Approximately 20 per cent of the adult UK population have problems with severe acid reflux. This seems like a staggering amount. Milder, occasional heartburn symptoms are even more common, with surveys often showing above 40% of the population experiencing these.
PPIs (proton-pump-inhibitors such as omeprazole) are one of the most commonly prescribed drug classes in the UK with 14% of the UK population prescribed them in year and 26% of them taking them long-term. However, health services guidelines say these medications are not meant to be long‑term unless there is a clear, ongoing indication so what can we do about this? I have helped many clients come off PPI use (with permission from their doctor) and others who have managed to avoid their use entirely by making changes to diet, lifestyle and using medicinal herbs if needed.
What is acid reflux?
Acid reflux is the movement of stomach acid up the towards the throat, often causing the symptom of heartburn, a burning feeling in the chest. If this happens ongoing, it is then described as gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD). Along with heartburn, you may get an unpleasant sour taste in your mouth (as acid reaches up), especially if you are lying down, bending over or have just eaten. You may also experience:
- a cough or hiccups that keep coming back
- a hoarse voice
- bad breath
- bloating and nausea
In Ayurveda, these symptoms often fall under the diagnosis of Amlapitta (lit. sour pitta). This generally tends to be when there is excess acid, often combined with gastritis (inflammation of the stomach). This is a high pitta situation and measures should be taken to reduce the pitta. If you get regurgitation without burning or acidity, it could be another Ayurvedic diagnosis and an Ayurvedic practitioner will be able to diagnose this for you.
Easy wins to help with acid reflux
A brilliant trick for symptom relief is to chew on dried amalaki/amla (Emblica officinalis) when you are feeling symptoms. It is best to buy organic but if you can’t get hold of organic, there are quite a few different non-organic brands available.
In general, move away from the things on the left below and move towards the things on the right.
Medicinal herbs that often help with acid reflux are licorice, amalaki, neem, shatavari, pippali and slippery elm. These should be taken once prescribed as some suit better than others in specific situations. You can get a prescription here or book in for an appointment where I can prescribe the best herbs for you.
Longer term strategies to keep acid reflux at bay
Acid reflux is highly linked with stress. For long term acid reflux banishment, it is always worth exploring some of your patterns around stress and how you can help with it. It may be that there are some unhelpful patterns and internal dynamics that bring on your reflux so getting help unpicking those is useful. Examples of this are somatic therapies, traditional psychotherapy or Shadow Work, which I integrate with my Ayurvedic practice.
Do get in touch if you need some more advice on helping with your particular symptoms.
0 Comments