Supplements 101
Debra Gibson, ND
Soothing Support for Reflux
their misery. As heartburn is usually worse when lying down, it is a powerful antidote to a good night’s sleep. But the chronic form of heartburn, known as reflux or GERD (gastro-esophageal reflux disease) not only causes significant distress, it can inflame and erode the lining of the esophagus, cause narrowing of the esophagus (stric- ture), cause changes in the cells that line the esophagus (Barrett’s esophagus), and in time, if not addressed, it can increase the risk of esophageal cancer. Conventional approaches to GERD, such as antacids, proton
H
pump inhibitors and H2 antagonists, are directed toward neutralizing or reducing stomach acid, so there is less irritating acid to cause pain and inflammation. As with all pharmaceutical approaches, however, there are potential problems associated with their long-term use: ma- labsorption of nutrients (such as Calcium, Magnesium, and Vitamin B12); pneumonia; bacterial infections such as H. pylori (which is associated with stomach cancer) and Clostridium difficile (a com- mon cause of antibiotic-resistant diarrhea); and interference with the effectiveness of some medications. Despite these issues, how- ever, if you have severe GERD (particularly with Barrett’s esophagus cellular changes); pharmaceutical inhibitors of gastric acid have at least a short-term place in your care, because it is essential to put the brakes on runaway inflammation. For people who have milder symptoms, for those who have GERD without cellular changes in the esophagus, and for the more than half of GERD sufferers who have reflux symptoms without inflammation; in these cases, reflux may be effectively addressed using solely natural approaches.
Natural Medicine Strategies for Reflux As ever, the natural medical approach to reflux, gastritis, and
everyday heartburn is to correct underlying digestive tract imbal- ances while treating symptoms in ways which do not interfere with
eartburn: those who have experienced the extreme discom- fort that can occur when acidic stomach contents move up- ward into the esophagus know how well that word describes
the body’s healthy functioning. For many naturopathic physicians, reflux is thought to be less an issue of excessive gastric acid produc- tion than the result of an unhealthy stomach environment which is acutely sensitive and made even more irritated by the addition of any amount of acid, even abnormally low amounts. While medica- tions commonly prescribed for reflux might help you feel better in the short term, they actually may be worsening the digestive imbal- ances that help create reflux. There is an old naturopathic saying, “Health begins with
digestion.” It is important to take reflux seriously, as a yellow flag of warning for the health of your entire digestive tract - so we are fortunate that Nature has gifted us with a number of effective agents for healing reflux:
DGL If you like the taste of licorice, you may want to try DGL to tone
down heartburn. Deglycyrrhizinated licorice, or DGL, is licorice root extract from which glycyrrhizin, which can cause high blood pressure, has been removed. It has a long history of use for digestive issues including stomach ulcers and reflux; the form usually pre- scribed is a chewable tablet as saliva increases DGL’s effectiveness. DGL is thought to promote healing of the lining of the stomach and esophagus. One or two tablets (chewed before meals) of a highly concentrated 10:1 formulation will provide 400-800 mg. of DGL.
Aloe Vera The Aloe Vera plant, as a purified juice or added to combina-
tion formulas in powdered form, has a long tradition in natural and folk medicine as one of Nature’s most powerful healers for the diges- tive tract. It is thought to promote healing of the mucus membranes which line the entire length of the GI tract, and while it can take a month or more to help shift the balance toward healing on the cel- lular level, many a heartburn, gastritis or ulcer sufferer can vouch
24 Natural Nutmeg
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