October 14, 2010
Acid Reflux in 3 Month Old Babies
Is your 3 month old baby recently become very gassy, spitting up a lot after feedings, constantly fussing in pain and spitting up all over you?
Were you hoping at the three month mark things would get easier, but instead you got stuck with a terrible toddler at three months old?
Have you been giving medicine to your child, but nothing seems to get better?
You’re not alone gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD) is hitting babies in untold number. Babies even younger than 3 months old are struggling with acid reflux symptoms sometimes lasting for 1 to two years, often causing irreparable harm.
More than 25% of children being born recently are being diagnosed with gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD). If the acid reflux is excessive it triggers health complications which can become pathologic.
Pathologic acid reflux can increase risk of choking due to reduced throat clearance from inflammation, also weakening mucosal resistance and harming the upper esophageal sphincter (UES). The tubular esophagus is about 10 inches long in an adult and has two specialized sphincters, the upper and lower esophageal sphincters.
The Upper Esophageal Sphincter (UES) is made of several long thin muscles, creating a valve which is designed to prevent air from entering the gastrointestinal tract.
The Lower Esophageal Sphincter (LES) is made of smooth muscles and is designed to stop gastric acid reflux from entering the esophagus. Gastro-Esophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) can do damage to both upper and lower esophageal sphincters.
Often a child subjected to prolonged bouts of acid reflux symptoms will end up suffering from under-nutrition, sleep apnea, hoarseness, respiratory problems, neurological disorders, Esophagitis, Barrett’s esophagus and even throat cancer.
Many people are jumping to powerful drugs like proton-pump inhibitors, alginic acid compounds, cisapride and omerprazole. Others dive into surgically repairing the lower esophageal sphincter to stop acid reflux from enter the child’s throat.
Assuming drugs will cure the acid reflux is a mistake; they can only reduce or block some acid reflux from doing further damage.
It is best to seek the advice of an integrative medical doctor or a doctor who is wise to cutting edge alternative health care.
Sometimes vaccines and antibiotics can trigger digestive imbalances of natural flora and even prevent natural immune system development in children. So your child may not even have an over production of digestive gastric acids, the problem may be an inability to digest food, an allergy or even asthma.
Also make sure your child isn’t having an allergic reaction to formula. Many formulas have harmful soy (phytoestrogens) , high lead content or even artificial additives like aspartame or MSG.
Bottom line is you don’t want to expose your child to unnecessary vaccines, drugs or surgery, get “genuine healthcare” from a health practitioner that looks at the whole picture and isn’t just prescribing drugs as a knee- jerk reaction.
Remember when doctors don’t know how to find the cause; they treat the symptoms, leaving your child with the root cause of acid reflux, unaddressed.
You were born to heal,
Todd M. Faass?
Health Ecologist
Filed under Acid Reflux by admin
October 7, 2010
What Does Heartburn Feel Like?
If you?re asking how heartburn feels you obviously have never experienced it.
Imagine nearly the most corrosive substance know to man, hydrochloric acid (HCL) splashing up into your sensitive mouth area, again and again and again.
Why does this happen?
Besides the fact that we eat too many processed foods, Americans have been lied to by antacid manufacturers. These so-called antacids actually produce what?s called a stomach acid rebound affect.
You see, the layers of your stomach are very complex and don?t have any problem holding down a bubbling cauldron of caustic acid so powerful it will ?etch? a glass window.
All this volcanic, blistering nasty stomach acid is kept down below by muscular valve called the Lower Esophageal Sphincter (LES). Now I see two schools of thought which describe exactly how the stomach acid gurgles its way past this esophageal flap.
One idea claims that the stomach acid over powers it, weakens it and allows the forbidden elixir of brimstone and digestive acids to eat their way up into your more sensitive oral cavities.
The other more feasible explanation of how the bubbling curd works its way upward into your mouth, nose and middle ears is because the undigested stomach contents are bulging and piling upward forcing the flap to compromise its integrity.
You see, in actuality most people have difficulty properly digesting food when they get older because they suffer from mineral and nutrient deficiencies. These nutritional deficits are caused from eating a lot of enzyme-barren foods, forcing the pancreas to make enzymes that are usually hidden within raw fruits and vegetables. This also taxes the bile producing gall bladder of important minerals necessary to make stomach acids.
So now here we are, gut full of food eaten days ago, maybe longer, just slowly fermenting like a cow?s belly, simply because there?s no more stomach acid or enzymes left to break it all down faster.
This bulk, presses up ward causing gas, heartburn and acid indigestion, cramps, flatulence and the rest of it. But what?s bad is the body is working hard to produce a much needed ?mega burst? of gastric acid and when it lets it go, it has nowhere to go but up, because your stomach is already stuffed to the brim.
In this case ?the brim? is referring to the Lower Esophageal Sphincter (LES).
Now use your imagination. What?s going to happen is noxious stomach acid, from your guts HCL surge, is going to shoot straight up where it should never be. The deep burning sensation is your flesh being etched, blistered and chemically peeled away; the rancid disturbing taste is horribly indescribable.
Over time you?ll experience gum disease, loss of tooth enamel and permanent ?non-kissable? breath. In fact your breath may get so bad no one will want to even talk with you without a ten foot pole to keep a safe distance.
I haven?t even touched on the damage the gastric fumes and stomach acid particles have on your lungs.
This acid reflux situation is so serious it can end up mutating your throat?s tender lining into cancerous leather capable of handling large gulps of hydrochloric and sulfur acids.
Once your throat cells have transformed to literally become more like the stomach lining your Gastro-Esophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) is likely to progress into throat cancer . . . not a good situation and I don?t want to even imagine what that feels like.
You were born to heal,
Todd M. Faass?
Health Ecologist
Filed under Acid Reflux Remedy by admin
October 5, 2010
Treatments For Acid Reflux GERD
Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) happens your throat becomes irritated and inflamed from gastric acid rebounding up where it doesn’t belong.
Here are some factors that can contribute to acid reflux disease. By NOT doing these things you will effectively treat your GERD without drugs or surgery:
- Alcohol
- Cigarettes,
- Obesity,
- Poor posture
- Calcium channel blockers
- Theophylline (Tedral, Hydrophed, Marax, Bronchial, Quibron)
- Nitrates
- Antihistamines
- Fatty and fried foods
- Milk chocolate
- Garlic and onions
- Drinks with caffeine
- Acid forming foods (sweet fruits)
- Spicy foods,
- Mint flavorings
- Eating large meals
- Eating soon before bedtime
- Hiatal hernia
- Pregnancy
- Diabetes
- Rapid weight gain
- Mixing fruit and protein
- Gluten
Normally ,the Lower Esophageal Sphincter ?(LES) acts as a lid on your stomach only letting food and liquids down and keeping everything there.
The problem with Gastro-Esophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) is that for one of two main reasons the Lower Esophageal Sphincter (LES) is allowing gastric acid to rise up ward into the throat, middle ear and sinus areas.
It shocked me to learn that more often than not acid reflux sufferer’s experience symptoms of Gastro-Esophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) because their stomach acid isn’t strong enough, or there simply isn’t enough of it to digest the food down. This creates your classic acid reflux symptoms and makes it feels as if there is too much stomach acid, when in fact there is too little.
That’s another reason why antacids have been scientifically proven not to cure acid reflux diseases. In reality antacids trigger increased acid rebound events, literally ruining quality of life for millions of heartburn sufferers.
Rarely someone actually over produces stomach acid because of a bacterial infection, imbalance of stomach pH or from drug effects.
The acid reflux diseases come from not addressing the real cause of the acid indigestion in the first place.
First you need to restore proper nutrients, friendly flora and essential mineral balance. Nothing upsets all of these factors quicker than antacid drugs, not to mention drugs in general.
This lack of digestive acid also explains why hiatal hernia is also linked to acid reflux disease. When food piles up undigested in your gut, it ferments with bad bacteria and other harmful micro-organisms. After a while the bulk of the food piles up further pushing pressure against not only your Lower Esophageal Sphincter (LES), but you diaphragm muscles as well.
Eventually when you bend over and the food in your gut has nowhere to go, you tighten up and literally push your upper stomach and esophagus above your diaphragm.
So you should be able to imagine, as the little stomach acid you have left is dumped on top of this fermenting pile of food stuff, and that it has only one place to go . . . upwards.
This erodes the esophagus causing a complicated case of Gastro-Esophageal-Reflux Disease (GERD) and a hiatal hernia.
Your risk of surgery and throat cancer just went up again.
All this can be prevented, naturally treated and even reversed- but you must address the root cause, NOT just hide the symptoms with drug products that make things worse.
You were born to heal,
Todd M. Faass?
Health Ecologist
Filed under Acid Reflux Remedy by admin
October 1, 2010
Which Food to Avoid for Acid Reflux
If you’ve been suffering from acid reflux, heart burn and other stomach acid related health problems, you probably also know antacids don’t help, in fact they can even add to your problems.
Many antacids actually block your ability to absorb vital nutrients, minerals and their cofactors.
You may already know that the solution to your acid reflux and stomach acid problems is simply to know which foods to eat and which foods to avoid.
Eating the right whole foods will help reverse your acid reflux, Gastro-esophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) and stomach acid imbalances simply by restoring the best pH for your stomach.
Avoiding foods that cause acid reflux and its symptoms will also aid your digestive system, alleviate heartburn and eventually heal ulcers, quickly, safely and naturally.
Plus by learning to eat more of the right foods your body will have an opportunity to reverse the damage caused by toxic antacid pills and drugs.
Everyone knows absorbing the right calcium is important to healthy bones, but did you know it’s also important for a healthy heart, stomach acid levels and nervous system too?
As long as you’re NOT eating the right foods to avoid acid reflux, you’re going to be tempted to consume more Over-The-Counter (OTC) and prescription antacids that block calcium absorption with aluminum.
It just so happens foods rich in natural calcium are also excellent for avoiding acid reflux diseases.
Toxic aluminum from cookware has already been shown to accumulate in your body, why in the world would you want to eat an aluminum loaded antacid, antacids that only make your acid reflux worse anyway???
University of Alabama at Birmingham, showed that aluminum has neurotoxic effects, which may short out electrical signal in the brain. The study done by their department of pharmacology and neurosciences suggests that the aluminum blocks your cells from binding with calcium.
Scientists have discovered that calcium is important not only for strong bones and a balanced stomach acid pH, but also for the electrical circuits that carry the fastest signals in your nervous system.
By not avoiding foods that cause acid reflux and other gastrointestinal problems you are at risk of being suckered into popping these toxic aluminum containing products. The result can be disastrous once the aluminum accumulates “inside” your nerve cells, permanently interfering with your body’s natural balance of calcium.
Aluminum toxicity has also been shown to alter important calcium related proteins and a type of RNA function in your intestinal tract. These tests showed that the calcium that was blocked increased in the blood samples of chicks. High levels of calcium in your blood can lead to osteoporosis, hardening of the arteries and a weakened immune system caused from a vitamin D deficiency.
All this is directly related to your acid reflux and the foods you eat and the foods you avoid.
Here’s a list of foods to avoid for acid reflux, heart burn and stomach acid issues:
- Orange juice
- Grapefruit juice
- Tomato juice
- Deep fried potatoes
- Raw onions
- Grain fed meats
- Chicken nuggets
- Buffalo wings
- Pasteurized milk products
- Mac and cheese
- Spaghetti sauce
- Alcohol
- Coffee
- Tea
- High fat baked goods
- Corn chips
- Potato chips
Anything with refined sugar, unsprouted grains, refined salt or animal fat are likely to aggravate your acid reflux symptoms. Learn more about proven Complementary Alternative Medicine (CAM) remedies that will help your body restore proper balance at the cellular level. Once you’ve improved your health at the cellular level all your body systems will improve their natural functions.
You were born to heal,
Todd M. Faass?
Health Ecologist
Filed under Acid Reflux Remedy by admin