Burn baby burn!

Ever gone through this list trying to find the cause to acid reflux?

• It’s stress
• It’s definitely a food intolerance
• It’s caffeine, chocolate, alcohol, spices
• It’s tomatoes, oranges, lemons, limes, pineapples… any citrus fruit
• It’s high fat diet
• It’s tense muscles
• It’s cancer
• It’s pregnancy
• It’s from taking too many proton pump inhibitors (PPI’s) …. It’s from taking too few…
• It’s from drinking pints of peptac and upsetting your stomach trying to make it alkaline.
• It’s because you have an ulcer
• It’s because you have inflammation
• And many more!

Initially I accepted the use of medications to help manage my condition… but a good 12 years on having worked through the whole list of PPI’s I feel there has got to be another answer. I know our bodies are constantly creating and destroying cells. The whole amazing process of our body does not stand still, so there is a possibility that one day things just changed and this is my new normal.

…but for now I am not willing to accept this as fait accompli so I am on a journey to find the answer. I want to share with you everything that I experience, research and find out in the hope I can speed this process up for you!

Before researching I thought acid reflux was acid reflux…. however, there appears to be 4 categories explained by Christian Nix who will also offer you at a cost the solution. I am not willing to pay and if its really that simple I’d hope our healthcare system may know a bit more… wishful thinking I agree! However, I have used his thoughts to try things for myself.

I deduced that I have Liver Reflux and Cold Reflux (spleen) from the symptoms I was experiencing. It gave me a starting place. I wanted to know how my mental health could effect my liver and spleen and what foods could make a difference. In the initial emails from Christian Nix it explained that standard health care initiatives wouldn’t be successful and in some cases create the opposite effect. As I currently didn’t have a solution and I still had ill health I decided to see what I could try.

I found a Chinese medicine blog on www.jadesprings.com which explained every organ system is associated with a particular emotion. I decided this was a good place to start to unpick the potential mental health or emotional link to the acid reflux. From this I found that the liver is associated with anger and the spleen with worry, pensiveness or ruminating thoughts. So now I notice when I feel these emotions, acknowledge them and reflect on the impact they may be or have been having on my physical health, particularly acid reflux.

I found this extremely useful to consider as being given the blanket response of its stress or anxiety causing it was extremely frustrating because it was not specific enough. Now I have emotions I can notice and hopefully calm to prevent such a big impact on my physical health.

For me it is finding out specific actions that I can take to get me closer to the end goal – no acid reflux. First step not at bed time because sleep is so important to our health in so many ways. I found raising the head end of the bed like a ski slope did not make a difference for me unfortunately, and the Princess and the Pea hundreds of pillows only really resulted in a cricked neck!

This is my current plan of action:

• Myofascial release of the trunk muscles
• Food that supports liver and spleen function
• Noticing emotions: anger, worry, ruminating thoughts
• Stop eating foods known to irritate and cause acid reflux… for now!

I will be explaining each in more detail in individual blogs. As I complete them I’ll add links here too!

If you’re considering amending your plan for managing acid reflux, please discuss with a qualified doctor. I am not a doctor, just a sufferer who is trying to help herself and sharing what she found to help others! Definitely do not go cold turkey on the PPI’s as you do get a rebound reflux… now that hurts!

Good luck!

Feature image: Mahdiar Mahmoodi