Acid reflux.. Bloating

[Rennixon]

Hello everyone.

Has anyone got any suggestions on how to stop acid reflux ? I had an IBS flare up & now can't get rid of the acid. It happens every time I eat, I'm bloated with it too ☹️

Tx

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

Rennixon Have you tried organic apple cider vinegar with 'mother'?

A lot of us Hypos suffer from low stomach acid which can give the same symptoms as too much stomach acid including reflux.

I take it before breakfast and again before my evening meal. I add some honey to warm water then add the ACV, work up gradually to one tablespoonful and best to drink through a straw to protect tooth enamel.

I use this one ethicalsuperstore.com/produ... . It must contain the 'mother'.

[lc1973 in reply to SeasideSusie]

Hi Seaside Susie

Pardon my ignorance but what is "the mother"?!!!

[humanbean in reply to lc1973]

Some vinegars have a lump of what looks like bacteria in the bottle. It is in fact, this stuff :

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aceti...

The lump of bacteria is the stuff referred to as "the mother" and it makes organic vinegars look cloudy and murky. I really have no idea why such a silly and unintuitive name is used.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mothe...

[lc1973 in reply to humanbean]

Thanks HB. I was intrigued by the term i must say!!

[humanbean in reply to lc1973]

I was baffled by it when I first came across the term myself. For some reason it irritates me. I like names which have some logic behind them and make some kind of sense.

[lc1973 in reply to humanbean]

I know what you mean, it makes no sense at all does it!

[Rennixon in reply to SeasideSusie]

Thank you SeasideSusie - now ordered, some of this & some probiotics.

Sounds quite nice as well

😃

[Ruthi]

When you are hypothyroid everything slows down - and that includes the production of acid in the stomach.

Two things then happen. The first is that the sphincter at the bottom of the oesophagus doesn't close properly, because its the acid (that isn't there, or not enough) in the stomach that triggers the reflex. So you have acid reflux, or heartburn.

The second is that your food isn't properly broken down, and as a result tends to ferment (well fester, really) rather than being broken down in the gut and the nutrients absorbed.

You can test to see if you have low acid very easily at home.

stopthethyroidmadness.com/s...

If you have low acid then you need to raise it artificially. Actually any old vinegar will work to raise your acid levels, but the mother is full of good enzymes that will help digestion. Or you can buy some stuff called betaine HCL which basically releases hydrochloric acid in the stomach. Its very effective.

Alongside this its a good idea to also deal with any constipation you have. Bloating and burping can be a sign of SIBO - small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, which is often caused by constipation. So increase your fibre and take some good quality probiotics, eat sauerkraut and other fermented foods and generally take good care of your gut.

I know you were asking for information about gluten free cooking a while back, I assume you are now fully GF? If not now is the time to do it. And avoid the ready made GF breads and cakes as much as you can - its basically junk food! Stick to rice and potatoes, and learn to eat leftovers for breakfast.

[Rennixon in reply to Ruthi]

Ah now that makes sense ! I have had quite a lot of bread this last week GF of course, but I don't eat lots of bread usually, so I'm wondering if this caused the flare up. I've ordered some acv & some probiotics too. Can you buy sauerkraut? Also looked at kefir grains - might give this a go as its looks really easy to do.

As for the bread I just happened to have been given a bread maker - try & make my own.

Yum leftovers for breakfast, great idea- I can see a bubble & squeak suiting me nicely 😋

Thank you Ruthi

[humanbean in reply to Rennixon]

If you want to try kefir you can buy it from some Tesco outlets. I like it, and usually keep a bottle in the fridge.

One day I intend to try and make my own, dunno when though!

[Rennixon in reply to humanbean]

Thanks humanbean , I'll look out for some.

[Ruthi]

You van make sauerkraut, or buy it in a health food shop. Unpasturised is better, but not so easy to find.

I tried kefir and came out in an allergic reaction. Amazed, I don't usually react to things.

[Rennixon in reply to Ruthi]

Not sure about making sauerkraut. I'll see if the health shop have. As humanbean says kefir is sold in tesco, I'll give it a try.

[DumbBlonde in reply to Ruthi]

I found sauerkraut in the foreign (Polish?) section of a small Sainsbury's :o)

I also went through a phase of making kefir. It is quite simple indeed; I got the grains from an ebay seller who sent full care instructions with them; basically to treat them like a pet.

Soon ended up with loads of the stuff! (It does help the digestive system.)

:o)

[Rennixon in reply to DumbBlonde]

This will be easier, as the local sainsburys isn't too far away 🙂

[DumbBlonde in reply to Rennixon]

It may - I hate to say it - depend on the number of Polish people who live in the area.

When I picked up my sauerkraut - an impulse buy - I was passing through a nearby town (my own small town doesn't have a Sainsbury's, small or large) that has a large number of ?Eastern Europeans living there; I know there are several of their own speciality shops that would probably sell it and whole lot more :o)

[Rennixon in reply to DumbBlonde]

Hahaha I live near Mansfield, so all shops have a polish section. I love borscht, so I will look. I'm lucky enough to have all the major supermarkets around as well 🙂

[shaws Administrator]

Most doctors, when we complain to them about stomach discomfort just prescribe antacids. I found that whatever the doctor prescribed for me made my

discomfort far worse.

I read a few articles and I also used ACV as SeasideSusie suggests and I also use Betaine withPepsin as well, particularly when I eat meat/protein.

sott.net/article/222698-Goo...

chriskresser.com/the-thyroi...