Oh my GORD…

Most of us won’t require too much effort imagining this scenario:

You have been on the go all day, and finally you sit down to eat your dinner of a big steak and mashed potatoes. You’re so hungry you woof it down in 5 minutes, with your sneaky little side glass of red. Ahhh finished! You lean back to let your well deserved feed go down, and BOOM. Here comes that rising ball of fire, creeping up towards your throat from your stomach, burning and choking on it’s way up… oh my GORD! Chest pain, difficulty swallowing, regurgitation of your food, pain and burning discomfort!

Gastro Oesophageal Reflux, or GORD, is also known as heartburn, indigestion or reflux. It affects 80% of us here in Australia at some point in our lives, so if you haven’t experienced it yourself, I bet you know someone who has!

So, your pipes are on fire and you can’t sit still now or get comfortable… what’s your next step?

I’d say the most common answer would be to reach for an over the counter medicine designed to stop that terrible burning and give you some instant relief! Especially since there’s still dessert to come… RIGHT?!

Well I certainly wouldn’t blame you. These OTC medications certainly do their job to stop the symptoms!

But have you ever wondered how they work? Or if they might in fact be making your condition worse over time?

Please read on! In this article, I will be giving you some very important facts about your digestive system that may have you thinking twice next time that ball of acid starts rising from your stomach!

So, you are familiar with GORD, but perhaps you aren’t so familiar with what is actually happening and why?

Here’s the facts:

To efficiently start breaking your food down, the pH of your stomach needs to be very acidic – between 2 and 4.

That’s very acidic! And it has to be! Without it, large, undigested food particles then pass into your small and large intestines, creating a burden to the normal functioning of these organs, which will eventually result in more uncomfortable problems in the lower half of your body in the not so distant future... you know what I’m talking about…

Big bits of food can actually start rotting in your colon if they haven’t been broken down well enough in your stomach, and when things rot, they produce gas, which means bloating and flatulence for you! It also causes all kinds of undesirable disturbances to your healthy bacteria that keep your immune system strong from within your stomach, and set your body up for inflammation and all kinds of other problems that I won’t have time to go into here.

So… What’s the problem you ask?

I’ll tell you. Now you know your stomach’s ultimate pH is between 2-4, but here’s the next fact: Your oesophagus (the pipe connecting your stomach to your mouth) has a much less acidic pH of 5-7.

The part of your digestive system that stops the strong acid from your stomach rising up into your oesophagus is called an oesophageal sphincter. It’s essentially designed as a one way valve that lets things into the stomach, but doesn’t let things back up.

…UNTIL things go wrong and your sphincter starts to loose its tone and strength and becomes weak, eventually letting that acid rise up and BOOM! OH MY GOWD!

Ok, so how can things go wrong with your sphincter?

One simple answer: when your stomach’s strong acidic pH starts to weaken and becomes more alkaline.

And what causes this? Here’s a few reasons:

• Stress

• High processed diet

• High trans fat diet

• Diet high in sugar, especially soft drinks

• High alcohol consumption

• Poor eating habits like not chewing or eating too quickly

• Over eating

• Certain medications… especially ones DESIGNED to reduce the acidity of your stomach….

See that last point?

Let me introduce you to the major difference between the way NATUROPATHS treat GORD compared to the common OTC medication model, and you can decide which way is best for you.

When you take medication for reflux, you are essentially lessening the acid content of your stomach, so WHEN the acid continues to rise up into your oesophagus from your stomach, it doesn’t hurt so much. See what I mean about how effective they are at reducing the symptoms of GORD?

But I bet you can now see the problems long term use will cause! Your oesophageal sphincter is still weak, and will only continue to weaken with these medications.

Your stomach acid isn’t strong enough to start that crucial process of digestion either, and will also continue to get weaker as you rely more on these medications.

These medications do nothing to fix your underlying problems, and in fact, they are guaranteed to make it worse over time.

Here’s a hint at your possible future resulting from many years of compromised digestion stemming from low stomach acid:

• You can’t digest proteins, the building blocks of your body, use to repair damage every night while you sleep, or create hormones, enzymes and neurotransmitters

• You can’t digest minerals, meaning your body becomes malnourished and can lead to hundreds of various illnesses and symptoms, including osteoporosis.

• Your body becomes prone to inflammation, often chronic. Untreated, long term inflammation is the number one fuel for cardiovascular disease, arthritis and many other diseases.

• Your immune system weakens, leaving you more susceptible to infections of all kinds.

• As part of your weakened immune, you can be more susceptible to allergies, skin complaints, food intolerances, chemical sensitivities and more.

• Your energy will no doubt drop, leaving you feel tired and flat.

• Your endocrine system will suffer without the correct fuel, leading to adrenal fatigue, hormonal disturbances, thyroid problems and mental health issues like depression.

• Faster aging of your body.

• Poor metabolism resulting in weight gain.

• Candida overgrowth

• Auto immune diseases

• … and the list goes on!

Ok Ok OK!!!! Have you had enough of this rather depressing peek into your future of regular OTC reflux medication use?

Read on my friend. The answer is near.

The difference in the way NATUROPATHS treat reflux is vastly different. Instead of weakening the acid in your stomach, we want to gently strengthen it! We want to wake up your sleepy esophageal sphincter, get it back to the gym for some healthy tone, and back on the job of keeping those two sections of your digestive system separated!

Of course, step one is to identify what your causes of low stomach acid are, and coach and educate you into positive habit changes. We want to help you identify your stressors and help you make better food choices that promote a healthy digestive system and a healthy body.

We will teach you the benefits of a diet rich in vegetables and fruits, lean and moderate servings of meats (if you choose), whole grains, nuts, seeds, legumes (if you wish!), and fermented foods like good quality yoghurts, kefir, sauerkrauts, kombucha and many others to replace the good bacteria of your stomach.

We will help you form good habits of staying hydrated and eating in a balanced way to keep your energy high and your body nutrified!

But here’s a few things you can start on straight away:

1.      At meal times, slow down and breathe! When your diaphragm moves up down with each breath, it physically moves your stomach to assist the mechanics of digestion.

2.      Smell your food before you put it in your mouth.

3.      Relax your stomach when you breathe, as this switches on your stomach and pancreas, and your acid will start to flow into your stomach ready for digestion.

4.      CHEW! Chew well before you swallow, and keep the breathing going.

5.      Eat slowly!

6.      Create a relaxing environment to eat your meals. Nice music, good posture and gentle lighting are all beneficial.

7.      Avoid guzzling large quantities of liquids at meal times. Big glasses of water can dilute your stomach acid, so just take little sips. Definitely avoid soft drinks or juice at meal times.

8.      Eat until you start to feel satisfied, and not full. This might take a while to get used to, but as your food choices become healthier and more balanced, your portions should be easier to reduce.

And I’ll let you in on 2 of my all time favourite home remedies for treating the actual cause of reflux.

1)      Apple Cider Vinegar. Add a good dash of this to your water before and as you eat, and your digestion will dramatically improve. ACV has hundreds of health promoting features, and will help reverse that scary possible future I painted earlier of long term low stomach acid.

Yes, I hear your first issue with this… but vinegar is acid, and that will make my reflux worse, right?! Wrong. Thankfully. Yes, the pH of ACV is around 3, but start taking this in small amounts (1tsp) working your way up eventually to about a tablespoon as your digestion strengthens. In the meantime, until symptoms pass, you can use my 2nd favourite remedy:

2)      Slippery Elm. This ground up bark of the elm tree works beautifully to leave a gentle and healing coating over the lining of your digestive tract. This herb will help to alleviate any burning sensation or damage to your digestive tract from acid being in the wrong places. It will heal and soothe. Take 1 teaspoon in warm water AFTER you eat, or whenever your reflux typically arises.

So hopefully these tips will get you started to really fixing your GORD and empowering you to make healthier choices!

If you’d like more direction, feel free to book in to see me.

I can help you to get rid of that ball of fire in your gut, and get you feeling amazing in no time with a bright and healthy future!