Acid Reflux and Stomach Acid

It is estimated that acid reflux affects more than 25 million Americans every day.  Most people think the issue with indigestion is too much acid. This is not surprising considering that all we see are ads by pharmaceutical companies who want to sell us medications that block production of acid by the stomach.  And if you go to your doctor complaining of this he will most certainly give you those same medications to help relieve your symptoms. Antacids such as Tums, sodium bicarbonate, and milk of magnesia and acid suppressing drugs, PPI's, such as Prilosec, Zantac and Pedcid all offer some temporary relief but do nothing to relieve the issue once and for all. 

The problem?  The root cause of the issue is exactly opposite of what the traditional treatment is.  If you suffer from acid reflux it indicates that you do not have enough stomach acid.  So by taking an acid suppressing medication you are doing nothing to resolve the problem.  

Most people who discover this are shocked and initially don't believe it.  This proves that we have all been lead down the wrong path, we've been lied to. I'm always surprised how these stories get started and how they become "the law".  There are many of these misconceptions out there that need to be dispelled.

An acidic gut environment helps the body break down food, absorb nutrients and fend against dangerous organisms. When you don't have enough acid you can experience malabsorption, which means you're not absorbing the nutrients from your food.  This can lead to numerous health problems.  Fatigue is a common symptom of this.  Stomach acid is an important part of the immune system. 

Acid suppression medications shut off acid production. When stomach PH is increased there is less irritation in the esophagus and stomach, which  relieves the burning symptoms associated with acid reflux.  Because we get relief we mistakenly think that the problem was too much stomach acid. 

The trick to getting your acid reflux under control is to take nutrients that promote increased production of the protective lining that coats your stomach.  A good place to start would be with digestive enzymes that aid in the proper breakdown of food.  Taking a digestive enzyme with meals will help your body break down the food more completely and reduce gastrointestinal irritation.

Continuous suppression of acid production for months or years isn't a good idea. In the stomach, hydrochloric acid plays a number of critical roles, including the destruction of Salmonella bacteria and other microorganisms responsible for food borne illnesses. 

Using PPI's over the long term can also cause other problems. In post menopausal woman it can increase the risk of fractors.   This is because you are not absorbing the calcium and vitamin B12 from the food you eat.

Coffee, soda, and alcohol can all contribute to acid reflux. Avoiding these foods while using natural aids will help to speed the recovery process. 

In you experience acid reflux you might be eating a diet that contain mostly alkaline foods, in which case you would need to add more acidic foods to your diet. 

Coconut Palm Sugar

Sugar that contains vitamins and minerals?  And is low glycemic?  Seriously?  Who'd a thunk!  It's true. 

If we can get away from the processed stuff sold to us in big grocery stores by giant corporations and look at more natural products we can find food items that are a much better choice for our overall health.  It sometimes takes time to find these products so when I do find them I like to share them with everyone.  And this is one of those items. 

Now that does not give us licence to eat as much of this stuff as we want, but its nice to know that occasionally we can have a little sweet and its not going to cause the health issues that regular white granulated cane sugar or high fructose corn syrup does.   I use this product in my coffee every morning. One teaspoon each day and its only 4 grams of sugar.   That is low.  If that's all the sugar I consume in a day, I am doing well.   I know you can bake with this product as well but I have not tried it as yet. It might be a little pricey to bake with as this 1 pound bag cost me almost $5.00.

This brand of coconut sugar is produced in Indonesia where farmers have harvested the nectar from coconut palm trees for herbal medicine and food for centuries.   It is 100% pure evaporated coconut sugar that certified organic, kosher, and vegan.

This is a healthy alternative sweetener that has a lower glycemic index than cane sugar, agave, or honey.  It is high in minerals including potassium, magnesium and zinc, as well as vitamins B2, B3, and B6.  You have to admit that is a big improvement over other sweeteners.  Look for it at your local health food store. 

I was recently at Costco and found a another coconut palm sugar product that is half the price.  Now I might try baking with it.  It pays to look around. 

The Truth about Orange Juice

Lets talk about orange juice.  I hear it all the time. Orange Juice is good for us right?  Well, you would think so considering it is made from oranges, but it's one of those foods that been tampered with to the point that it is no longer just the juice of an orange.  This is what we do in this county, we mess around with our food until it's no longer good for us.  The sad part is that most people are not aware of the problem, which is evidenced by all the disease in our country. The more we tamper with our food the sicker we become.  

Here's my first issue with orange juice. 

• When its processed it is held in giant stainless steel vats, and since it spoils quickly they remove all the oxygen from the vats which then allows the juice to hold for up to a year.  Unfortunately, when they remove the oxygen it removes the flavor as well.   So how does the orange juice industry solve that problem?  They develop  "flavor packets" to put taste back into the juice.  They actually hire flavor specialists to create a taste they can add back into the juice.  It's also one of the ways they ensure the product tastes the same every single time you buy it.
• They can put whatever they want in these flavor packets because they are not required to put this information on the label.  Be aware that when you buy this product you really don't know what all is in it.
• When you buy a product that says 100% fresh juice you need to know that really is not the truth.  The next time you buy a carton at the market remember that it's been sitting in a tank for a year. A YEAR!!!! I don't know about you, but that is not fresh in my book. 

Here is my second issue with orange juice.

• Orange Juice is loaded with fructose and fructose has been linked to a whole host of health issues. A typical 8 ounce glass contains 25 grams of fructose.  I don't eat 25 grams of sugar in a whole day so to have this in  one glass of juice is asking for trouble.  
• Fructose has been written about quite a lot lately because of the health risks associated with it.  You might want to do some research on it, but I tell all my clients to remove fructose from theirs diets. Because it is digested in your liver it immediately turns into triglycerides which means fructose is basically poison for your liver. 

If you still want to drink orange juice buy fresh squeezed juice from the health food store that has no added sugar, that way you will know it's juiced within the last few hours.  Of course you can always juice your own at home, that would be the best choice. But these days most people don't have that kind of time. I recommend to my clients that they eliminate orange juice from their diets.  It's not a good thing to put into the body for optimum health. Your best bet?  Eat an orange instead.  

Homemade Laundry Detergent

Our house is chemical free. I want it to be a toxin free zone and, therefore, I am always on the lookout for homemade cleaning products and all natural items I can make myself.  Many of these items also have the added benefit of saving money. I feel better about using them in my house, and I save a few bucks by not buying the junk in the stores.

I recently made this laundry detergent. I made the trial size so I could use it and check it out before I committed to the larger size.  I got the recipe from One Good Thing by Jillie.  She always posts really great DIY projects on her blog. Thanks Jillie! 

It was not easy to find the washing soda. I went to every local store and no one carried it.  I found it at my local Ace Hardware.

So here are the recipes for both sizes:

Trail Size  
2 cups Arm and Hammer Washing Soda 
3 cups Borax
1 bar Felsnaptha Soap 
4 1/2 cups Oxygenated Bleach 
3/4 cup Baking Soda


Large Size 
1 Box Arm and Hammer Washing Soda 
1 box Borax
3 bars Felsnaptha Soap 
2 tubs Oxygenated Bleach
2 cups Baking Soda 

Get out your food processor.  Chop the bars of felsnaptha into small chunks, put in the food processor and blend into a powder.  

You might want to do this next part outdoors as it will release some of that powdery dust when it's all mixed together.  I did it on my balcony. 

Get a large bucket or bowl, pour the felsnaptha in, then measure each item and add to the bowl.  Mix well with a big spoon or scoop.  Pour the product into the container of your choice,  I used large size canning jars.  I labeled them and lined them up on my shelf above my washer.  

Use 2 tablespoons per load. 

Guna Sleep - how to get a good nights sleep

Getting a good nights sleep in one of the most important things you can do for your overall health. Unfortunately lots of us have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep.  I've personally had several phases in my life where I did not sleep well and it made such an impact on my ability to function.  It's a very unpleasant experience and it raises your risk level for several diseases. 

People who experience insomnia get so desperate they ask their doctors for sleeping pills and then find that they are addicted to them.  Once you are dependent on them it is very difficult to get off and therefore, I always recommend trying a natural sleep support product first.  I found a product called Guna Sleep that I think is a good safe product and many folks have had success with it.  I've tried it myself and it worked for me.  I like to combine it with essential oils.  (I use Balance blend from doTerra) Between the two I get into a relaxed state, my mind is at ease which is what allows me to sleep.  I also practice all the recommendations listed below.

About Guna Sleep.  The ingredients are an all natural herbal blend and address many issues: 

Avena sativa   6c   nervousness 
Chamomilla   6c  restlessness 
Helleborus niger   6c   mental stress 
Ignatia amara    6c    restlessness
Interleukin 1 beta   4 c  immune support 
Melatonin   4 c  hormonal regulation 
Melissa officinalis   6c    anxiety 
Pineal gland    6x  12x  30x    hormonal regulation 
Pulsatilla  6c      mood suport 
Serotonin   6c     hormonal support 
Valeriana officinalis   6c   restlessness 

For people with insomnia the usual underlying issue is anxiety and most people don't realize that that is what they are experiencing.  It seems people don't want to admit to feeling anxiety and it takes some time to get them to realize that if they treat the anxiety the sleeplessness with take care of itself.  As you can see from the list there are agents in Guna Sleep that help with anxiety and relaxation. 

Besides using an all natural sleep aid it is important that you practice several things to help insure a long restful sleep:

• establish a regular sleep and wake schedule
• unplug at least one hour before bed, no TV and no computer
• develop a relaxing evening routine one hour before bed, take a hot bath or read 
• reserve the bedroom for sleep and sex only 
• maintain a very dark room, no electronics or LED lights 
• keep the temperature cool
• limit afternoon naps 
• avoid vigorous exercise in the late evening 
• avoid excessive alcohol, it interrupts the sleep cycle
• eliminate caffeine in the late afternoon and evening 
• manage your stress level. This is one of the most important items because your stress level will keep your brain going and prevent you from shutting down. Try meditation to clear your mind.

True Food - my new favorite cookbook

Andrew Weil, MD is the founder of the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine and a partner in True Food Kitchen.  He is the author of several bestselling books including Spontaneous Happiness, The Healthy Kitchen, Healthy Aging, and 8 weeks to Optimum Health. 

I've been following Andrew Weil for years. I subscribe to his newsletters, read all his articles on health, and have such a deep respect for the man because of his integrative school in Arizona. He feels that our doctors come out of medical school not knowing anything about nutrition or how to help their patients achieve wellness through diet so he single-handedly opened the first integrative school to teach this to doctors. He is effecting the way medicine is taught in this country and now others are following in his footsteps.  He is a guru in the wellness community.  

The book is based on eating an anti inflammatory diet.  Why is this important?  Because inflammation is the root of all disease. If you can reduce the inflammation in your body you will reduce your risk of disease. 

Dr.  Weil has always taught diet first, medicine second, but when he decided to open an actual restaurant showing people how to eat I immediately had to see it. Fortunately for me there is a location close to my house in Newport Beach California.  I then purchased the book and started making some of the dishes in my own kitchen.  I am a pretty healthy eater anyway but having a cookbook like this makes eating right all the more enjoyable.  The recipes are not difficult and color photos are so nice to see. It's fun to make a dish and then see if you end product looks like the photo.  Trust me they won't look as good! 

I am not a broccoli fan but the Braised Broccoli with Orange and Parmesan made me a believer.  Now I can eat it without saying yuck. The Kale Salad is one of the best selling items at the restaurant and it is in the book. There is a Citrus Sesame Sauce recipe that I use on everything. He shows it on green beans but you can make a batch and put it literally on anything.

Good eating should be enjoyable but also do something healthy for the body. The recipes in this book do just that. 

Diabetes - why does this epidemic continue to grow?

Diabetes.  Where do I begin.  This is an emotional issue for me.   I get very upset at the toll this disease has taken on our population.  I have spent the past few years doing considerable research on this topic and I find some of the activity in our country criminal.  Therefore, in this post I am going to try and explain what is going on and why more and more of our population is needlessly suffering with this disease. 

America's diabetes rate is increasing at such a rate that the Wall Street Journal calls it a growth industry.  Public health officials estimate that by 2050 one third of all Americans will have diabetes.  

Diabetes trade shows and expos display the latest prescription drugs and devices for diagnosing and treating the illness.  TV commercials feature celebrity endorsements,  there are diabetes magazines, newsletters, blogs, on line forums for articles, food blogs, classes.  Despite all this few Americans improve enough to avoid the nerve damage, foot pain, frozen shoulder, vision loss, confusion, digestive disorders, high blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol profiles, fatigue, heart disease, chronic infections, and gangrene that are all considered normal complications.  Why?

The American Diabetes Association (ADA) has for years touted the low calorie, low fat, low protein, high carbohydrate diet, that emphasized fruit, milk, bread, and very little fat and be sure to measure everything you eat. A typical suggested breakfast was non fat milk, banana, orange juice.  The body recognizes all of these as sugar and therefore glucose levels would rise after eating this meal.  This diet was basically supporting the diabetes, keeping the  glucose levels high, as we now know. And the emphasis on measuring does no good when you're eating the wrong foods to begin with. 

Some wellness practitioners were wise to this and starting putting their clients on low to no carb diets eliminating potatoes, rice, cereals, breads, fruits, low fat items like milk and yogurt and refined sugar. They started to see glucose levels go down and people started losing weight. Many were able to go off their medications. 

Gary Taubes is a journalist who wrote the books Good Calories, Bad Calories and Why we Get Fat and through his extensive research discovered that the low fat, high carbohydrate diet recommended by the ADA, the American Medical Association, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture has never been supported by scientific research. The diets they recommend might be ok for people with normal blood sugars but for those who are overweight or have insulin resistance, glucose intolerance, or diabetes these diets can be disastrous. 

Unfortunately most doctors follow these guidelines mentioned above and as we have seen, the rate of diabetes continues to rise.  Doctors are following the advice of these organizations, and it is clear that doctors are not helping people reverse this disease. As long as we continue to follow these flawed guidelines the disease will continue to escalate. 

Another issue is with our insurance programs.  Insurance won't pay for many diabetes prevention programs and therefore people do not get the help they need. It's mind boggling to me that insurers won't pay the $150 for a diabetic patient to see a podiatrist who could help them prevent foot ailments from the disease, but they would pay for the amputation costing more than $30,000.   Patients have trouble getting reimbursement for $75 to see a nutritionist who can counsel them on their diet but will pay for the $315 per dialysis treatment for patients who have destroyed their kidneys.  We spend far more money on the effects of the disease than we can ever spend on prevention. It's important for people to understand that if they are willing to spend a few hundred dollars out of their own pockets they can get help with this disease. Don't let your insurance company keep you from getting the help you need. 

If you suffer with this disease do not make the mistake of only following your doctors orders when it comes to this disease. It has been proven time and time again that the people who go outside their doctors office and find other forms of assistance are the ones that beat this disease.  Our medical doctors are not trained in nutrition.  They do not have the latest diabetes information  nor do they have the time to coach you and follow up with you.  Many are afraid of lawsuits so they stay with the status quo.  All they can do is give you medication to help manage the disease. (In fact many of these medications make the disease worse and cause other complications, but that's another article.)  You must take it into your own hands to find a program that can teach you what changes you need to make in your diet.  Then you work the program, along with seeing your  doctor and making adjustments to your medications as you improve your numbers.  With changes to your diet, you can lower your glucose numbers rapidly and this will in turn allow you to reduce your medications and finally get off them for good. 

But this takes work and you must be prepared to do the work.  There are a number of very good books out there now that give people the information they need to make life changes. I can recommend a couple for you if you are interested.
 
Resource: The Well Being Journal March/April 2013