Snippets from the Healing Arts: Natural treatments for Acid Reflux

X-ray showing radiocontrast from the stomach (white material below diaphragm) entering the esophagus (three vertical collections of white material in the mid-line of the chest) due to severe reflux - Source: Wikipedia

NOT ENOUGH stomach acid is recognized by alternative health or functional medicine practitioners as the cause of acid reflux. So instead of acid-blocking drugs which actually lower stomach acid along with their recognized possible adverse side effect, Sara Cotten, FNLP Integrative Health Specialist, and contributor to Well Being Journal, identifies some tips for increasing stomach acids in the March/April 2019 issue of Well Being Journal.

1. Drink fresh celery juice first thing on an empty stomach.

2. Eat fermented foods or drinks e.g. Sauerkraut, kimchi or kombucha before eating other foods.

3. Maintain good posture. Slouching causes the diaphragm to compress the stomach & can cause or worsen reflux symptoms.

4. Squeeze a slice of lemon into your water.

5. Use digestive bitters as a supplement. At the Vermont Salt Cave we have six different organic bitters to choose from.

6. Consider visceral manipulation, a type of bodywork that gently adjusts internal organs. Cotten notes that when the stomach is not in its ideal location, this is referred to as a hiatal hernia, which can cause acid reflux. Visceral manipulation can restore the stomach to its proper position and resolve GERD (Gastroesophaleal reflux disease) problems.

For more information: www.gutinstinct.clinic

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