GERD - Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease

Today I am posting my response to a letter I received from a grateful client. She attended a presentation on Shaka Vansya Ayurved last October in Sechlet and acted upon a suggestion I made. 

Dear Friends of Shaka Vansya Ayurved,

I would like to report one success from the “Smart Water” recipe that I sent to everyone.  It was someone who suffered for 5-6 years with GERD - Gastro Esophageal Reflux Disorder. This is a disease of the digestive tract where the acid in the stomach does not continue on its path to the intestine and get neutralized but instead comes back up the esophagus.  Sometimes we call it “heart burn” and in severe cases it can start to burn the lining of the esophagus or more. The usual treatment is with drugs called PPI’s or Proton Pump Inhibitors which work on the stomach to reduce the production of acid. Here is her story of gratitude. 

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Dear Elizabeth,

I am so pleased and thrilled with the beneficial affect of the tea. It would be almost impossible to exaggerate.

I have had - or should say DID have - GERD for about 5 or 6 years. Mostly trying to manage by avoiding certain foods and using Pepcid and Tums. But over time the acid ate away at the sphincter between my stomach and esophagus with the result that stomach acid would get all the way up to my throat and even my bronchial tubes. Lots of complications over time. I did try 3 different prescription PPIs in the last 3 years on the strong advice of my doctor in Vancouver.  The side effects were so bad, including "bad" bacterial gastro-intestinal infections that were exhausting and even frightening.

We moved to the Sunshine Coast at the end of August and I managed to get into a new doctor, at the Upstream Clinic in Wilson Creek. He encouraged me to give dietary restrictions another try. I gave up all caffeine, alcohol (not that I drank much but love a good wine with a good meal once or twice a week). Also continued to avoid spicy foods and fatty foods which I've never really been a fan of anyway. That certainly helped but I was very uncomfortable most days and resorted to Pepcid and Tum’s a couple of nights a week. Until I got your recipe for the Ayurvedic tea. It was helping even before I got the recipe right but since then I have not had ONE uncomfortable moment! I was even able to have a glass of wine with a special dinner last night with no ill effect.

Needless to say, I am so very grateful and want you to know what a positive thing this has been for me.

Namaste

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To understand why the “Smart Water” helped this person we need to get a simple understanding of the digestive process. After we chew our food it proceeds to the very acidic stomach where it continues to be broken down. The acid is very important for protein digestion and also it is the first line of attack for invasive bacteria.  The journey of our food then continues to the intestines which are alkaline. There is a valve between the stomach and intestines which either allows the partially digested food to continue or not. This valve will ONLY OPEN if there is enough alkalinity to neutralize the acid coming down.  The pancreas makes the alkaline fluid and good water that can penetrate the cells and be useful. If this does not occur then the valve between the stomach and intestine will not open and the acid will be sent back up the esophagus. The result is GERD.

So we can reduce the acidity by various drugs but that is not getting to cause which is lack of alkaline fluid because of adequate hydration.  Also by reducing the acidity we may be interfering with the first line of attack to bacteria and other microorganisms. 

I have told many people this story and they often tell me they drink a lot of water. My response is, “Is the water just going in and out and not penetrating the cells?’ 

All for now, until next time.

Elizabeth