MANY PATIENTS ARE NOT AWARE OF IT, but there are two schools of medicine at war
with each other in the United States. One side, called allopathic, conventional, orthodox, or
Western medicine, is the type of health care most of us grew up with, and it’s what I was
trained to practice. This type of medicine excels at treating symptoms of disease, especially
infectious disease, as well as injuries that result from accidents and conditions that require
surgery.
The second kind of medicine has a number of names: complementary, alternative,
functional, holistic. These differ from each other in that some substitute older traditional
forms of healing from other cultures, such Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine, while the
complementary medicine I am partial to incorporates natural forms of healing and
treatments, such as nutrition and acupuncture, within an orthodox framework. But they all
strive to prevent disease from arising in the first place and to get at the root cause of
chronic conditions rather than just treating outward symptoms.
It is for good reason that conventional Western medicine became so powerful in the
twentieth century, because as discussed in the last chapter, for many years the greatest
killers all over the world were infectious diseases like pneumonia, smallpox, typhoid fever,
rheumatic fever, polio, influenza, and diphtheria. With the discovery of vaccines, sulfa
drugs, and especially antibiotics in the early part of the last century, many illnesses that
had wiped out entire populations and decimated families were conquered. This conveyed
huge respect and power upon modern medicine and the seemingly simple but powerful
pills, potions, and injections it prescribed.
The Program
Believe me, there is a better way that will not only potentially eliminate your GERD and
reduce frequency of acid reflux, but will also appreciably improve your overall health. What
has worked for my patients—and for me personally—is a combination therapy approach
that I call the Acid Reflux Solution.
The program has three parts:
- Modifying Your Lifestyle: Easy changes to a variety of physical activities and dietary
habits quickly reduce the frequency of heartburn symptoms naturally in just a few days.
We list a dozen to begin with. After you’ve mastered these changes, it’s time to begin the
heavy lifting.
- Eating to Avoid Reflux: Enjoying appropriate portions of the right foods is the
foundation of an anti-reflux diet. Very little saturated fat, lots of fiber, and serving sizes
that do not stretch the stomach are three of our guiding principles. We also avoid
ingredients that irritate and those that trigger reflux in the majority of people.
A wonderful side effect of our food choices and serving sizes is weight reduction, which
will happen without you even noticing it. Since obesity is the number one preventable
cause of GERD, this is a huge benefit.
- Reducing Your Medication: Our step-down approach to medication includes reducing
dosage and frequency slowly. This is determined on a case-by-case basis and may not be
appropriate for everyone. Managing medications requires not only mastering the
information in this book but also putting individualized planning in place for your
particular situation.
A consultation with your physician is essential. Depending upon the
primary reason for your GERD, he or she will advise you about how best to reduce
antacid medication. People who have GERD with no inflammation or scarring may
begin the Acid Reflux Solution immediately.
Those with chronic esophagitis, Barrett’s esophagus, or a hiatal hernia must work hand in hand with their doctor to make sure symptoms are properly controlled and the disease does not progress. But to avoid the damaging consequences of long-term use of PPIs, a gradual decrease in medication, which must be individualized, should be put in place. If you suffer from Barrett’s esophagus or chronic esophagitis, I want you to take this book to your own doctor and tell her or him your plan.