A very common symptom that we see walking through our doors at Balance Health is heartburn and gastroesophageal disease (GERD). Perhaps it occurs after eating a greasy cheeseburger or pizza, or drinking a cup of coffee—whatever the cause, it’s uncomfortable and can impact quality of life.
What are the 8 symptoms of GERD?
- frequent burping
- nausea, vomiting
- persistent cough
- sore throat
- hoarse voice
- sour taste in the mouth
- sensation of something stuck in the throat
- difficulty or pain swallowing
I would like to throw it out there that this is an important sign from your body to pay attention to what it’s trying to tell you!
What is heartburn and why does it start?
Digestion starts with the mouth (well, really with the eyes and nose because as soon as we smell or see food that can start salivation and the start of stomach acid production) once we start chewing. In the ideal situation, you chew each bite until you have completely broken it up into mush--but who’s got time for that? We typically shovel food in our mouths and chew a few times and before we have swallowed, we move the next bite towards our mouth. The partially chewed food moves down the esophagus, passes a sphincter (separates the esophagus and stomach), and into the stomach.
The stomach is about the size of your clenched fist (not very big!) and we expect it to stretch to accommodate half a pizza and breadsticks. Food needs to sit in the stomach for about 30 minutes to allow the digestive juices time to break down the food appropriately.
Stomach acid doesn’t damage the stomach itself because it has developed a capacity to tolerate highly acidic conditions.
Stomach acid breaks up food into smaller parts and the pH of the stomach juices is vitally important. The optimal pH of the stomach is about 1.9 on a scale of 0 to 14; zero being acidic and at the other end of the spectrum alkalotic. Proteins are best digested with a stomach pH of 1.9 and starch at 2.1. Unfortunately, several of us do not have optimal stomach acid pHs to accomplish this and that is when problems begin.
Many people assume that if we have heartburn, it’s because we produce too much stomach acid, or the stomach acid is too acidic. That is a myth!
As a matter of fact, we are probably not making enough stomach acid and/or the pH of the acid is too high (above 1.9 toward the alkalotic end). If the pH is not low enough, then the food cannot be broken down into its smaller components (proteins, fats, carbs) and the body really doesn’t want those larger chunks moving on into the small intestine. Rather than allowing it to move forward, the stomach regurgitates the food—which is accompanied by stomach acid—into the esophagus. OUCH! That’s when we feel the burn in our chests because the tissue of the esophagus is not equipped to handle acid. There are also certain foods that can also relax the sphincter between the stomach and esophagus which can also cause food and acid to move up into the esophagus. This is simply painful!
>I’d also like to gently remind us of all that unhealthy bacteria from small intestine bacterial overgrowth which can also contribute to the development of GERD. I just can’t help myself—so much comes back to gut health and the delicate balance of all the microbes in the GI system! See my prior gut health videos for more information!
When heartburn or GERD goes untreated for years and years, that esophageal tissue starts to change and eventually can lead to Barrett’s esophagus—red and inflamed tissue—and then to cancer.
Therefore, when someone tells us at Balance Health that he/she has heartburn, we don’t ignore it as this benign condition can lead to deadly consequences.
How can you improve heartburn or prevent it? How can you prevent GERD? How Can I make my GERD go Away?
- Try stimulating stomach acid before you even eat! Cooking at home with the aromas in the air will awaken your senses that food is coming. Additionally, try arousing stomach acid production with apple cider vinegar ½ teaspoon to 1 tablespoon in as much water as you like OR squeeze half a lemon into warm water and drink 5-20 minutes before your main meals of the day.
- CHEW YOUR FOOD. The esophagus doesn’t have teeth so it’s your job to keep that food in your mouth and chew it up really well! Put your fork down while you chew. Enjoy the taste, texture, smell, conversation, etc. and mindfully eat. The chewing motion also stimulates stomach acid production.
- Next, think about portion size. Remember that I told you that your stomach is the size of your fist? The stomach is meant to handle about two fist sizes per meal so if you cram in ½ a pizza in 15 minutes, then where do you expect that food to go? The lesson is to eat slowly and smaller portions. Allow your brain to get the signal that you’re full!
- Avoid drinking water during meals. If the ideal pH of the stomach is 1.9 and water has a pH of 7, then drinking water while we eat increases the pH and puts us more at risk of heartburn and not properly digesting our food. In the perfect world, you would drink water between meals and wait at least 30 minutes after meals to consume water again. Just try eating meals without water for 1 week and see if you notice a difference in your symptoms. If you absolutely cannot go without your tall glass of water at dinner, squeeze lemon into it.
- Avoid your trigger foods. This is different for all of us. Some of the common ones are spicy foods, onions, garlic, alcohol, carbonated beverages, chocolate, citrus foods, tomatoes (and sauces from them!), coffee and other caffeinated drinks, fried and fatty foods. Keep a food journal if you’re not sure what sets you off and write down the foods you eat and when you get the symptoms.
- Eat your last meal of the day at least 3 to 4 hours before you lay down in bed. Think about it: if you eat and lay down 30 minutes later, and you have a large beer belly or weak or damaged sphincter (the valve that separates the stomach from the esophagus), then that bolus of food presses on the sphincter and the food and acid are allowed to flow easily past because gravity isn’t helping your body keep it down!
- Lose weight! Any extra weight in the abdomen will press on the stomach and force food and acid up into the esophagus. Think about joining our “Balance the Scales” weight loss program at Balance Health! And if you’re pregnant—well it shall pass soon!
- Avoid pain relievers known as NSAIDS (naproxen, ibuprofen, Excedrin) because they can cause worsening symptoms.
- If you smoke cigarettes or chew tobacco—talk to us about coming up with a strategy to quit!
- You may want to consider different supplements to help your symptoms: chewable or drinkable calcium citrate (not calcium pills) after each meal. dōTERRA DigestZen orally 30 minutes prior or after meals.
- If you have other symptoms such as chronic bloating, gas, diarrhea, and constipation then consider consulting with us at Balance Health about gut health (or refer to my prior videos on gut health).
It’s possible that over-the-counter medications can be used (i.e., Tums, Pepcid AC, omeprazole (Prilosec)) or prescribed medications, but keep in mind these are short-term solutions for a bigger problem that should be addressed through lifestyle changes. These medications were not meant to be used for years on end and there is developing evidence that the resultant vitamin deficiencies are linked to osteoporosis, neuropathies, cognitive decline, etc. If you are already on one of these medications, don’t panic and stop them cold turkey!
That will lead to rebound symptoms so it’s better to wean off them slowly while you work on changes in your lifestyle. We’re here to guide you at Balance Health!