GERD treatment: Diet vs. drugs

yes the PPI's are super bad for you and also gaviscon the aluminum level is bad for you. i used to take a lot of that and yes the liquid was better but again high levels or aluminum. there are so many other foods other than what you mentioned that are acidic and will cause you reflux problems you nee to search for acidic and alkaline food charts/ until my nutritionist showed me the first chart i was shocked to see how many foods are seriously acidic that i never knew about and some "healthy foods" just have an acidic effect on the body. also some acidic foods that become alkaline i the belly like .lime and lemon. wonderful for the belly . dont ever get used to having reflux it will destroy your insides in time like mine did. learn ways to get rid of it. the drugs are not the answer. their diet but an all alkaline diet is the answer. trust me.

yes u r right my bed is elevated at the top 12 inches and it helps a lot.

This info below came for the MAYO CLINIC website so since your on the may clininc i would assume you trust and believe them. take some time and go over the list of alkaline and acidic.
The chart below is based in part from the information in my collection of nutrition and alternative health books and in part on personal experience. Almost every chart on the subject of how to classify foods by pH is different depending on what book or study you read. The list below is my best guess of what is correct but most likely may still contain some errors, so please use it with that caveat in mind. The books I own that seem to that seem to have the most accurate acid-alkaline charts are: The Paleo Diet 1 , Mayo Clinic Diet Manual, Seventh Edition 2, and The Acid Alkaline Food Guide: A Quick Reference to Foods & Their Effect on pH Levels 3.

Please note that the chart below lists whether a food is acid, neutral or alkaline forming in the body after being ingested, not the pH of the food itself. Citrus fruits have an acid pH but leave an alkaline ash after being metabolized.

Vegetables

Alkaline
Forming

Broccoli
X

Carrots
X

Cauliflower
X

Celery
X

Chicory
X

Cucumber
X

Eggplant
X

Green peppers
X

Lettuce
X

Leeks
X

Mushrooms
X

Onions
X

Potatoes
X

Radish
X

Spinach
X

Tomatoes
X

Zucchini
X
Meat, Fish and Eggs

Acid Forming

Beef
X

Chicken
X

Cod
X

Eggs
X

Herring
X

Pork
X

Trout
X

Turkey
X

Dairy Foods

Acid Forming

Butter
X

Buttermilk
X

Cheese
X

Cottage Cheese
X

Processed Cheese
X

Sour Cream
X

Whole Milk
X

Yogurt
X

Grains

Acid Formimg

Brown Rice
X

Cake
X

Cookies
X

Corn
X

Cornflakes
X

Egg noodles
X

Mixed wheat bread
X

Rolled Oats
X

Rye Bread
X

Spaghetti
X

White bread
X

White rice
X

Fruit

Alkaline
Forming

Apples
X

Apricots
X

Bananas
X

Black Currents
X

Cherries
X

Coconut
X

Cranberries
X

Kiwi
X

Peaches
X

Pineapple
X

Plums
X

Prunes
X

X

Raisins
X

Watermelon
X

Legumes, Beans and Nuts

Neutral

Beans
X

Lentils
X

Peas
X

Peanuts
X

Peanut Butter
X

Soy milk
X

Tofu
X

Beverages and Miscellaneous Foods

Neutral

Alkaline
Forming
Baking soda
X

Acid Forming beverages

Chocolate
X

Coffee
X

Neutral beverages

Distilled Water
X

Mineral Water
X

Oils
X

Tea
X

Controversial & Noteworthy Foods
Oranges, Grapefruit and Other Citrus Fruits - start out as acid but usually make the urine alkaline after being metabolized by the body. If you are just looking at a chart of the pH of various uneaten foods in their natural state, citrus fruits are usually shown as being acidic. If you are looking at a chart of whether they leave an acid ash or an alkaline ash in the body, they are usually shown as being alkaline forming.

Sugar - I'm not sure about sugar. I've never wanted to eat a whole bunch of sugar as a test so for me the pH forming ability of sugar remains a mystery. The Mayo Clinic Diet Manual, Seventh Edition lists it as a neutral food. In the book The Acid Alkaline Food Guide, it is listed as a highly acid forming food. Most of the alternative health books I own claim it is acid forming. One thing I do know is that I rarely get any kind of cold, sore throat or sinus infection unless I eat a lot of sugary foods. (I can eat honey with no problems.) So my best advice would be to simply avoid refined sugar if you can help it.

Cabbage - Cabbage juice is a traditional remedy for ulcers and acid indigestion. Based on my experience I would say there indeed is something unique in cabbage that has acid lowering qualities above and beyond other alkaline vegetables. I think one of the reasons many people get gas from cabbage is because it can lower stomach acid in some people too much, making it easier for harmful bacteria and other pathogenic microbes to thrive.

Distilled Water - Theoretically distilled water is supposed to be a neutral pH food. But every type of bottled distilled water I have tested from the store to date has tested acidic, and seems to leave an acid ash in the body. You can read more on why this occurs here.

Dairy Products - In my experience, dairy products with active cultures can be very acid forming. Foods that may have active cultures include sour cream, acidophilus milk, buttermilk, yogurt and buttermilk pancakes. In the U.S. yogurt that has active cultures is usually labeled as such. As far as whole milk, I have seen it listed as a neutral, acid and alkaline forming food. In some Ayurvedic textbooks it is listed as an alkaline forming food good for ulcers. One of my children thinks it helps whenever he has an over-acid stomach, so between that tidbit and the Ayurvedic classification I have it listed as alkaline forming on my chart.

@bonnieh218 I have Barrett's Esophagus so I do have to take a PPI. I take 20mg of omeprazole in the morning. I hate having to take it, I know it has negative long-term effects but without it I risk esophageal cancer so at this point I think it's the lesser of the two evils.
I would try to see if I could control with diet if that is possible though. I don't have an endo appointment until September so I will definitely speak to him about that, or if there other PPIs that have a lesser long-term effect.
JK

I am already 65 years old. I have had more endoscopies than are necessary (usually at my urging). There have never been any sinister findings. At this point after being reassured by more than one gastroenterologist I no longer worry about my reflux. As for the aluminum, I have my bottle of gaviscon chewable foam tabs in front of me and each tab contains 313 mg Alginic Acid (which is a seaweed derivative) and 63mg of Magnesium Carbonate. Nor do any of the non-medicinal ingredients contain aluminum. I am in Canada so possibly the Gaviscon formula is different in the U S. Also not all antacids contain aluminum.

yes i have esophageal spasms which mimic heart attacks. lots of fun. i took 40 mg of omeprazole and nexium and every other drug and never helped me. what im doing now is the best i have ever done. i understand your concern about the barretts. a friend of mine healed his barrets doing what im doing so i thought it might work for me as i have some severe issues. my gastro doc supports me in what im doing as he was not able to help me and i have been to 10 of them and none helped me as much as what im doing now helped. i heard dexilant is great i took it for 2 days and my stomach felt great but i ended up in the ER with heart arrhythmia, irregular heart beats and tachacardia and they said it was from the dexilant. so thats when i started the regamine im on now. . some docs are for and some against the alkaline diet i think the ones against it are against it because it will help you and then you stop coming to see them. good luck and think about it you have nothing to lose but pain and illness to try the diet even staying on your pills. .

well thats good you found some with no aluminum. if they are finding no issues in your belly what kind of symptoms are you having that made you have the endo's ?? maybe a little tweak in your diet and adding some aloe juice and ginger tea and maybe every the celery juice might do the trick for you. it sure has helped me a ton. first time in 40 years i have not been on any meds for my gastric issues. im 64. you know now that i think about it its not the antacids that have aluminum its the baking soda but you can buy aluminum free.

I have periods where I am perfectly fine and flare ups now and again. I find licorice tea soothing In fact; there is a licorice liquid that I buy (has the consistency of molasses that works wonders for soothing the lining of the g.i. tract. You take about 1/4 tsp+ and make a tea. Anyway, for the most part it's more or less under control. Gaviscon is not harmful. A little magnesium carbonate won't cause any trouble. Oh drinking water is good: pushes the acid down the esophagus.
Anyway, I'm good with the status quo.

sounds like you got it under control thats great. yes licorice is good for the belly for sure and yes water is good for the entire body

Have you ever looked into the LINX Augmentation procedure? Look up Dr. Lipham at USC on Youtube. I had it done in September 2018 and it solved my problem.