No More Heartburn

Just in time for the holidays and overindulgence comes helpful information from a book by Sherry A. Rogers, MD that is all about one of our favorite topics.

Title: No More Heartburn – Stop the Pain in 30 days – Naturally
Subtitle: The Safe, Effective way to prevent and heal chronic gastrointestinal disorders
© 2000 Kensington Publishers

I’m going to be posting relevant clips separately and segmentally from this book since this topic is so very important to afibbers who find GERD and related symptoms to be so influential in the initiation of AF. This first is on my favorite remedy for stomach irritation or heartburn and even GERD. It brings relief fast and is also healing.

DGL (deglycyrrhizinated licorice)

I’m quoting directly from the book (pp 95 –96). She references statements with just the name of the key researcher in parentheses.

“If you never used DGL for stomach disorders, you’ve missed out on a centuries-old, non-prescription, nontoxic therapy proven to heal ulcers and gastritis. To begin with, DGL has cut the rate of gastritis caused by aspirin in half (Dehpour). So why don’t rheumatologists recommend it for patients for whom they prescribe a lifetime of gastritis-causing NSAIDS? NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like Motrin, Advil and Aleve) are a major cause of gastritis Instead they prescribe additional drugs like H2-blockers (Tagamet, Zantac), Prilosec, Cytotec or Sucralfate that can be as much as eight times more expensive, cause side effects and are guaranteed to eventually damage your health.

On the other hand, since DGL speeds healing and has a long history of doing so, it should be an essential part of all drug programs for the stomach. For over 35 years, major medical journals have published researching proving its effectiveness to be superior, even to the currently prescribed stomach medications (Doll, Lewis, Horwich, Morgan, Kassir, Turpie). For example, fewer patients experience relapse or recurrence of ulcers when on DGL compared to Tagamet or antacids (Kassir) or Xantac (Glick). Ron reason DGL can outperform prescription drugs is that it makes stomach cells produce more of their protective and healing mucus (Baker, Tarnawski, VanMarle) – a feat no medication can match.

DGL also improves the immunity of the stomach cells through enhancing the production of secretin (Takeuchi), which no medication can match as well. This effect is so powerful that it enhances the killing of the virus that causes cold sores or aphthous ulcers (Das), protects liver cells from dying from hepatitis (Yoshikawa), and inhibits other virus growth (Pompei) even HIV, the AIDS virus (Ito). If that were not superlative potency with protection and no bad side effects rolled intone, it has many other uses, from stopping cholesterol from forming inside arteries (Fuhrman) to being an anti-arthritis aid (Tangri).

DGL does the opposite of drugs. Rather than turn off normal function, it promotes it. Increasing the production of healing mucus and revving up the immune system of stomach cells is only part of its benefits. Because of its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, DGL stimulates many avenues simultaneously that promote resistance to damage and speed up healing if damage has occurred.

The rate of recurrence of ulcers within a year now stands at 80 percent. This should not surprise you—medicine rarely searches for the underlying correctable cause. But because DGL is healing in multiple ways, it has only one-third the recurrence rate of standard prescribed drugs (Morgan). With the knowledge that you are gaining here, you should be able to reduce that number to zero.

My favorite source is Rhizinate (380 mg. of 4:1 deglycyrrizinated licorice root extract and 50 mg. Glycine). It comes with or without fructose as a sweetner (PhytoPharmica). Two tablets should be thoroughly chewed twenty minutes before meals. Use for two to four months.

Because DGL also promotes the release of salivary compounds that stimulate growth and regeneration of stomach and intestinal cells (Bardhan 1978, Multicentre Trial 1973), it is most effective when mixed with saliva.”

End of direct quote.

I found out about DGL years ago through Michael Murray, ND and have used when needed, Enzymatic Therapy DGL and Natural Factors DGL. Both were formulated by Michael Murray, ND.

I suggest using the formula without the fructose as the natural sugar alcohol sweetener, Mannitol and the Dextrose taste just fine. Read the ingredient labels before you purchase.

Just remember it is not just any form of licorice. It has to be the DGL form because this one does not elevate blood pressure.

Here’s more on the topic from Dr. Murray
[www.doctormurray.com]


Hans’ iHerb carries both Enzymatic Therapy and Natural Factors DGL but you have to type in the brand name along with DGL for some reason as it doesn’t automatically list all brands on one page…at least it didn’t for me.

Jackie

Jackie,

I certainly agree with you that DGL may be helpful for many people with heartburn. However, even more helpful may be supplementing with betaine hydrochloride with each meal. Far more elderly people are short of stomach acid than have an excess and it is very difficult to distinguish the pain arising from too little stomach acid from that arising from too much. For those that suffer from heartburn trying a couple of capsules of betaine HCl with each meal may turn out to be a very worthwhile experiment.

Hans

Hans - that will be in one of the other clips I intend to post - that and some other tips on digestive wellness. I didn't want to include too much to cloud the issue.

I agree totally about betaine HCl and have used it religiously myself for years.

Most of the digestive experts feel it is a lack of stomach acid and not too much that causes problems, but if there is any irritation or tendency toward ulcers, the DGL tends to accomplish both - by helping to heal the irritation and help the cells secrete more of their own stomach acid.

Thanks.

Jackie

I used to take vit. C from my holistic doc. in powdered form which was buffered, I seemed to to get a lot of acid reflux. My doctor thought that I needed the vit. C and that this was a good way to get it.

I ran out of the Vit. C for a while and noticed that I no longer got all the burping and fullness in my chest, (which sometimes would trigger afib), I stopped taking vit. C and no longer have a problem with burping etc., and no more acid reflux.

Perhaps there are other people that cannot take Vit. C in large quantities and don't associate vit. c with their acid reflux, just a thought.

Liz

Liz

I had real problems with indigestion and heart burn combined when I took Vitamin C slow release with Zinc. Since taking plain old Vitamin C I haven't had a problem.

Check to see what "extras" are in there with the Vitamin C to enhance uptake?

Kate

Thanks for that information, Jackie.
I used to suck on little pieces of pure licorice root extract (no sugar added - Organic Botanicals Pty Ltd, Australia) because I'd been told it was good for you and I found it helpful for dry mouth but when LAF became part of my life, I found it triggered a full blown episode almost immediately - even those cough lollies, "Fisherman's Friends" used to set me off!
After reading about that deglycyrrizinated licorice, I'm encouraged to give it another go, although I have almost no GERD symptoms thanks to the (kefir) probiotic I take daily. I just love the taste of liquorice!
best wishes,
Emmie

Hi Jackie,

Great post. Can you elaborate on how it helps with GERD?

Thanks,

Dennis

Yes - I'll be posting some segments that will cover many of the settings where heartburn and reflux are the result of poor digestion and even posture or diaphragm issues.

Just keep watching - I'll use the same title. Can't promise when the next part will be out but I am working on some outlines right now.

Stay tuned.

Jackie

The key for me is keeping carbohydrate intake low, to limit gas produced by carbohydrate fermentation.

Warner - have you been tested to rule out Candida albicans overgrowth?

That's typically why carb intake creates gas - the feeding of the Candida will produce gas.

Jackie

Good question Jackie... I only recently became aware of this possibility and need to research the topic.

I had been on Prilosec for several years and finally got serious about getting off it in the last few months, committing myself to doing whatever was necessary. I've also been watching carbs for many years due to a prediabetic condition. So I'm in a good position (monitoring carb intake and watching blood sugar) to see that its the carbs that give me a problem. I'm also aware of research showing that fermentation of carbs in the upper small intestine can produce quite a bit of gas (that then goes up rather than down).

I'd be happy to find that Candida was the problem (i.e., something that I could treat more directly), and will let you know what I find out...

Warner - I'll be posting a segment on the downside of using acid blockers like Prilosec - quotes from the book No More Heartburn...

The Candida test is the Comprehensive Stool Analysis from Genova Diagnostics.

Hi Jackie - Am looking forward to your posts. It's been a couple of months since getting off Prilosec, and I'm still not as comfortable with digestion issues as I'd like to be, so am still poking around looking for tips.

One of the things that had stopped me from getting off Prilosec was that each time I tried to lower the dose, I'd have problems with acid reflux by about day 3. But this time, I just toughed it out, and by 2 weeks or so my body had adjusted (i.e., it took about 2 weeks to get over being addicted to the stuff). Anyway, for anyone with a similar "addiction", I thought that might be helpful for them to have some idea of the time it could take them to get over use of something like Prilosec...

Supplementing with betaine hydrochloride with each meal for Gerd /acid reflux is exactly what my alternative M.D. told me to do last week.

He just returned from a conference during which the matter of not enough stomach acid causing heartburn and Gerd were discussed. He said that it is now thought that not enough stomach acid causes the valve between the stomach and esophagus to stay open or not function properly. Gerd/reflux and not producing enough stomach acid are found increasingly in the elderly, leading scientists to believe that the two are connected and that the valve is effected by decreased acid production.

Hi Carol - glad he's getting on the band wagon. This has been preached for probably 20 years or more but no one listens because Rx drugs are so popular with the advent of advertising on TV.

Jackie

Jackie,

Would the DGL listed below be of any use? I was a bit wary firstly because they aren't in a chewable form and I know that saliva helps the process and secondly I was concerned when looking at the ingredients that it contains standard liqurice aswell.

[www.solgar-vitamins.co.uk]