In keeping
with the theme of the month of love, I discussed on my homepage blog the
background and contributing factors to the unwelcome chest pain of heartburn.
In this blog, I will provide some tips on how to ensure your digestion stays
healthy and happy.
Here are some natural tools and tips
for your wellness toolkit if you feel you need digestive support.
1. Slow
down when you eat. If you are stressed, your body’s nervous system will be too
heightened to enter into rest and digest mode. This alarm stage prevents the
formation of digestive enzymes.
2. Avoiding
drinking while you eat, unless its warm water with ginger or herbal tea. Otherwise,
you’ll dilute your body’s enzymatic release.
3. Eat
whole, unprocessed, and organic foods as much as possible. Avoid sugar and junk
food. This is to prevent the additional stressors of chemicals, hormones, anti-nutrients,
and antibiotics on your digestive function.
4. Use the
proper digestive enzymes. I like to work with my clients to find the perfect
blend of pancreatic, stomach, and liver support. If you know you don’t have an ulceration
in your digestive lining, you can ask your integrative provider to test your
need for hydrochloric acid using the HCL test.
5. Heal any
intestinal inflammation with herbals and nutrients such as glutamine, zinc
carnosine, or DGL (de-glycrrhizzed licorice) as needed.
6. Consider
microbial balance support using natural antimicrobials, probiotics, or a
prescription as indicated.
7.
Essential oils such as ginger and peppermint can alleviate symptoms of
indigestion and help treat the cause at the same time. These oils support the secretion
of enzymes for digestive health. Some of my essential oil clients have said
lemon water has also trumped their heartburn. Perhaps its by balancing the pH
and its antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory effects?.
If these
tools don’t work or you are getting frequent heartburn, you may want to investigate further. You can request
the following tests from your doctor. This is in order to address the root
cause and prevent the complication of too little or too much stomach acid:
- H. pylori antibody test
- A stomach acidity measurement
- Breathe test or functional markers such as the Oragnix acid panel.
These tests can help rule out small intestinal bacterial overgrowth. (A
comprehensive Organix panel can also determine nutrient deficiencies,
among other benefits). - Determine if food sensitivities are triggering
inflammatory processes and digestive distress leading to heartburn. You
can do this by requesting an IgG test (not available in NYS) or ALCAT test.
You can also test for gluten issues with a celiac panel. Another option is
to use a lifestyle approach to assessing for food triggers by doing an
elimination diet with your healthcare provider. - A comprehensive gastrointestinal health workup by
a specialist or additional workup to rule out a cardiovascular origin if
these tests don’t reveal a cause.
The good
news is, once you know the cause, steps can be taken to ensure your digestive
tract is back in healthy harmony.
References:
See my blog
at dr-lobisco.com for references and more information on this topic.
