Treating heartburn, gastritis, reflux and GERD with holistic medicine and PEMF therapy

Treating heartburn, gastritis, reflux and GERD with holistic medicine and PEMF therapy

Because GERD is so complex, it is important 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 backflow of stomach acid into the esophagus. The main symptom of GERD is heartburn. Another common problem associated with GERD is “guzzling,” or a feeling of acidity in the throat. It's not uncommon for people with bad reflux, like GERD, to have vocal cord irritation, coughing, and chronic sore throats, especially in the mornings—and even asthma.

Hiatal hernias are simply caused by overstretching of the stomach, which unfortunately then causes the lower end of the esophagus to overstretch. When the esophagus is overstretched, acid passes freely into the esophagus, which is not designed to handle acid.

Heartburn is often caused by gastritis or stomach inflammation. These two conditions may be difficult to distinguish and can only be achieved through an endoscopy or by inserting a scope into the lower esophagus and stomach. Gastritis is treated as a completely different condition, although both tend to be treated by acid suppression with medications such as Zantac, Prilosec, the purple pill [protonix], etc.

The condition of most concern with GERD is esophagitis, called reflux esophagitis. In the worst cases, it is known as Barrett's esophagus. Barrett's esophagus can lead to esophageal cancer due to the chronic irritation of acid at the bottom of the esophagus.

So there are two approaches to dealing with GERD.

The first is to reduce the reflux of acid into the esophagus. This again uses the acid suppression medications. In a holistic world, the main strategy is to shorten the time food sits in the stomach and attempt to heal the esophagus. The medications used to suppress acid reflux into the esophagus simply reduce acid production. They do nothing to heal the esophagus or stomach. Doctors in this case rely strictly on the healing of the body. Holistic doctors use an additional strategy that uses a supplement called DGL or aloe to heal the lining of the esophagus and stomach.

The second important strategy is to shorten the time it takes for food to get out of the stomach. Unfortunately, we are in a Catch-22 with acid blockers. By suppressing stomach acid, we are unable to digest our food and consequently it tends to sit in the stomach for longer. Although this may seem counterintuitive, we typically recommend that people with GERD actually use acid during meals. Many people actually develop reflux simply because they already don't have enough acid in their stomach to properly digest their food. This means that food sits there for too long and is therefore more likely to flow back 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 actually an acid supplement such as betaine hydrochloride in the correct dosage.

Digestion actually begins in the mouth. People need to properly wait for their food to be liquid before it leaves their mouth. This pre-digestion reduces the amount of work the stomach has to do and allows food to leave the stomach more quickly, reducing reflux. I strongly believe that a large part of our reflux problems in our society is that people don't chew enough because we end up eating very quickly. Additionally, those with reflux—particularly those with morning symptoms—need to elevate the head of the bed or be given a foam wedge with a 6-inch rise. The foam wedge must cover the body from head to tailbone. Fortunately, this can be done on one side of the bed so neither partner is affected. It is important to lift with a wedge [additional pillows just don't work] to reduce the possibility of acid reflux into the esophagus. In addition, meals should not be eaten within two hours of bedtime because food is likely still in the stomach and will then flow back into the esophagus. Small meals throughout the day also reduce the amount of food in the stomach at any one time. The stomach is like a small balloon the size of a fist, and when it is pushed down by the muscles through bending and lifting or other stress on the abdominal muscles, the balloon is squeezed and the food has only one path up the esophagus.

Regarding the value of PEMFs for heartburn or GERD, it is possible that PEMFs help with gastric motility to evacuate food more quickly. This helps reduce the amount of backflow. Additionally, 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 many times when I overindulged in spicy foods. They help the pain of heartburn quite dramatically. However, this use of PEMFs is only a band-aid unless the other components are used to reduce backflow. The use of PEMFs in the setting of GERD must therefore include mechanical measures, nutritional measures and appropriate digestive practices. PEMFs can be very helpful in relieving symptoms and can additionally accelerate gastric motility, reducing the time food spends in the stomach and therefore the likelihood of reflux.

Of course, if you have a PEMF system, it can also be used for other healthcare needs. If you already have a PEMF system for other reasons, it can also be used for your reflux by applying the magnetic field directly over the upper abdomen and lower esophagus. This can be done particularly at bedtime when heartburn is felt - until the symptoms are relieved and in the morning when symptoms can be at their worst. In this case too, the PEMFs would be symptomatically helpful along with any other therapy used.

Inspired by William Pawluk