Ask Larry:

Your Question: I have had really bad acid reflux for 1 1/2 years now. I have a sore throat that almost never goes away and on and off heart burn (not as frequent). I have tried MANY alternative things (reiki, reflexology, chiropractic, macrobiotic, enzymes, probiotics, meditation, hypnosis), tried MANY dietary changes, seen 2 different digestive specialists who work with enzymes and herbs and saw a gastro doctor. Of course, the gastro doctor prescribed drugs (after an upper endoscopy a year ago that showed just a little wear on my esophagus – no hernia, h pylori, etc.).
The gastro doctor says the valve between my esophagus and stomach doesn’t work right and I will need to be on drugs for life. I tried 5 different drugs (which I don’t really want to do because of all the side effects) and NONE of them helped.

Any suggestions? I know there’s a surgical procedure to fix this valve, but it does not have a good success rate, and I’d prefer to avoid surgery if possible. I forgot to mention that I also tried HCl/betaine supplements with every meal. I saw in your archives info about this as a solution, but so far it hasn’t worked for me. I’ve tried a couple different brands and quantities, etc.

Larry’s Response: Acid reflux, after all, isn’t a disease, but a constellation of symptoms that are probably caused by something. Rather than accepting the FACT that you HAVE something, consider what might be CAUSING your symptoms.

Without more details I can be fairly certain that something you put into your body is causing issues – and then stress/anxiety can be making it worse. There are two things we all consume almost every day – sugars and wheat products, both of which can CAUSE inflammation. This means that it is likely you can relieve your symptoms by halting what causes them – basically curing yourself.

This is a SIMPLE process. Note that I do not say EASY. Simply stop consuming anything that contains sugar (especially high fructose corn syrup) and wheat (especially processed food; bread, crackers, deserts, and the list is almost endless).

Drink clean water. No, tap water isn’t clean, regardless of what the water treatment people claim. Heck, they ADD chemicals to our water and claim all is well. I use a reverse osmosis unit to clean all of the water I drink. I also have a chlorine filter on my shower head.

Finally, put good bacteria back into your system. Start by taking 40 billion units twice daily on an empty stomach. As you began feeling better cut back and then plan to take one 20 billion unit capsule every day for the rest of your life.

  • No drugs.
  • No surgery.
  • Just good food, clean water, and probiotics.

To make everything better, exercise 3 to 4 times a week.