NaBloPoMo 2021.26 Solving for Acid Reflux - My Very Own PSA
Probably the day after Thanksgiving and four days before the end of NaBloPoMo is as good a day as I'll ever get to relate my personal solve for acid reflux.
Devising my own solution was pretty much my only option since I seem to be one of those people who can't take PPIs (like Zantac, etc). They make me feel horrible. You'd think that more doctors would advise patients about waves of just feeling miserable as a possible side effect, since, at least in my experience, it was pretty nasty and I only connected the dots back to the PPI because I was randomly on drugs.com looking into something.
Anyway, here's what worked for me. It took maybe 4-6 weeks, but I no longer have acid reflux. It's been maybe five months now of feeling symptom free. This is something since acid reflux runs in my family and I had it pretty bad.
Occasionally, I've felt the start of acid reflux again, but when it does, I snap into action and redouble doing all my things (ie Steps 1-5 below) very aggressively.
(I still do almost all of them almost every day, but maybe I don't always sleep on the wedge pillow and I forget to do the breathing exercises.)
Step 1:
Buy this pillow wedge and sleep on it. I had tried out some other wedge pillows that were cheaper and also higher and shorter. The problem with the higher and shorter is that you can't really sleep on them. At least I can't. You roll right off. It might also be possible to stick blankets or something under your sheets. You just have to get your esophagus not horizontal:
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| 6" max height I think. |
Step 2:
Take this DGL. I read the label really carefully so as to not OD. You take just a tiny amount: https://amzn.to/3xsWraV
Step 3 :
Get yourself some Probiotics: https://amzn.to/3D0DH3I
The rest of this stuff might be optional, but I've been putting the following in my smoothies and I think it helps:
Valerian Root: https://amzn.to/3rsiWvV
(FWIW-- I read on Consumer Labs that Valerian Root might help with anxiety but it really does nothing clinically-proven for sleep.)
Maybe try some Ashwagandha: https://amzn.to/3rbZIKF
Step 4:
Breathing exercises, yoga nidra anything like this. Definitely do this stuff. I constantly underestimate how much it matters. For example, I think I had this weird habit-- while working on the computer I'd tense up my throat. Then my throat would get sore.
It's insane how much stupid stuff like this can mess you up. I got a timer on my phone that went off every twenty minutes for a while so that every twenty minutes I could check how I was sitting and what I was doing with my face and neck.
It was a revelation, let me tell you.
Step 5:
You also definitely have to cut out things that, if you think about it, upset your stomach. For me it was onions and margaritas. Taco Tuesdays are a thing around here. There's also probably something to be said for not eating too close to bedtime. Consider stuff like this. Maybe keep a journal or something.
I probably should mention that at the beginning, when my esophagus was pretty much a mess, I took Tums and used Prelief and some digestive enzymes for a while. Oh and one other possible note-- If your acid reflux is being caused by allergies and their attendant 24/7 post nasal drip, take antihistamines, etc and keep that under control. It's an evil cycle I tell you.
In all cases, good luck. I hope you feel better soon.
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