GERD treatment: Diet vs. drugs

Bonnie, I have taken several of the PPI drugs you are concerned about for more than 10 years along with carefully controlling my diet and life style. Of course I am also concerned about the possible long term effects. But I am also concerned with the herd end now problems of trying to live with acid reflux and the possible esophageal damage resulting without the medication. I have not tried any supplements as an alternative. I don’t Have the patience to experiment with these options—various combinations and dosages. So I am gambling on continuing to take the PPI at the lowest possible dosage that works for me and watching my diet. Maybe surgery will have to be my eventual solution. But one day at a time. Good luck to you whatever you decide.

I control my acid reflux with a strict diet. No Italian, Mexican, spicy foods. No mint or chocolate. No fried foods or fatty meats. No booze or soda. I eat a lot of turkey, baked chicken and baked fish. Breakfast is Cheerios and skim milk. I also am doing a fast walk each day. I average about 5-7 miles a day. I’ve lost 25# and have no reflux. I’m on a ppi for Barrett’s esophagus from my reflux.
Try this diet and hopefully it will end your reflux. I also stop eating at 3pm every day. Good luck! Steve

I have had severe acid reflux for many years probably close to 40. I have taken every PPI i the word and non work for me. due to the acid reflux I have developed erosive gastritis, and esophagitis and a motility disorder. the top 2 muscles in my esophagus no longer work only the bottom one so swallowing food has been a chore. food gets stuck in my throat a lot and i have to bring it back up to get relief of severe chest pain. about 2 weeks ago i gave up on any drugs. I have gone on and ALL alkaline diet very strict, NOTHING acidic, and i juice celery and drink a good glass of it daily and also making fresh ginger tea and taking a strong probiotic 100 billion. drinking at least 4 bottles of water sometimes up to 6. I am using a concentrated mineral drop (40 drops a day) in my water. It seems to be work. after about day 10 i notice a lot of the burning is gone in my belly. and in the morning i dong have such a brown tongue and less acid has come up at night. i do have my bed seriously elevated with the 6 inch blocks plus a sedge pillow so over a foot of elevation. I also gave up LECTINS any food with lectins and that is when i started to see a bigger difference. lectins are know to cause leaky gut and other G I issues and i believe it to be true.so im praying in time what i am doing will help me heal and get over this. the docs said any kind of surgery will make me worse and its a horrible idea and they refuse to do it (3 surgeons) so this is my only hope. Oh also i drink ALOE GEL not the juice but the GEL its much thicker. just a shot in the morning and the evening and nothing afterwards for at least 30 min. it has to be the gel. at night i also use a heating pad with a damp cloth to its moist heat on my neck and moving it doing on my belly and it seems to soothe everything and bring blood flow to the area. also if i take 1/4 teaspoon of backing (aluminum free) in 4 ounces of water each morning and evening and it kills the acid immediately. so this is what i am doing and it does really seem to be starting to work after 2 weeks now. hope this help someone who suffers for the same things as i do. i does work but takes time but im healing something i have had at least 30 to 35 years so it wont happen overnight. i have just begun walking and doing some step aerobic because stress relief is part of the big answer. stress can do severe damage to the entire body i know it is what happened to me.

just a little FYI. meat, dairy products and grains are the most acidic foods on earth. if your still having symptoms you might want to stop eating this things. google "alkaline food chart" and see what foods are acidic and alkaline you will be surprised. its not just the friend and spicy foods its all kinds of food. good luck on your healing journey.

Other than Dr. Internet, what is The scientific basis for your comment about “the most acidic foods on earth”?

I also drink lot's of water all day. I also drink 1-2 cups of low acid coffee each morning. It's healthwise coffee with a PH of 6.18
I'll find out how my diet is doing in 3yrs when i get another EGD.

I have had acid reflux for 20+ years. I was taking a proton pump inhibitor for the first year or two and then became allergic to it: itching, and rash. Then the same thing happened with all the h2 acid blockers. I have managed all these years just taking Gaviscon (the tablets although gastroenterologists say the liquid form is more effective) and sometimes; very occasionally a liquid antacid . I have been scoped over the years and there is no damage to my stomach lining . I actually am happy that I can't take these medications. The thinking has changed now and I've read that you shouldn't be on ppi's longterm.
For the most part I avoid the foods that for me trigger reflux. No spicy hot foods, tomato sauces, alcohol. (Love pesto sauce but it doesn't love me!). I am so used to having acid reflux and non-ulcer dyspepsia that I hardly notice it anymore.

Oh forgot to mention: sleeping elevate so the acid from the stomach doesn't flow back into the esophagus. Put a couple of bricks under the box spring.

i go see a nutritionist at shands and also go to a motility clinic at florida hospital in orlando which is the #2 hospital i the U S. . they are the top of the line in their practice of gastro issues and i feel they have the up most of credentials to suggest this diet. it "IS" working and when i do eat the foods on the "ACIDIC" chart i get the reflux seriously. eating this list of foods on the alkaline list are "HEALING" me . I was skeptical as you are but i had noting to lose to try and it a "miracle" happened im healing for the first time in 40 years im healing. Im sold on it. its working better than anything ever has and i'm losing weight and getting into shape. more energy and even my mental status and all around feeling are a huge upgrade. why stop something that is working a miracle for you !!I sold on it 100%. take sometime and do some reading on an alkaline diet and the different lists of alkaline and acidic foods. you have noting to lose but an illness.

good luck with your diet but so much meat and dairy products took me on a road to severe damage to my belly and esophagus. i regret is now..the coffee bean has a negative effect on the G I tract no matter the PH level. i gave that up also. Read up on lectins you will be surprised what they do to your G I tract. I know taking all of these things out of my diet has had a huge positive impact on my life and illness. I will never go back to the old way of eating. this has been a miracle to me. i drink only the fresh juiced celery juice and its a miracle and has been know to even kill cancer. i also drink the fresh ginger tea i make from the root and water only. all i know it in just over 2 weeks i can see at least a 40% difference in my over all health.