What can I do to aid my GERD Treatment?

GERD (Gastro – Esophageal Reflux Disease) is a medical condition where the contents of the stomach rise up into the throat through our food pipe, causing a discomfort and bitter taste in the mouth. It is also known as acid reflux.

Here are some easy tips to prevent the recurrent acid reflux relapses. Some lifestyle and dietary changes will help you get relief from recurrent heart burns:

1. Lose weight –

If you are overweight and often get burning in throat and chest while lying down, your weight may be contributing to your GERD symptoms. The first thing you can do is lose weight. Additional fat around your belly often causes more pressure on the stomach and the junction between your food pipe and stomach. The muscle at this junction which normally stays constricted now becomes relaxed due to this additional pressure. This in turn allows the contents of the stomach to come up into the food pipe.

2. Dietary changes –

• Highly fatty food, beverages, chocolates, processed sugars and caffeine are commonly known to increase GERD symptoms. Citrus fruits and juices should also be avoided before going to bed.
• Eat smaller portion of food at a time and avoid having large amount food before bed time. Eat 4-5 small meals rather than 3 large ones.
• After having your meal, avoid lying down immediately. Give it at least 2-3 hours for your food to pass out of the stomach further into the digestive system.
• It is advisable to eat slowly. According to results of a study presented in the Digestive Disease Week in 2003, people who ate slowly tended to have lesser symptoms of GERD as compared to fast-eaters.
• Gluten free diet might also help.
• Increase your intake of water to at least eight glasses every day.

3. Quitting smoking –

Smoking nicotine causes loosening of the muscle ring at the end of the food pipe which leads to increased chances of the acid coming up from your stomach.

4. Postural changes during sleep –

Elevating the head end from 6 – 8 inches can help keeping the gastric juices down in the stomach. The entire upper body needs to be elevated and not just the head. So it is advisable to keep a 6 inch block below the bed posts of the head end rather than using pillows to just raise the head.

5. Medications –

There are certain medicines that increase the risk of GERD. These medications tend to irritate the lining of your food pipe.

• Anti depressants and Sedatives
• Pain killers like aspirin and ibuprofen
• Certain blood pressure medications (Calcium channel blockers)
• Certain asthmatic medication.
• Potassium and iron tablets
• Antibiotics like tetracycline

If you are continuing any of the above medications, consult your doctor and ask them to give you a substitute drug.

Homeopathy and GERD Treatment

If your GERD symptoms persist despite taking all the above precautions for GERD, homoeopathy treatment for GERD will help you with your symptoms.

Some commonly used homeopathic medicines are:

• Iris
• Arsenic album
• Robinia
• Nux Vomica
• Natrum Phos

GERD is a long term disease which has very good chances of recovery with homoeopathy. Do let us know if you found these tips for GERD useful. If you would like to explore Dr Rajesh Shah’s research based homoeopathy for GERD, just leave us your contact details below. Or give us a call on 91-22-66888888 or mail us at info@lifeforce.in