Indigestion/Heartburn

[**jessireebob**]

Hi all. I've had horrible heartburn (chronic dyspepsia) for years. I got it from taking a particular anti-convulsant medication years ago, and even when I went off the med, the heartburn never went away.

I haven't remained 100% raw for more than a few days at a time, so I'm assuming thats part of why the heartburn isn't subsiding quicker, but I also read that detox symps will fade faster if we don't take medications to cover them up. Well today I have a MASSIVE headache and horrible heartburn. Is there anything I can do for the heartburn other than take prilosec or something? It's so bad it's bothering me more than the headache!

Thanks for any info or advice!

[tonytate42]

I've read that bananas can help sometimes. I have had acid reflux for years. I don't know if it is anything like what you have suffered from, but I find that the pumkin seeds and sunflower seeds seem to help. I haven't taken my meds ( prilosec ) for about a week now. I have cheated a couple of time on the diet with cooked food. I immediately was on the verge of heartburn each time. The headache didn't last more than two days for me. It was pretty intense though. I hope this helps.

[Shanna77]

I've suffered from heart burn for years especially when I was pregnant and then it got considerably worse. The only thing that helps is eating raw. I find food combining helps too. If heartburn gets really bad you could try apple cider vinegar. If you take a drink of it sometimes makes the heartburn go away. Try looking on line for homeopathic remedies for,like the apple cider vinegar. Good luck!!!!

[**jessireebob**]

Thanks for the input, guys! I caved and took medication... Next time I will try the ACV. Banans just make it worse for me....

[Frecs]

First, I stopped having acid reflux when I went raw so hang in there!

Second, when I wasn't raw, when the reflux had me in misery, I'd eat bread and/or rice with nothing on them to soak up the acid. I'm not sure what raw food you could use to do the same....

[Nimmanu]

For heartburn and reflux, try eating something that you can "nibble" constantly in small amounts. The continuous swallowing of food will literally sooth the pain and push the expelled bile back into the stomach where it belongs.

[RowanC]

Do not overstuff your belly and do NOT eat within 2 hours before bedtime.

Start a diary where you list the times you eat and WHAT you eat so you can figure out what is the cause of your heartburn...

I know this is a vegan site, but for medicine you can also keep some organic whole milk in the fridge and have 1/2 cup when your stomach is burning. It really does help.
Also you might try 1/2 tsp baking SODA in a half glass of water to perhaps change the pH of the acid.

Is it RAW food that is giving you the heartburn?

[ChiChi]

I had severe acid reflux for over 10 years. I had 3 biopsy's done on my esophoges all with results more distubing than the other. The Dr's said that that I would have to be on medication for the rest of my life to prevent the cells from turning cancerous. Well I decided for myself to completly change the way I eat about two years ago. I became vegan and I have never had any heartburn pain and acid relux porblems again. I ditched the meds too along with other meds I was taking for other things. I was vegan for about 1 year than I still ate healthy afterwards so I still no longer had problems. I switch up my eating habits now every 6 months and that works for me. Two much of one thing is not good for my blood type, I am very anemic. I become vegan for a while to heal myself until I find that my body needs somthing different. I now plan on eating raw because I feel that this is what my body needs at this time.

[wyjoz]

I just got this in e-mail last night: MAALOX MOMENT? MAYBE NOT

Turning on the television or reading the newspaper is becoming an
exercise in anxiety. If it's not terrorism, it's the latest health crisis
or the struggling economy. All this stress is sending lots of us to our
medicine chests to calm our nervous stomachs. And what do we usually
reach for? That old standby -- an over-the-counter (OTC) antacid.

Advertising claims would lead you to believe that any OTC antacid,
such as Tums, Rolaids, Maalox or Pepcid, is harmless enough. Little
did you know that taking an antacid actually can make your stomach
problems worse. Stomach Acid: "A Good Thing"

You may be surprised to learn that Daily Health News Contributing
Editor Andrew Rubman, ND, describes stomach acid as a good thing.
Proper digestion takes place as a series of functions, all of which
depend on the presence of adequate stomach acid while you are eating.

When you take OTC antacids -- or even worse, the "more effective"
prescription variety -- you're cutting down or even eliminating the
acid you need at mealtimes. Without it, your stomach can't adequately
break down food into its nutrient components. What's more, as we
described in the May 26 issue of Daily Health News, inadequate
digestion of proteins encourages the liver to increase production of
LDL cholesterol -- the kind of cholesterol that does the most damage
to your body.

An all-too-common result of taking OTC antacids on a regular daily
basis is an increase in cholesterol, which is then often treated with
yet another drug to lower cholesterol levels. Not a roller coaster
ride you want to be on.

Go with the Flow

If you stop taking antacids as a favor to your liver, what do you do
about your sour stomach?

"Prevent it in the first place," says Dr. Rubman. Make sure you have
adequate acid in your stomach during mealtimes, when you need it, and
less stomach acid when you don't need it. "What we call excess stomach
acid," he explains, "is what we should call inappropriate stomach
acid. "To make sure your stomach has sufficient acid at mealtimes, Dr.
Rubman advises against "grazing" -- snacking on food -- throughout
the day. Snacking signals the stomach to pump acid rather than saving
it for mealtimes.

In addition...

Always chew your food thoroughly. Introducing saliva into the food as
you chew will get the digestion process off to a good start.
Don't drink very much liquid while eating a meal. Dr. Rubman says more
than a few sips of fluid will dilute the acid in the stomach. Also try
to limit fluids for 30 minutes before you eat and for an hour
afterward. His general rule: One fluid ounce of water for every two
ounces by weight of solid food.

To avoid acid overproduction, Dr. Rubman also advises a few changes in
eating habits...

Don't overeat. Leave that extra little bit of room for dessert, and
then skip it.

Eliminate from your diet foods that have refined sugars, such as
desserts. Sugars tend to destabilize the stomach, decreasing
efficiency of digestion and nutritional value and creating gas.

Avoid caffeine and fried foods. Caffeine stops starch digestion and
can impair acid production with meals. Fried foods create
gastrointestinal inflammation and speed the aging process.

Between-Meal Defenses

If you still suffer from a sour stomach between meals, put something
in it that will quiet it without triggering more acid production. Dr.
Rubman has several suggestions...

"A time-tested remedy, believe it or not, is sauerkraut," he says. In
Europe, you can even buy sauerkraut juice for just that purpose. Five
or 10 minutes after consuming sauerkraut, your stomach will relax and
you'll feel great. Sounds weird, but in fact, the enzymes released
during the fermentation of the cabbage as it turns into sauerkraut
actually help break down and neutralize the inflammatory components
of a sour stomach.

Should sauerkraut not be for you, some herbal products soothe and
normalize the stomach without suppressing acid production. Dr. Rubman
recommends gentian, an herb that comes in tinctures, capsules and
fluid extracts. "Usually using eight to 10 drops in a little bit of
water will do the job," he says. Use this as needed rather than
prophylactically.

Glyconda, a traditional herbal combination that includes turkey
rhubarb root, cinnamon and goldenseal, is another old-fashioned
remedy, one that grandmothers in Italy have been giving their
families for years. Dissolve 10 to 20 drops in two ounces of warm tea
or water, and drink before a meal.

Other products that address the problem...

* Gastri-Gest, a combination of plant-derived enzymes taken as needed
as an antacid substitute. Available from Priority One (800-443-2039).
* Compound Herbal Elixir, a botanical mixture that can be used as
needed as a "tummy tonic." Available from Eclectic Institute
(800-332-4372, www.eclecticherb.com).

Both of these products also are available at quality health-food stores.

When Problems Don't Resolve

Occasionally, a more severe stomach problem causes between-meal acid
production. "This occurs when something in the stomach lining
stimulates it in the same way that food does," explains Dr. Rubman.
Typically, the cause is a yeast organism or something similar. Often,
the culprit is the same creature found in vaginal or oral thrush. You
can avoid it by following the above steps to maintain adequate stomach
acid levels during meals.

Caution: Anyone with gastritis that persists for more than 10 days or
recurs more than once a month should be tested for the bacterium
Helicobacter pylori.

It also might be an ulcer, which would require special treatment.
"Having a gastric or duodenal ulcer is one of the few problems that
call for prescription antacids to suppress stomach-acid production
while the lesion heals properly," says Dr. Rubman. If your problem
does not respond to the natural remedies above within a few days, see
your health-care provider to rule out a more serious condition.

When it comes to acid indigestion, don't let the cure be worse than
the disease. Healthy eating habits and a strategy to work with the
body's natural digestive function will go a long way in calming that
grumbling pain. Be well,
Carole Jackson
Bottom Line's Daily Health News
I SAY READY GET INTO GREEN SMOOTHIES 3-4 a day to correct your Hydrochloric Acid. Joz

[PeachyMama]

Thanks for posting that, wyjoz!

Jessireebob, I still had heartburn after going raw, and the only thing that I found that really helped was proper food combining. I can occasionally have small amounts of nuts with fruit, but I do try to keep those times to a minimum.

I'm going to pick up some gentian at Whole Foods tomorrow to have it on hand.