For GERD afibbers – teaspoon of baking soda daily?

For those afibbers who battle GERD and who think their stomach problems are behind their afib (and there are a lot of us) should read this.

According to this scientific study having a teaspoon of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) in water daily reduces inflammation by affecting the spleen and stimulates the stomach to produce acid.

Easier way than taking PPI medication? What effect would it have on afib? Interesting.


[www.sci-news.com]

Dean

Thanks for that interesting link, Dean!
Wonder if potassium bi-carb has the same effect? Reason for asking is that i drink distilled water with added potassium bi-carb, a little salt and Mg to make the water slightly alkaline.

Thanks, Dean - good reminder about the importance of keeping all tissues slightly alkaline. That's why the WW works so well and is also easy and the magnesium bicarbonate is known to have health benefits. The list of ailments that result from an acidic tissue pH is very long and it just makes sense to avoid the acidity. Certainly, PPIs have detrimental effects and that's also well-documented.

The sodium intake from baking soda, though, can be a concern when it unbalances the appropriate potassium ratios... so it's good to be mindful of the literature on this topic. Here's one report:
[www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]

Cardiac Effects
Metabolic alkalosis can cause a decrease in myocardial contractility due to a blunted response to epinephrine [27]. Also, electrolyte disturbances such as hypokalemia and hypocalcemia can cause QT interval prolongation and ventricular arrhythmias, with hypokalemia-induced ventricular tachycardia reported in patients with baking soda intoxication [3, 12].

Jackie

This reminded me of an experience I went through about ten years ago. I had contracted salmonella from my mother. I was very sick for several months and towards the end of my sickness I went through this stage of a few days where I had horrific acid production and was gagging and throwing up stomach acid. I have been on PPI's for 25 years or so because I was diagnosed with hiatal hernia and bad lower esophagus valve so I was surprised that I was having this crazy acid production.

So the acid problem subsides and i get better and low and behold, I'm not getting afib anymore. At that time, I was getting afib a couple of times a week for a few hours each time. After the acid attack, I went roughly 2 years with no afib attacks. My theory is that with all of the gagging and puking that I may have moved my stomach a bit or somehow moved the vagus nerve away from something that was agravating it.

The afib returned of course and its just gotten worse. So out of desperation a year or so ago, I stopped taking my PPI's to see if I could repeat the success. I ended up with rediculous heartburn, threw up stomach acid etc..for a day or so (pretty much like the last time when I was sick).
But the success did not repeat. I still ended up going into my regular cycle of afib every 2 days or so.

I often wonder what I did the first time to have it stop for 2 years.
The baking soda may be something to look into. I'ld pretty much try anything at this point.

I suffered a lot from GERD for quite a long time mostly during the night. I then started taking a little over half a teaspoon of baking soda at bedtime and haven't been bothered with it since.
For me the salt content isn't a problem as I don't eat out, get takeaways or add salt to any foods so I actually have to add salt (coarse sea salt) to two of the glasses of water I drink each day to keep by sodium levels just inside the recommended levels.