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Q. I have been diagnosed with a bad case of acid reflux. I am not supposed to eat citrus fruits, tomatoes or tomato-based foods. Those are the staples of my diet. I put tomatoes in almost everything. There go pastas, pizza, soups, you name it.
Is there anything I can put on tomatoes or fruit that will neutralize the acids? I have also been told to avoid fizzy water, caffeine and alcohol, so there's not much left. Decaf iced tea doesn't agree with me. Help!
A. There is an over-the-counter product called Prelief (calcium glycerophosphate) that takes the acid out of food. It comes in tablets or powder form and is sold in drugstores or online at www.prelief.com. It should make digesting juice or tomatoes less challenging.
We are sending you our Guide to Digestive Disorders for many more non-drug ideas on dealing with heartburn and reflux.
Cutting back on carbohydrates like pasta and pizza may be more helpful than eliminating tomatoes. Studies have found that a low-carb diet can often ease symptoms of reflux, especially in overweight individuals (Digestive Disease and Sciences, Aug. 2006).
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Tomatoes should not be combined with any other food (except avocado...and onions). You can try to alkalinze your body. Proteins and fruits should not be combined. Eat them at different times, maybe this will help.
+1 on low carb. Try giving up the pasta, not the tomatoes. At least, give up gluten for a week or three, and see what happens. For me, gluten takes 24-48 hours to react. I've learned that eating bread today will cause acid reflux two days from now.
My husband had very bad acid reflux. After tests, the gastroenterologist diagnosed him with Barret's Esophagus. My husband was able to stop the reflux by making these changes: slightly elevate the head of the bed; drink a full glass of dechlorinated water (water that has been left sitting for about 24 hours) first thing in the morning; eat a PEELED Granny Smith apple for breakfast with Irish Oatmeal; chew gum several times a day; drink only dechlorinated water or green tea and avoid ice; drink before or after a meal but not during the meal; chew Slippery Elm tablets the first sign of reflux; eat yogurt; take a probiotic.
He also stands up straight and uses a gentle massaging motion from his breastbone downward to his navel if he feels any symptoms. After his last "scope" the doctor told him he didn't have Barret's Esophagus. He rarely has acid reflux now. Hope this helps others!
Consider checking with your doctor to see if you have a hiatal hernia, which often causes acid reflux. Both my former husband and his mother had hiatal hernias and frequently experienced acid reflux. The chronic irritation to the esophagus from acid reflux might have been the reason that both of them developed cancer of the esophagus. It's worth a doctor's visit to check on the cause and take preventative measures if necessary.
Prelief does not work for me. However, whenever I use pasta sauce I mix some sour cream or yogurt into it to neutralize the acid. I have also switched to cream sauces and pesto. Cannot use lemon or lime. Chocolate cannot be tolerated at all. I try to avoid caffeine if possible although caffeine is what works best on my headaches. I also have to avoid oranges and plums. I guess what works for some people doesn't for others.
If you have not been paying attention to what's going on in your digestive system you can try some stuff that might be an easy fix. As we age our digestive system changes and gets "out of balance". If you have never taken one, a pro-biotic is absolutely essential. The best are found in the refrigerated section in the health food/drug store. These have live cultures and will balance out your gut.
Get one, take it faithfully daily and see what happens. DO-NOT begin taking "proton pump inhibitors" (ie Prevacid). These only throw off the balance of your digestive system even more and lead to all sorts of unintended consequences in the long run, as you can find even on this site. If this is going to be your answer, it will take a bout a month to see if the balance in your gut changes. Our digestive system is about 80% of your immune system. If it's out of whack other things will be too.
My family doctor told me after several tries to clear the phlegm feeling in back of my throat that he he thought it was "silent reflux" and I told him I don't have the heartburn, etc, he said that was why it was called "silent". Sent me to ENT and said yes there was a "burn" put me on Nexium and told me to come back on month.. Went back said scope showing better, come back in 3 months.. Went back said looks great finish your Nexium and go back to the generic for Zantac that my family doctor had me on.
I weaned off Nexium, never took the Zantac, retired, removed the stress in my life, moved to the beach and I will have crop ups of symptoms and read on here about dark chocolate for coughing and clearing throat... People pay $150 for Nexium and a bag of Hershey's Dark Chocolate Kisses does the job. If I feel the symptoms I take a Kiss and suck on it and BOOM done deal, gone. Don't know if this would work with the "acid reflux" but worth a try. I would like to know if other people have had this luck with a "KISS"?
I still swear by a slice of Red Delicious apple, or about 3 bites. The relief is immediate and lasts several hours. It was suggested to me by my midwife during my first pregnancy and I have been using this method ever since (25 years). I have also found that almonds and fresh, ripe cherries seem to help.
I was diagnosed with GERD and prescribed Ranitidine 150mg 2x daily. It turns out that after stopping Meloxicam and changing to a low carb diet my GERD is gone! Take a look at your meds and consult with your doctor.
Thank you for all the above ideas. It does seem as though GERD or acid reflux is quite different in different people. I am unfortunately taking prescription Prilosec and regret that I started it. However, I am eliminating wheat and dairy, not eating tomatoes, citrus fruits, coffee, chocolate, wine, etc. Not sure this makes sense but it does seem to keep the pain at bay.
I am developing what feels like a bad throat and phlegm that won't go away. Haven't had the scope yet to find out if it's caused by a hiatal hernial which my mother had. I also heard the drugs cause bone fractures, or increase the risk of them. Does make sense that no drug is safe from side effects. I love the remedy of retiring to the beach and avoiding all stress. That also seems helpful if one can do it. But eating a bag of dark chocolate doesn't seem so likely.
The best that I heard from Naturopaths and health food stores I've consulted is to take a teaspoon of Apple Cider Vinegar -- the kind with the "mother" -- during each meal or before. Apparently acid reflux isn't necessarily the overproduction of acid after all. And I am taking probiotics and enzymes for digestion. Losing weight is a struggle for me at this point but I will attempt to do this as well. For some of us, there may be no one remedy, sadly. I am not terribly overweight. I just should probably lose more.
With everything you're already giving up, have you considered looking into following strict Atkins for 90 days? It's not much more strict, and a whole lot more interesting, and could possibly help with weight loss. If nothing else, it will get your insulin levels stabilized, and when that happens, a lot of other physical symptoms become easier to manage.
Look for the newest book--out Jan of last year--for a slightly revised take on the plan. Written by a doctor at Duke--Eric Westman.
Good luck.
I have been on Nexium 40mg for several years. Because of side effects I was advised to stop it. I have been trying to wean myself off, started takinging Pro-biotics but nothing is helping. I remember reading about taking cinnamon? for relief. I don't know if that is correct. Could you email an answer?
Thank-you
Have any of you tried digestive enzymes? Some of my friends were on these acid reducer drugs but I talked them into trying digestive enzymes and they were able to get off the drugs completely.
As we age our bodies tend to produce less acid so the gastric problems are often from not enough acid rather than too much. It is best to start slowly and then increase gradually until you once again feel a bit of acid stomach. Take a couple glasses of water and then the next meal go back to the last good symptom-free dose.
One must recheck every few years. I had a very smart Dr when I was in my 30s and he did a hair analysis. I was low in the very minerals I was supplementing with! He is the one who directed me to try the digestives. Amazingly my fingernails grew and they no longer split, cracked or flaked and I have no more split ends on my hair.
Like you, I have eliminated a lot from my diet. I guess I'll try to stop the wheat or just say a low-carb diet.
It seems strange to take apple-cider vinegar for acid reflux when I thought apple-cider vinegar was a form of acid. I would like to know if the apple-cider vinegar - the "mother" version works for you. I would just about try anything to get rid of the phlegm and the feeling of a sore throat.