Have GERD? Here’s a Natural Alternative to Manage It
Hi there!
In case you missed my healthy Halloween recipe lineup last week, you can check it out here.
Today, we’re going to talk about GERD or gastroesophageal reflux disease. It’s a condition that effects up to 60% of people and is characterized by feeling heartburn or a burning pain in the chest or throat.
Let’s look at why it happens. At the bottom part of your throat, your esophagus, lies a sphincter, a circular band of muscle that relaxes (opens) to allow the entry of food and water to the stomach and closes again after.
For someone who has GERD, his or her sphincter is not functioning properly, causing the stomach contents to rise up to the esophagus. Since your stomach content is naturally acidic, when it touches the lining of your esophagus, it creates a burning feeling–which we call heartburn.
For years, patients and physicians have depended on PPIs or proton-pump inhibitors to manage GERD, a group of drugs whose main action is to significantly lessen the production of stomach acid. However, the use of PPI has been linked to increased death rate due to heart diseases and stroke, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, various infections, nutrient deficiencies, disruption of the gut microbiome, and many more. In fact, earlier this year, a popular PPI was cautioned against due to increased evidence linking it to kidney disease.
I’m a huge proponent of getting to the root cause of symptoms rather than quick fixes which tend to lead to bigger health problems down the road. However, getting to the root cause can take time and correcting imbalances does too…so while you are doing those things, you don’t need to suffer! There are healthier alternatives that allow symptom relief as you support your body to heal.
One of the best choices for heartburn symptom relief is alginate-based raft therapy.
Normally, after eating, an acid layer forms on top of the stomach contents to create an acid pocket. With raft therapy, a gel-like “raft” floats on top of that acid pocket so that stomach contents don’t go up to your esophagus.
But why alginate?
Alginate or alginic acid is a compound found within the cell walls of brown algae and is naturally a gelling substance–making it a very effective raft to block stomach content reflux.
Alginate is taken with natural buffering agents such as calcium carbonate. Aside from being a buffer, calcium carbonate plays an important role in making the raft float. When it mixes with stomach acid, carbon dioxide bubbles are produced and trapped in the raft, causing it to float on top of stomach content.
The raft lasts for four hours in the stomach, and it can be digested and eliminated from the body, just like other dietary fibers. It is used after a meal in either tablet or liquid form. If taken during a meal or in capsule form, it will simply combine with food in the stomach and not form a raft.
Compared to PPIs, alginate-based raft therapy is safer and more effective. It is supported by a number of clinical studies, researches, and reviews. Read more about alginate-based raft therapy.
Now to be clear, while this can be a great option for symptom relief and protect the lining of your esophagus, it still doesn’t address the cause of heartburn.
Next time, I’ll share some additionally helpful information about relieving GERD naturally and look at how to address the root cause.
It is my passion to work with people like you whose health symptoms are getting in the way of you living life fully and with a sense of freedom in your body. I can help you to regain your health so you can feel great and free to enjoy life fully.
If you’re ready to discover where your best health has been hiding, I’d love to connect with you!
Apply for a complimentary Unstoppable Health Discovery Session. http://bit.ly/schedulinghealth (subject to availability).
Until next time, I’m wishing you unstoppable health!
~Rebecca