any cool heartburn remedies?

[Starjumper]

Does the heartburn include acid reflux? There's also a thing called silent reflux which many people don't know they have.

[Yoda]

Starjumper,

 

I had assumed that those two terms were synonymous. Didn't know about silent reflux.

 

Your pal,

Yoda

[orb]

Starjumper,

 

I had assumed that those two terms were synonymous. Didn't know about silent reflux.

 

Your pal,

Yoda

 

 

This is an awesome thread with great explanations. Thx Mr Yoda I learned a lot.

[Starjumper]

I had assumed that those two terms were synonymous. Didn't know about silent reflux.

 

Silent reflux is what it's called when it happens at night during sleep and so people don't know they have it. That's what I had, and found out because of throat injury.

 

I discovered the surefire and safe cure for reflux and that is: get skinny.

 

I wasn't overweight by modern standards at all but I could pinch an inch, which was the original and true measure of being overweight. So now by modern standards I'm considered skinny (but with muscles) but actually it's just a bit on the low side of ideal weight for someone my height.

 

I've also discovered the secret to easy weight loss.

Edited January 21, 2009 by Starjumper7

[ToP-fan]

Starjumper7,

I need to lose about 30 or so lbs....What's your secret for weight loss?

 

ToP-fan

[Yoda]

I could use a hot tip! If your secret is public domain do tell! (eat less?)

[piki]

People often think that indigestion is caused by "too much acid" - commonly called "acid indigestion". While in some rare cases this diagnosis is valid,the overwhelming majority of acid symptoms originate from the opposite problem - TOO LITTLE hydrochloric acid.

 

As a result,the food does not digest properly and remains in the stomach for too long,whereupon the food rots and becomes acidic.

 

Rotting food,not excessive digestive acids,causes an acid burn feeling.

 

Deliberately taking antacid tablets before you eat,to prevent acid indigestion,is NOT a good idea.

 

The best remedies for acid indigestion are to pay attention to basic food combining principles and to CHEW your food well.Supplementing with digestive enzymes also can be helpful.

 

(Until sufficient hydrochloric acid is present and food breakdown takes place,food does not leave the stomach.If undigested food sits in the stomach too long,it forms toxin and poisons you.)

 

Hope that helps.

[james]

Hi there Yoda, I would recommend the book ' Unwinding the Belly ' as a more long term solution to this problem, its a gem of a book.

[Starjumper]

It's true that indigestion can be primarily caused by lack of enough stomach acid and so taking antacids is not the solution.

Edited January 24, 2009 by Starjumper7

[WestwardMonkey]

Cabbage (very alkaline)

apples

potatoes (not fried)

Reduce fried foods

Reduce acidic foods

Reduce any ecessive protien intake (especialy animal)

[Xienkula1]

Cabbage (very alkaline)

apples

potatoes (not fried)

Reduce fried foods

Reduce acidic foods

Reduce any ecessive protien intake (especialy animal)

 

eradicate caffeine and nicotine and increase dan tian breathing while

eliminating refined sugar.

Edited January 26, 2009 by Xienkula1

[vitagong]

Hi Yoda,

 

My advice to you is to take her to a good Practitioner of Chinese Medicine and get a correct diagnosis and treatment. There is nothing here that would actually be addressing the true underlying condition. there are actually many causes for this condition and not every remedy is correct for every cause. In fact some remedies or lifestlye changes can actually cause further harm than good, and it seems that she has already experieced this.

 

 

eradicate caffeine and nicotine and increase dan tian breathing while

eliminating refined sugar.

 

If there is actually a problem with her diaphram as part of the cause, this will increase the problem and cause further problems, could actually lead to high BP and emotional issues such as anxiety attacks.

 

Must know the cause.

[karen]

Vitagong,

 

Thanks fot that contribution; great to hear this kind of reasoned advice. The tendency to treat symptoms is pervasive - not only in the conventional system but "alternative medicine" largely operates from the same midset of getting rid of symptoms although with less toxic methods...which amounts to harmful symptom suppression at worst or band-aid palliation at best.

 

Nothing wrong with palliation to get some relief while working on the causative level that might take some time, as long as you have that larger perspectove and a rational framework for understanding what is being done,not just judging the efficacy of a method by whether the symptom went away. Did it go away because the cause was removed, or because the symptom was simply suppressed to manifest again later often in a more vital organ? The popular empirical method doesn't know the difference, but a rational system of medicine needs to understand this.

 

-Karen

[the buddha & the beast]

sounds 2 simple, but i just chew on little ice chips or eat a freezie pop & my heart~burn completely disappears!

[karen]

sounds 2 simple, but i just chew on little ice chips or eat a freezie pop & my heart~burn completely disappears!

 

Heartburn is just a symptom, which can either be an effect of a deeper issue, or a simple imbalance. Just the fact that a symptom went away doesn't tell us what's really going on. It could be one of several things -

 

1. Either the problem was only a simple imbalance to start with - like if your digestion is healthy to begin with but you ate something very hot that you're not used to, and then the cold ice works on the law of opposites to correct the imbalance. The symptom goes away and that's the end of it - there was nothing more behind it.

 

2. Or the symptom really does have more behind it, like emotional issues or nutritional deficiencies (or other energetic causes), so making the symptom go away is like cutting a weed off at the top. It makes you feel better in the short run. You cool down the heat and temporarily feel better, until the next time, because you didn't address the root cause, and that cause is going to keep manifesting symptoms (sometimes through other routes).

 

Often people think they're looking at causes, when they're only looking at proximate causes, not root causes. Even to say that heartburn is caused by stomach acid deficiency is only a proximate cause, because what's causing the stomach acid deficiency? You have to go further back to the level of primary cause. Unless it's a simple imbalance, the primary cause of symptoms is always on the energetic level.

 

-Karen

[Zhongyongdaoist]

Yoda, I'm going to give you and Mrs. Yoda the same advice I have given elsewhere on The Tao Bums, which is to by yourself a copy of Between Heaven and Earth by Harriet Beinfield and Efrem Korngold. This is a very good introduction to traditional Chinese treatment and most importantly has a self evaluation questionnaire which is worth the price of the book itself. As far as Chinese traditions are concerned you should be able to eat just about anything people normally eat and have no problems with indigestion etc., and a traditional Chinese doctor would probably be horrified if one of his patients came to him to complain of indigestion once a year!

 

None of what I am about to say is intended to either diagnose or treat any medical disorder and is offered for information purposes only about traditional Chinese beliefs and practices.

 

Traditionally stomach problems can indicate heat in the Stomach, or cold in the Stomach, or Liver qi invading the stomach, etc. The variety of remedies both 'cool' and hot which have been advised indicates this, but to take a cooling tea like peppermint will only make a cold Stomach worse, and cayenne will be a disaster for a hot stomach, and none of these address the problem of Stagnant Liver qi invading the Stomach or Spleen, which is one of the most common causes of stomach problems. In short knowing the energy imbalance that is the root of the problem is essential and that is what you can find out using the questionnaire in Between Heaven and Earth, so get it, and do the evaluation for your whole family, it is useful information. This is useful for your children too, if my parents had been able to access information like this and put it into practice my life would have been considerably improved, because problems that could have been easily addressed in childhood were turned into longterm imbalances by Western medicine that have taken years to work out of my system.

 

I find your experience with vegan diets interesting. The fact that Mrs. Yoda's problems returned after you went back on a ordinary diet indicates that the vegan diet did nothing about the underlying causes of the problem. Considered from a traditional perspective, once you have addressed the imbalance you can stop taking herbal supplements, especially if you start cooking with Chinese herbs (This is another strong point of Between Heaven and Earth it is also introduction to therapeutic cooking with Chinese herbs), to maintain the proper balance.

 

I used to have considerable problems with digestion, the herbal supplements helped enormously, especially the ones dealing with Liver/Spleen disharmony, but to talk about specifics without knowing the underlying imbalances is a waste of time. Good luck in solving Mrs. Yoda's problem.

[Xienkula1]

If there is actually a problem with her diaphram as part of the cause, this will increase the problem and cause further problems, could actually lead to high BP and emotional issues such as anxiety attacks.

 

Must know the cause.

 

No, dan tian breathing does not cause heart burn nor does it aggravate anxiety, sorry. Actually deep breathing raises blood pH(makes blood more alkaline)

Edited January 28, 2009 by Xienkula1

[gendao]

Here's an herbal heartburn complex.

 

The key ingredients are:

 

Betaine Hydrochloride - Helps boost your levels of hydrochloric stomach acid to quickly break down and digest foods. This prevents foods from sitting in your stomach and triggering heartburn and acid reflux.

L-Glutamic Acid - Helps maintain proper pH balance in your stomach as well as entire digestive tract. It's also a critical amino acid that helps metabolize proteins, sugars and fats.

Non-animal Enzyme Blend Containing Amylases, Proteases and Lipases - Amylase helps break down carbohydrates. Protease helps break down proteins and Lipase helps break down fats. Together, these enzymes help keep your digestion system working at optimum speed and capacity. This reduces your chances of developing heartburn, acid indigestion and embarrassing gas!

Gentian Root - Nourishes and strengthens the entire digestive system. Rich in B-complex nutrients, this European herb acts on taste bud receptors to help stimulate secretion of saliva in the mouth and hydrochloric acid in the stomach. Also helps soothe stomach aches.

 

No idea if it works or not, though...

Edited March 1, 2009 by vortex

[DaoChild]

Eat more slowly.

 

The few times in my life I've had acid reflux or heartburn were always linked to eating too quickly. And I'm not even talking about scarfing down food - in general, most of us eat too quickly. Literally spend 30 minutes eating a meal, and stay seated for at least another 30 minutes to let the food settle. Do it like the europeans do

 

Anyway - that has been my past problem - not sure if it will help her!

[Yoda]

thanks all! I'll check out Between Heaven and Earth.

[taiji_phoenix]

Here is what I do for heartburn: I think it is peice number 5 from the eight pieces of brocade (sway the head and swing the tail to remove the heart fire). You squat down in horse stance, put your hands on your thieghs close to your knees with the thumbs pointing to the outside, push down lightly on one theighs and you turn your body and head to look in the oppisite direction . Hold for a couple seconds. breath out as you do this, then switch sides. You may have to do it a couple times for it to start to work. when you turn you want to have the head, spine and leg to line up. I hope that was clear I tried to find a picture but couldn't. This works for me everytime.

 

Taiji phoenix

[Yoda]

So I emailed Mak Tin Si about Randi's heartburn a couple of months ago and it sounded like the timing wasn't right. Then a few days ago, I got an email from him saying that Randi's heartburn would likely be cured presently and in the last few days it has gone from a situation threatening to need 2 prilosecs a day to gone!!!!

 

Randi thinks the whole thing is just a coincidence, but she doesn't have any explanations... she isn't doing anything differently recently.

 

Crazy stuff, huh???

 

Hopefully the cure will stick around and I'll keep everyone posted about it!!

 

In case it's permanent, I'd like to thank everyone for their excellent advice all of which I've passed on to Randi. Between Heaven and Earth just came in and it looks awesome and I'll definitely use that book on her for further balancing.

 

Yoda

[dwai]

Mrs Yoda has had bad heartburn for several months and is taking prilosec otc which works fine, but I'm wondering if there's anything else less hardcore that she should try for a long term solution.

 

Mrs Yoda should see a TCM or Ayurvedic practitioner who can tell her what not to eat.

[Yoda]

I'm still going to follow the Between Heaven and Earth suggestions, definitely. I have a TCM doctor pal who may come to visit, so we'll go with his suggestions too. Mak Tin Si suggested avoiding beef and seafood for her.

[Mak_Tin_Si]

Just a note, taoism medic IS TCM too.

 

TCM nowadays is usually talking about Han dynasty medic system. There is 2 parts to it, one is the normal one that you see with herbal teachings, normal han dynasty. One path is the Tao-medic, which is what I study and use all the time.