat. It’s a decent cereal.

Add a tablespoon of ground flax to applesauce or oat bran cereal. It tastes nutty.

Step 2 is taking some Lactobacillis pills, sometimes called “probioticsâ€. Two brands I recommend: Trader Joe’s Acidophilus/probiotic pills or Jarrodophilus pills. The key element in taking these pills is that you have at least 1 billion CFU, colony-forming units, in whatever pill you buy. These two products have a blend of the Lactobacilli species. Take 2-3 pills per day.

Step 3 is taking some L-glutamine each day. Glutamine is gut cell repair fuel. It is also immune cell fuel. It helps buff up the intestinal ecosystem in a variety of ways.

1 Tablespoon of L-glutamine powder provides 10 grams. You want to take 10 grams, twice a day, for about 3 weeks. Just dissolve the glutamine in an ounce of cool water or juice and drink it down. Don’t mix it in anything hot. Take it 5 minutes before breakfast and supper.

If you are a coffee drinker, or consuming a lot of caffeine in sodas, you may notice that you will get more of a caffeine buzz when taking glutamine. Pregnant women should not take Glutamine as it is an immune system booster. If you have Crohn’s disease or rheumatoid arthritis or other immune related diseases, glutamine is actually good to take.

After three weeks of taking probiotics and glutamine, you could try stopping your Nexium, Zantac or Pepsid, etc. and see how you do.

If this treatment does not reset your stomach acid production and regulation system, I would also check into Tong Ren therapy. Find out about this needle-less accupuncture system at www.yinyanghouse.com.

Go to www.houstonbuyersclub.com to buy the Jarrodophilus pills. They also have good prices on L-glutamine. You’ll need 400 grams of glutamine for the 3 week trial.

The Vitamin Shoppe brand of L-glutamine is Body Tech. That is a reputable product at a good price.

There is an emerging idea that some extra pancreatic enzyme digestion help may also fix acid reflux. This would involve taking the digestive enzyme Rx Pancrecarb MS-8 pills, 1 per each meal and snack for a few weeks. Talk to me about this sometime.

Also, if you read the book “Life Without Breadâ€, there is a discussion of how wheat can get too much stomach acid churning all the time. As you eat you regular diet, think about having sources of carbs in your routine. You can have more potatoes and more sweet potatoes, more green peas, more beans, like black beans. Also think about fruits and nuts for snacks, as opposed to cookies, pretzels and other baked items.

Regards, VergelDirectorProgram for Wellness Restorationpowerusa dot orgPlanning your summer road trip? Check out AOL Travel Guides.