A burning desire for help
Q: I have been having pain in my throat for three months. I was just diagnosed with GERD, but I don't want to take any drugs for it. Any suggestions?
JVW: Chronic heartburn is known as GERD or gastrointestinal reflux disease. Although the pharmaceutical companies would like you to believe that indigestion and heartburn (the symptoms of GERD) are always caused by excess stomach acid, the exact opposite is often true. Too little stomach acid may be responsible and the best treatment may be adding more acid, not reducing it.
Inexpensive acid supplements may be all that you need. But first, have your stomach function tested to be sure that your GERD is the result of low levels of stomach acid. If it is, supplementing with either betaine hydrochloride-pepsin or glutamic-acid hydrochloride-pepsin before meals is advisable. One capsule (5, 7 1/2, or 10 grains) to begin, then after two or three days, if there are no problems use two capsules in the early part of the meal and then increase to three capsules several days later. The dose is gradually increased in this fashion until it equals 40 to 70 grains per meal.
This program should be carefully monitored by your physician, as hydrochloric acid can be dangerous and should never be mixed with aspirin, Butazolidin, Inodicin, Motrin, or any other anti-inflammatory drugs.
Antacids are temporary acid neutralizers. They can relieve heartburn discomfort for an hour or so, reducing gastric acidity modestly. They are safe, but are not a long-term solution for someone with a chronic GERD problem. |
