Treatment of heartburn, gastritis, reflux and GERD with holistic medicine and PEMF therapy

Because GERD is so complex, one has to understand the mechanisms that underlie the problem. GERD is due to a hiatal hernia. When there is a hiatal hernia, there are different degrees of reflux of stomach acid into the esophagus. The main symptom of GERD is heartburn. Another common problem associated with GERD is a “flush” or an acid sensation in the throat. It’s not uncommon for people with bad reflux, which is what GERD is, to have vocal cord irritation, a chronic cough and sore throat, especially in the mornings, and even asthma.

Hiatal hernia is caused simply by overstretching the stomach, which unfortunately causes the lower end of the esophagus to become overstretched as well. When the esophagus is stretched too far, acid rises freely into the esophagus, which is not designed to handle acid.

Heartburn is often also caused by gastritis, or inflammation of the stomach. These two conditions can be difficult to tell apart and can only be done by endoscopy or by placing a scope down the throat to the bottom of the esophagus and stomach. Gastritis is treated as a very different condition, although both tend to be treated by acid suppression with medications like Zantac, Prilosec, the purple pill. [protonix]etc

The most worrisome condition with GERD is esophagitis, called reflux esophagitis. In the worst case it is known as Barrett’s esophagus. Barrett’s esophagus can lead to esophageal cancer due to chronic irritation from acid to the lower end of the esophagus.

So there are two approaches to managing GERD.

The first is to reduce the reflux of acid into the esophagus. This is again using the acid suppression medications. In a holistic world, the main strategy is to reduce the amount of time food stays in the stomach and try to heal the esophagus. Medications used to suppress acid reflux into the esophagus simply decrease acid production. They do nothing to heal the esophagus or stomach. Doctors in this case strictly trust the healing of the body itself. Holistic practitioners use an additional strategy using a supplement called DGL or aloe to help heal the lining of the esophagus and stomach.

The second important strategy is to reduce the time it takes for food to leave the stomach. Unfortunately, with acid blockers we are in a Catch-22. By suppressing stomach acid, we are not able to digest our food as well and consequently it tends to stay in the stomach longer. While it seems counterintuitive, we would generally recommend that people with GERD actually use acid during their meals. Many people actually develop reflux simply because they no longer have enough stomach acid to digest food properly. That means the food stays there too long and is therefore more likely to reflux into the esophagus. For this purpose, people can use apple cider vinegar, 1 to 2 tablespoons in 4 ounces of water at the end of each meal, or use an acidic preparation such as betaine hydrochloride, in the appropriate dosage.

Digestion actually starts in the mouth. People need to do it properly until their food is liquid before it comes out of the mouth. This pre-digestion reduces the amount of work the stomach has to do, and as a result, food will leave the stomach faster, decreasing reflux. I strongly believe that a large part of our reflux problems in our society is people not chewing properly, due to how much we end up rushing our meals. Also, those with reflux, particularly morning symptoms, need to elevate the head of the bed or get a foam wedge with a 6-inch elevation. The foam wedge should cover your body from head to tailbone. Fortunately, this can be done on one side of the bed so neither partner is affected. It is important to do the elevation with a wedge. [additional pillows just don’t work] to decrease the possibility of acid reflux into the esophagus. Also, meals should not occur within two hours of bedtime, as the food is likely still in the stomach and then refluxes into the esophagus. Small meals throughout the day also decrease the amount of food in the stomach at any one time. The stomach is like a small balloon, about the size of a fist, and when the muscles press down on it by bending and lifting it or other exertion of the abdominal muscles, the balloon is pushed down and food only has one way to go, up. . esophagus

In terms of the value of PEMFs in the context of heartburn or GERD, it is possible that PEMFs help with stomach motility to pass food faster. This helps decrease the amount of reflux. Additionally, PEMFs can increase the amount of acid production during a meal to help digest food better and faster. Finally, PEMFs can help reduce heartburn and gastritis symptoms. I have used magnetic fields on numerous occasions when I have overindulged in spicy foods. They help with heartburn pain quite dramatically. However, this use of PEMF is only a band-aid as long as the other components are not used to reduce reflux. Therefore, the use of PEMF in the context of GERD should include mechanical measures, nutritional measures, and proper digestive practices. PEMFs can be very helpful in reducing symptoms and can also speed up gastric motility, reducing the amount of time food spends in the stomach and therefore the likelihood of reflux.

Obviously, if you own a PEMF system, it could be used for other health needs as well. If you already have a PEMF system for other reasons, it can also be used for your reflux by applying the magnetic field directly over the upper abdomen and lower esophagus. This can be done especially at bedtime, whenever heartburn is felt, until the discomfort subsides, and in the morning when symptoms may be worst. In this case, again, PEMFs would be symptomatically helpful in conjunction with whatever other therapy is being used.