Gastroesophageal reflux disease is an unpleasant sensation that “burns” or irritates the esophagus and is very uncomfortable.
In the long term, it can also lead to other problems: significant weight loss, esophagitis, bleeding from the esophagus, erosion of the teeth, asthma attacks…
Apart from the burning, one can feel an acid or bitter taste in the mouth, a sensation of lump in the throat, frequent belching, bad breath, bloating,
sore throat, hoarseness, chronic coughing and even difficulty breathing.
Triggers can come from food (coffee, tomatoes, alcohol, sugar, chocolate, strong spices, fried foods) but it is always interesting to look at the root cause. Here are some possibilities to investigate with your doctor: lack of gastric acidity, stress, overweight or obesity, smoking, hiatal hernia, H. Pylori, certain medications, hypothyroidism, diabetes…
Perhaps the first one, the lack of gastric acidity, surprises you: why would I have heartburn if I lack acidity? In fact, low acidity simply means
insufficient acidity, your stomach remains acidic despite everything, except that its pH is higher than it should be. The fact that it lacks acidity causes two phenomena: the sphincter between the esophagus and the stomach will be less tight and the emptying towards the stomach outlet will be slower. These two factors will cause food to flow back up into the esophagus, producing hydrochloric acid and therefore irritation.
What to do in case of burning sensation in the esophagus?
1- First of all, consult your doctor to check what it is and what is causing it. If necessary, get tested for the presence of H. Pylori.
2- Relieve yourself naturally with aloe gel or DGL deglycyrrhizinated licorice
3- Eliminate the triggering foods in your case (see list above)
4- Once the main cause is established (see list above), try to reduce it as much as possible. This will not always be possible
5- Reduce your stress, which is often what is blocking you. When you are stressed, you can’t digest! If it is impossible to reduce it, try to manage it as well as possible with
meditation techniques, yoga or others.
6- Adopt healthy habits at the table:
Chew for a long time
Eat calmly, happily, enjoying your meal and away from negative emotions.
Do 5 minutes of cardiac coherence before eating.
Eat bitter herbs (such as endive or raddicchio salad) at the beginning of your meal or use a bitter herbal tincture.
Sit for 10 minutes after you finish eating.
7- You can also support digestion with digestive enzymes.
Be careful, do not take those with betaine HCl as long as you feel irritation in the esophagus!
8- If the presence of H. Pylori is proven, mastic gum (Pistacia lentiscus) could be useful
9- It could also be interesting to take probiotics
10- Finally, to regulate the stomach function, whether it is hyper or hypo-secretory, think about fig (Ficus Carica) gemmotherapy! It will also have an influence on
on your stress, in order to address several causes at the same time.
Please note that this article is purely informative and in no way suggests a diagnosis or treatment.
Hélène Burchéri, Naturopath ND.A.
www.hbnaturopathie.com
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