Acid Reflux Rebound- How to Avoid it Using Acid Reflux Diets

There are an incredible amount of people suffering from acid reflux disease. If you are diagnosed with this serious condition you will in all probability be put on drugs called proton pump inhibitors (PPI’s). These drugs are used to reduce or stop the production of stomach acid to prevent the refluxing of acid into the esophagus. Although some people prefer to try acid reflux diets ass an alternative.

PPI’s work very effectively, and are easy to use. Once you start taking them it is it is like a new lease of life as you can now eat and drink things that in the past caused you a lot of intense pain. However trying to stop taking them becomes a problem for a lot of people.

Although PPI’s are initially given for a certain period of time a lot of patients end up taking them for the rest of there lives. Both Patients and doctors take the easy way out and folk are prescribed the drugs on an ongoing basis. There has not been any real studies as to the long term effect of PPI drugs and the verdict is still out on whether one should be taking them continuously. On the one hand acid reflux is a serious condition and the drugs keep it at bay. On the other hand we have effectively stopped the production of stomach acid which is vital for the digestion of our food and the intake of vital nutrients our body’s need.

By reducing or stopping the flow of hydrochloric acid in the stomach it is known that the digestive process is inhibited and restricted. This complex process normally helps secrete enzymes which break down the proteins in our food; this in turn allows the released nutrients to be absorbed into our bodies. Another big job that the digestive juices do is to inhibit the growth of the many micro organisms that grow in the stomach and such an acidic environment helps to prevent infection.

So one question we should ask is it safer to stay on proton pump inhibitors long term or should we try to use acid reflux diets to prevent our heartburn? By taking PPI drugs are we in an acid reflux heaven or will turn into a kind of hell for PPI users.

Straight after stopping the use of PPI’s the proton pump which helps create stomach acid starts working again and overworks producing far more acid than we can cope with. This is called "acid reflux rebound". If you have ever suffered from acid reflux and stop the medication the resulting over production of acid can become quite frightening and the pain unbearable. This can produce a catch 22 question and sometimes folk will go straight back onto the medication after becoming quickly disheartened. This is all good news for the companies, who make billions of dollars in profits each year but not for the patients.

So how does someone cope with the situation they find themselves in? People do not like taking drugs and would like an alternative solution. They make a decision to stop the drugs and find themselves in a worse position than they where before. It’s no fun after making the effort to stop taking acid reflux medication and find that next day your esophagus is raw with the scarring from acid burns, you can hardly talk as the acid has also burnt your throat, you are in constant pain and on seeing a physician you are told that by stopping taking the medication you are leaving yourself open for developing cancer of the esophagus. If this is not enough to scare you back onto the drugs then what is?

You can survive acid reflux rebound

Once the esophagus is damaged it is hard to heal. But there are ways to turn it around and lifestyle changes must be made and that includes using acid reflux diets. You should make a list of what foods cause acid reflux or better still and easier go online and get a list from the experts. You need to change your diet and avoid the food and drink that trigger acid reflux. These should be replaced with foods that are easy to digest and are recommended for folks with acid reflux disease.

Fast food has become a way of life but they are full of foods classed as junk food. The type of food we are talking about contains high levels of salt, sugar, fat, and nearly all have unhealthy food additives. Some of the things they lack include fibre, proteins and vitamins.

Foods to avoid with acid reflux

This is not an extensive list but it is a start.

• Chocolate
• Coffee
• Spearmint and peppermint
• Alcoholic drinks
• Fruit juices
• Fatty foods and fried foods
• Onions
• Citrus fruits
• Spicy foods
• Products which are tomato-based
• Caffeinated drinks

Foods you can eat to reduce heartburn

So eating certain foods can give you acid but also other foods can reduce reflux occurring. This includes multi-grain breads, couscous, rice cakes. Some dairy products including low fat cottage cheese, feta and goats cheese. Some fruit including apples, bananas, melons and berries, nearly all vegetables, egg whites, fish and lean meat and Soya products.

Other things you can do to reduce heartburn

Eliminate acidic foods from your diet. Drink ample amounts of clean fresh water to flush out acidic toxins which accumulate in the body but try not to drink during meal times.

Try eating smaller meals to alleviate pressure on the stomach. Chew your food thoroughly and eat slowly to aid digestion.

Smoking is one of the chief culprits that exasperate the problem. Regular smokers for twenty years are 70% more susceptible to acid reflux disease than non-smokers. For those that have already developed GERD symptoms worsen day by day due to smoking.

One other problem is eating large amounts of salt with our food. This is found to be equivalent to regular smoking in terms of the risk of developing GERD. It is not common knowledge that table salt can cause acid reflux disease but researchers found out in their studies that people who are heavy salt users have a 70% risk of contacting gastro- esophageal reflux disease.

There are many natural cures that compliment acid reflux diets during the acid reflux recovery period. Indeed there are whole systems designed for a lifetime free of heartburn problems such as the acclaimed “Heartburn No More” system.

There are many things you can do to help yourself and there are not many cases that cannot be treated once we understand what is causing it. By changing to a regime which includes lifestyle changes such as acid reflux diets, stopping smoking, reduction of stress, and loosing weight to name but a few we can be virtually acid reflux free.

We do not have to be scared of "acid reflux rebound” if we know how to treat it. Unfortunately most doctors rely on conventional medicine for the solution while simple solutions like acid reflux diets could be the answer to acid reflux rebound.

We can survive without the medication if we have the knowledge and will power to learn about other methods of treatment. Having the information on how to use natural cures for acid reflux and combining them with acid reflux diets can result in the patient leading a far better life.