Treating Heartburn, Gastritis, Reflux, and GERD with Holistic Medicine and PEMF Therapy
Because GERD is so complex, you need to understand the mechanisms underlying the problem. GERD is due to a hiatal hernia. When there is a hiatal hernia, there are varying degrees of acid reflux from the stomach into the esophagus. The main symptom of GERD is heartburn. Another common problem associated with GERD is “rushing water” or an acid sensation in the throat. It is not uncommon for people with severe reflux, which is what GERD is, to have irritation of the vocal cords, a chronic cough and sore throat, especially in the morning, and even asthma.
Hiatal hernia is caused simply by overstretching the stomach, which unfortunately causes the lower end of the esophagus to overstretch as well. When the esophagus is overstretched, acid rises freely into the esophagus, which is not designed to handle acid.
Heartburn is also often caused by gastritis or inflammation of the stomach. These two conditions can be difficult to differentiate and can only be done by endoscopy or by placing an endoscope down the throat into the lower esophagus and stomach. Gastritis is treated as a very different condition, although both tend to be treated through the use of acid suppression with medications such as Zantac, Prilosec, the purple pill. [protonix]etc.
The condition that is most concerning with GERD is esophagitis, called reflux esophagitis. At worst, it is known as Barrett’s esophagus. Barrett’s esophagus can lead to esophageal cancer due to chronic irritation of acid from the lower end of the esophagus.
So there are two approaches to managing GERD.
The first is to reduce the acid reflux into the esophagus. This again is using the drugs to remove the acid. In a holistic world, the main strategy is to reduce the amount of time that food stays in the stomach and to 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 rely on the healing of the body. Holistic practitioners use an additional strategy with 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 on a Catch-22. By suppressing stomach acid, we are unable to digest our food as well and consequently it tends to stay in the stomach longer. Although it may seem counterintuitive, we normally recommend that people with GERD use acid during meals. In reality, many people develop reflux simply because they don’t have enough stomach acid to digest food properly. That means food stays there too long and is therefore more likely to back up 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.
In reality, digestion begins in the mouth. People need to do it correctly until the food is liquid before it leaves the mouth. This pre-digestion reduces the amount of work the stomach has to do and as a result the food will flow out of the stomach faster, decreasing reflux. I firmly believe that a large part of our reflux problems in our society is that people don’t chew properly, due to how much we end up rushing our meals. Also, people with reflux, particularly with morning symptoms, need to raise the head of the bed or get a foam wedge with a 6-inch rise. The foam wedge should cover your body from head to tailbone. Fortunately, this can be done on one side of the bed so that no partner is affected. It is important to lift with a wedge. [additional pillows just don’t work] to decrease the chance of acid reflux into the esophagus. Also, meals should not be eaten 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 it is pressed down by the muscles with bending and lifting or other effort of the abdominal muscles, the balloon is pressed and the food has only one way to go, towards above. esophagus.
In terms of the value of PEMFs in the context of heartburn or GERD, it is possible that PEMFs can help with the motility of the stomach to evacuate food faster. This helps decrease the amount of reflux. Also, PEMFs can increase the amount of acid production during a meal to help digest food better and faster. Finally, PEMFs can help reduce symptoms of heartburn and gastritis. I have used magnetic fields numerous times when overindulging on spicy foods. They help heartburn pain quite dramatically. However, this use of PEMF is only a band-aid as long as the other components of the reflux reduction are not used. Therefore, the use of PEMF in the context of GERD must include mechanical measures, nutritional measures, and proper digestive practices. PEMFs can be very helpful in reducing symptoms and can also accelerate gastric motility, reducing the amount of time food spends in the stomach and therefore the likelihood of reflux.
Obviously, if you have 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 to your upper abdomen and lower esophagus. This can be done especially at bedtime, whenever heartburn is felt, until discomfort subsides, and in the morning, when symptoms may be worst. In this case, again, PEMFs would be helpful symptomatically along with whatever other therapy is being used.
