Meeting My ND for the Heartburn Battle

          I had a great experience with my ND.  Honestly, he had me at hello when he told me that he was very happy to see I was eating a grain free diet.  Evidently that is one nutritional change he almost always recommends to patients.  For patients with digestive issues like me, he finds that it is often a critical step in solving the problem.  From that moment on, I knew I would like the guy.

          We went through the entire questionnaire point by point.  I'm happy to say that my small degree of medical training (as well as personal education on nutrition) came in handy here, because we had a pretty intelligent conversation about how many things could be related to each other.  I never thought about it, but I suppose my medical knowledge, at this point, lies mostly within the realms of naturopathy.  Not being able to prescribe or access medicine or surgeries, I have focused most of my attention on disease/injury treatment to what can be done through diet, exercise, and supplements.  Thus far it has been a matter of accessibility.  While that stuff is interesting, I'm still deeply excited to learn more about the, often more powerful, medical interventions over the next few years.

          After dealing with the questionnaire and filling in the blanks of my health picture, he did a pretty detailed physical exam of me.  I will admit that some parts of the physical exam struck my future-doctor/scientific side as a little out there, but I remained determined to keep an open mind, though.

          After the exam and the questionnaire, he helped me develop, "THE PLAN."  This was really exciting.  He basically explained to me that "THE PLAN" can solve the problem for 90-95% of the GERD patients he sees.  Those in the unlucky 5-10% often have specific structural problems with the stomach or esophagus.  I'm really hoping I'm not in that small percentage, and I'm encouraged by the fact that neither he nor my gastroenterologist believes that is the case.

Heartburn battle victory on the horizon?

          90-95%.  That's some powerful stuff.  Think about that.  I have been taking a medication for over a decade.  That is a long time.  It has become a part of my life.  Until recently, it wasn't something I thought about.  I just took it and didn't care.  Despite that, I still had the occasional bout of heartburn.  That too was just part of my life, and I didn't really think much about it.

          That could all be gone in a month or two, and if all goes well, I will never have to take another Nexium.  My body could heal the damage, and it could start digesting food properly.  It could help me ward off digestive infections, like the colitis I described in this article.  This is really exciting.

          All in all, I spent an hour and forty five minutes with the doctor, even though I was only scheduled (and charged) for an hour.  I was blown away by the amount of direct personal attention I received, and I truly felt all of my questions and concerns were well addressed.  Overall, I would consider it a great experience, and pending the results of "THE PLAN," I would recommend it to any GERD sufferers out there.


"THE PLAN":

Quit Drugs Phase --> Transition Phase --> Digestion Phase


Quit Drugs Phase

          This phase is very simple.  I stop taking the Nexium.  In fact, I'm already done.  If all goes well, I have already taken the last Nexium of my life!


Transition Phase

          During this phase, my stomach is going to rebound up the amount of stomach acid that is being produced as the effects of the drugs wear off.  This phase is supposed to be unpleasant, because I won't be producing enough acid to shut the esophagus, but I will be producing a greater actual quantity of it.  Result?  It's going to burn.  This phase will suck.

          I will be taking a few things to get through this phase.

Yes, Glutamine.  More commonly a bodybuilding supp.

1.) L-glutamine.  As Dr. Wright wrote in Why Stomach Acid is Good for You, L-glutamine is the principle source of energy for the cells of the upper GI tract... like the esophagus.  Providing them with this energy may help them stay healthy and could even promote the closing of the esophagus.

2.) Aloe Vera Juice.  Evidently it contains compounds that have the potential to reduce the inflammation of an irritated esophagus and promote the healing of the tissue.  I know it does wonders for sunburns, so maybe it'll help acid burns to?  Worth a shot.  I'm swallowing a couple ounces a day.

3.) Probiotics.  Hopefully this will turn the tide of the gut flora in my favor.  In this post I wrote about Chris Kresser's suggested mechanism related to these guys.  Besides, good gut bacteria should just overall help my digestion, and moving food along and out of the stomach is important.


Digestion Phase

          Once the acid rebound is over, my stomach acid production will have normalized.  At this point, it is time to start taking a good Betaine HCl and Pepsin supplement with meals.  I am supposed to vary the amount I take depending on the size of the meal and its contents; it may take a while to find the right amount, and that could hurt too.

          Overall, I'm very excited to try this.  I think it's definitely worth a shot, and the worst thing that happens if it doesn't work is I resign myself to taking Nexium for the rest of my life.  I was already going to do that anyway.

          I will be sure to follow up with how this is going in a week or two.

          Aside from talking about my GERD and treatment, we also talked a fair bit about the different medical paths.  He felt very strongly that what he focused on had much more to do with prevention, and he was confident that he could help people to prevent disease as well or even better than most MDs.  Despite this, he acknowledged that modern medicine is incredibly powerful and superior at dealing with acute injuries.  I think it's interesting to think about the other health professions out there, and I'm planning to write a post on that some time soon.