Treating or preventing reflux esophagitis may be as easy as supplementing normal acid suppression remedies with an antioxidant extract of the wormwood herb Artemisia asiatica.

Reflux esophagitis is inflammation of the esophagus.

This is a result of regurgitation of the stomach contents, or acid reflux. The condition is more commonly recognized as heartburn which reportedly affects more than one in ten adults.

Currently the treatment of reflux esophagitis is mostly based on the suppression of acid. Therapy with readily available antioxidants such as fruit and vegetables may prevent and treat the condition.

Reflux Esophagitis Trials on Rats
Investigators surgically induced reflux esophagitis in 60 rats and divided them into four different groups:
one that received no treatment;
two that were pretreated with 30 milligrams (mg) and 100 mg, respectively, of the oral antioxidant;
and one that received the traditional Zantac treatment.
A fifth group that was not subjected to reflux disease was used for comparison.

The antioxidant treatment, as opposed to the traditional drug therapy, decreased the severity of reflux disease and was more protective against ulceration and inflammation of the esophagus. The best results were seen in rats that received 100 mg of the antioxidant.

For example, 80% of the rats that received no treatment developed large ulcers in the lower and middle parts of the esophagus, compared with 27% of the rats that received 30 mg of antioxidant treatment and 20% of the rats that received 100 mg of the antioxidant, the report indicates. In contrast, nearly two thirds of the rats that received the acid suppressant developed ulcers.

Rats treated with the antioxidant also exhibited greater evidence of healing in the affected areas of the esophagus and less cell damage than did the rats treated with ranitidine.
Reflux esophagitis

Heartburn drugs can raise the risk of a broken hip in people older than 50 when they are taken for more than a year, according to a study of more than 145,000 seniors.

The researchers believe the drugs may make it more difficult for the body to absorb calcium, leading to weaker bones and fractures.

The drugs causing the most problems were of a class known as proton pump inhibitors, which include Nexium, Prevacid and Prilosec. There was a similar but smaller risk of hip fractures for drugs called H2 blockers, such as Tagamet and Pepcid.

Patients who used proton pump inhibitors for more than a year had a 44 percent greater risk of hip fracture, and the longer they took the drug, the greater the risk. And those who took high doses had more than twice the risk of hip fractures. Men in the study were more at risk than women, possibly because women may get more calcium in their diets.

Nexium is the third best-selling drug in the world, with annual sales exceeding $5 billion. People with chronic heartburn can develop painful ulcers in the esophagus, and in rare cases, some can end up with damage that can lead to esophageal cancer.

Journal of the American Medical Association December 27, 2006; 296(24): 2947-2953

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Antacids — drugs that relieve heartburn by decreasing levels of
stomach acid — are among the best-selling drugs of all time,
pulling in billions of dollars in windfall profits for pharmaceutical
companies.

Who among us hasn’t heard the dire warnings about the
perils of “excess stomach acid”? Yet as Dr. Rubman and I have
pointed out, we need stomach acid to activate pepsin and to digest
the food we eat. True excess stomach acid is a rare condition. As
such, these warnings are really about selling a product that most of
us dont need, and which may be harmful, cautions Dr. Rubman. In
his view, they are “hucksterism” and “much ado about nothing.”

What is being marketed as excess stomach acid is really acid
produced at the wrong time, explains Dr. Rubman. He told me that
there are two phases to stomach acid production…

* Digestive phase. When you have a meal and food enters the
stomach, stomach acid is produced to help dissolve the food and
extract the nutrients you need from it.

* Quiescent phase. Between meals, when the stomach is empty,
normally there is little or no stomach acid. The intestinal tract
needs its rest, too.

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Heartburn, is a feeling of burning, warmth, heat, or pain that generally starts in the upper abdomen beneath the lower breastbone.
It is also known as reflux espohagitis or GERD.

Heartburn occurs when food and stomach juices back up (reflux) into the esophagus, which is the tube that leads from the throat to the stomach.

Heartburn can occur with other symptoms, such as hoarseness, a feeling that food is stuck in your throat, tightness in your throat, a hoarse voice, wheezing, asthma, dental problems, or bad breath.

When you suppress stomach acid, you also suppress liver function.

This means that fat can no longer be as efficiently excreted with bile. Additionally, acid suppressants reduce the body’s ability to thoroughly digest proteins, which reduces its ability to manufacture “the good cholesterol,” HDL.

Young developing bodies with developing hormones are especially vulnerable to damage due to suppressed liver function, he says.

Additionally, suppressing the liver’s ability to produce HDL can create a cholesterol problem that would not have existed without the acid suppressants.

ANTACIDS AND CHILDREN JUST DON’T MIX

On a recent vacation I visited a family fair where rows of booths addressed various children’s health issues. Imagine my surprise when I turned a corner and found one hawking lansoprazole (Prevacid), a high-powered acid-suppressant known as a proton-pump inhibitor (PPI), for pediatric gastroesophageal reflux (GER), also known as GERD in those with the disease.

When I was young, a little Pepto Bismal was standard fare for all kids’ tummy aches. It seems, however, that the pharmaceutical companies are upping the ante… and now, instead of soothing an irritated stomach, they are going to change the natural function of children’s digestive systems. This seemed a perfect subject for this month’s Digestion Connection discussion with Daily Health News contributing editor Andrew L. Rubman, ND.

Not surprisingly, Dr. Rubman told me that acid suppressants (such as PPI drugs Prilosec and Prevacid) — relieve heartburn by decreasing stomach acid production and antacids (such as Mylanta and Maalox) neutralize stomach acid. These drugs, he says, should rarely be taken by children, just as they should rarely be taken by adults.

It’s all marketing, hucksterism and salesmanship, now at the cost of even our children’s health and well-being, warns Dr. Rubman. He adds that not only are these drugs often unnecessary, they are actually harmful to our health — and our children’s health. Truth be told, digestive difficulties are also likely to develop due to insufficient rather than excess stomach acid, says Dr. Rubman.

There are many acid reflux remedies available, and it seems like there are more being released every day. Although there are plenty of prescription medicines to treat acid reflux, or heartburn as it is often called, more and more it seems that people are turning to acid reflux home remedies as an alternative to these kinds of treatments.

I am not really sure why this is so, but acid reflux remedies made of herbs, minerals, and the like are more and more popular as time passes. This seems strange to me, as many of the traditional over the counter acid reflux remedies are made of pretty natural stuff anyway. I have heard that tums is basically chalk, and I have even heard of activated charcoal being used successfully as an acid reflux remedy. So why all of this searching for alternatives when many of the common choices seem to work so well?

An even more important question is: why not use one of the best acid reflux remedies available? By that I mean, why not use a sane, healthy diet that creates less stomach acid. This seems to be the best of the acid reflux remedies which I have come across so far, and I can not be the only one out there who thinks so. Eating a lot of grains, fresh vegetables and a few fruits, and little fat or grease or meat, can do a lot to treat heartburn.

Making sure that you do not overeat, and that you have several small meals over the course of the day rather than just having one great big one can also work wonders for your acid reflux. But no. People would rather go on just as they always have, eating foods that simply are not that good for them, and then treating the symptoms with acid reflux remedies, instead of the cause, which is simply unhealthy eating habits. It is enough to make you sick about some people, if you ask me!

Of course, some people really do suffer from acid reflux disease for other reasons than just poor dietary habits. If you are one of these people, and are simply the victim of an overactive stomach, then there is nothing else for it than to treat your condition with the remedies that you find. Otherwise, you are at risk of all kinds of other health problems caused by the excessive stomach acid.

Indigestion Medications Can Cause Anemia

I have written many times about the assorted risks of acid-suppressing drugs. Here’s one risk I havenot yet spoken about — people on proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) such as esomeprazole (Nexium), omeprazole (Prilosec) and lansoprazole (Prevacid) run the risk of becoming anemic (due to an iron deficiency) due to inadequate stomach acid. And, worse, these people can not adequately absorb traditional iron supplements that are the traditional treatment for anemia.

Since the symptoms and problems associated with anemia are considerable, ranging from fatigue to weakened immune function and mental ability, not being able to “fix” it with iron supplements can be a big problem for the millions of acid-suppressant users who are at risk. Those who have had gastric bypass surgery are also at risk because the part of the small intestine that absorbs iron best is bypassed with the surgery.

Digestion Supplements
If you choose to eat your steak and potatoes, consider taking digestive enzymes to ensure you have adequate levels of stomach acid and alleviate your digestion problem.

Do not eat fruits with meals. Dr. Rubman recommends eating fruits as an appetizer a half-an-hour before a meal, rather than as a dessert. He explains that fruits are normally digested very quickly. For example, when you eat fruit, just half an hour later you’ve digested it. When you eat fruits with other foods, however, you slow their digestion. The fruit sits and can ferment until all foods are ready to move on together. This, again, can allow damaging microorganisms such as Candida to gain a foothold in the body, warns Dr. Rubman.
When you belch after a meal, he points out that it is often not from swallowed air, but from gas and fermentation in the stomach due to improperly combined foods.

Just say no to dessert. The worst thing you can do to start a digestion problem is to put a simple carb on top of a healthful, balanced meal, notes Dr. Rubman. Sugary sweet high-glycemic desserts, which would normally be digested rapidly, instead sit and ferment while the whole meal undergoes lengthier digestion.
If you’re going to eat sweets, it’s best to eat them on an empty stomach for optimal digestion (of course, this is not so good for blood sugar, but that’s a discussion for another day). Treat sweets as special treats rather than every day events, chew them slowly and thoroughly so the pleasure lasts longer.

A good digestion supplement is to combine foods that contain different amino acids. Especially for the vegetarians among us, it’s important to combine grains, fruits and vegetables — which contain different amino acids — in order to complete the essential amino acid profile, says Dr. Rubman. They do not need to be eaten together in one meal (although that’s fine too). However, eat portions within a four hour time period. A black bean chili or white bean soup, and a healthful grain such as brown rice — will do the trick. To learn more about these combinations,

People experiencing digestion problems must Chew foods very thoroughly. Chew foods until they are virtually in liquid form before swallowing. The more food is broken down in the mouth, the more readily it can pass through the rest of the gastrointestinal tract.

OPTIMIZE YOUR DIGESTION

Of course, combining foods correctly is only part of an overall digestive strategy for digestion problems that also entails a diet filled with a rich variety of whole foods, with more healthful fats (wild salmon, avocados, olive oil, flaxseed, etc.) than saturated ones (hamburgers, hot dogs, french fries, etc.), and complex carbs such as whole grains and starchy vegetables instead of simple carbohydrates from white sugar.

When the goal is healthful digestion without the need for digestion supplements, Dr. Rubman also strongly cautions against antacid use. Clever advertising seduces many consumers with digestive challenges to reach for these, when in reality Americans suffer from a shortage of, rather than excess, stomach acid. Also: Limit beverages during meals. They dilute digestive enzymes.

Whatever your digestive challengesand digestion problems, rest assured that there’s a solution for you, and very often all that is entailed is making simple, healthful, common sense choices. When in doubt, consult a trained physician to help you devise a sensible plan.