DAY 40 – Reflux: A Euphemism for Vomiting

This is not a joke about puking. This is serious; and you would be wise to read it.

Much of America is vomiting weakly, and regularly. Thanks to euphemisms like “reflux”, and to doctors and patients alike who rarely stop to think about what is going on in the body, Americans are simply taking prescription drugs like Prilosec and Prevacid, or over-the-counter antacids to suppress gastric symptoms.

Merriam-Webster defines “reflux” as, “a flowing back”. One need not be a gastroenterologist to know that what is flowing backward, in this case upward, are the contents of the stomach. When the contents of the stomach are forcefully ejected into the esophagus and out through the mouth, we call that vomiting. When ejection is weak, only able to move a small amount of the stomach contents into the esophagus, or possibly the throat, we call it “reflux”.

To review simple gastrointestinal physiology, ingested foods that are perceived by the body as non-harmful, are accepted and moved down through the digestive tract from the mouth to the anus. One need not be a doctor to know that when the body perceives ingested foods as a threat, the contents of the stomach are moved in reverse, up, and out.

You have probably not thought about it, but children, relatively speaking, vomit much more frequently than adults. The exception would be adults that drink excessive amounts, or unfortunate combinations of alcohols. We might say that children grow out of it, but in reality, the gastrointestinal tract becomes weary from multitudes of perceived threats, and is less able, in adulthood, to mount a forceful response; to vomit.

WebMD, a web-based service that claims to provide “valuable health information, tools for managing your health, and support to those who seek information”(http://www.webmd.com/heartburn-gerd/guide/acid-reflux-symptoms) tells us the following about acid reflux and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD):
-More than 60 million Americans [1/5 of all Americans] experience acid reflux at least once a month.
-Heartburn, regurgitation, and dyspepsia are a few of the most common acid reflux symptoms.
-Making a few lifestyle changes and using over-the-counter antacids usually are all you need to control acid reflux symptoms.
-GERD is severe or chronic acid reflux that can lead to complications, such as cancer.

When your gut tells you that it would like to empty itself, it is not wise to simply take a drug, prescription or over-the-counter, to stop the symptoms and block your natural defenses. Common sense dictates that you pause to understand why your digestive tract is running in reverse.

Finally, and don’t miss this one, the most common cause of “reflux” is the ongoing consumption of foods to which one is allergic or intolerant. And dairy products are one of the most common offending foods.

DAY 27 – Face Your Food: It Will Change Your Life

I’ve been talking with patients about the joys and the dangers of food for about 24 years, since I first saw the light.

My family, guided by my Mom, ate “healthy” food. We ate whole wheat bread, brown sugar, and only had boxed, sugar-coated, commercial cereals for dessert or for a special occasion. We ate cauliflower, asparagus, and eggplant.

Even with “healthy” food, I still had health problems from childhood through age 35. I consistently needed 10-12 hours of sleep, but awoke tired each day. My skin was dry and rough. Serious low back problems began by age 10, and resulted in severe damage to discs and bone in my low back, as shown on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). By 15 I developed large tear marks (inform yourself at http://turning60consciously.blogspot.com/search/label/stretch%20mark) on the skin in my groin and arm pits. An ulcer was diagnosed by age 16 and I lived on antacids for the next 24 years. At 20 my first complete rupture and surgical repair of one of my Achilles tendons occurred.

While I was young, and falling apart, it never crossed my mind that food could be a cause of my ills, because what I ate was “healthy”. Not one of the dozen or more medical doctors that saw me for my many illnesses and injuries, ever suggested nor even hinted at the possibility that food could be playing a role in my ill health.

By age 35, still taking antacids daily, I began to recognize that when I ate certain foods, I would feel worse the next day; gut pain, intestinal gas, tiredness, and generally achy. Not one to quickly move to stop eating foods that I liked, and that were a part of our family routine, I continued the experiment and time and again found that I felt worse after eating certain foods.

Finally one day, sick and tired of being sick and tired, I told my wife that I was going to temporarily stop eating dairy products, and stop eating foods that were made by others and that might contain ingredients that would harm me. I told her that I would not be eating in restaurants nor simply politely eating what I might be served at a friend’s house. There was a brief pause, and then she said “You are ruining my life!”

I share with you what my wife said to give clarity to how upsetting making dietary change can be. It was no more than minutes, or maybe an hour until she told me that she did not mean what she had said and that she would happily work with me to make sure that I could feel well.

Finally, it dawned on me that there is no such thing as a “healthy” food. Peanuts can be a “healthy” food for some people. It is clear that for others they can be deadly. Though not usually to the point of being lethal, dairy products, wheat, eggs, corn, and soy are examples of common foods that can cause illness, often serious, in many individuals.

Before long, I understood that what is most important is not whether a food is generally “healthy”, but whether it is “healthy” for an individual.

As a part of my dietary change in 1986, I stopped eating all dairy products. I started feeling better generally, and my gut felt better. I also felt a bit foolish. Why during all those years of gut pain and antacids, did I not consider that possibly my gut was being affected by what I was putting into it? And, why did not one medical doctor suggest it during the 19 years that I had been unwell?

I stopped all dairy in 1986, and have been off it ever since. It has clearly been one of the most profound factors in regaining and maintaining my health.

Not only did my gut and my general wellbeing improve, but my severe low back pain went away too. Remind me to tell you the rest of the story.