http://livinlavidalocarb.blogspot.com/2007/01/low-carb-diet-cures-severe-case-of-gerd.htmlWednesday, January 17, 2007
Low-Carb Diet Cures Severe Case Of GERD
Nothing proves the health benefits of livin' la vida low-carb better than real people sharing their own experiences following this amazing lifestyle change. That's exactly what I found in this Spokesman-Review Q&A health column featuring syndicated health columnists Joe and Teresa Graedon.Interestingly, I've featured the Graedon's before at my blog when another one of their readers told them how the low-carb lifestyle not only helped control his weight and blood sugar, but completely eliminated his heartburn.This latest letter featured someone who used to suffer from gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD. He said the condition was so bad that it forced him to take Prilosec every single day."Even so, I had severe heartburn, and often food got lodged in my esophagus, even after it was surgically stretched," he wrote. "I had a few other minor health problems, and I was a bit overweight, so I was ready to make some changes in hope of improving my life."So, on the advice of a friend, this person started livin' la vida low-carb with very little hope it would make a difference. Boy, was he surprised!"After three days, I realized that I had no heartburn, so I discontinued the Prilosec without ill effects," he exclaimed. "I'd tried to quit the drug before, but the heartburn had gotten worse after stopping it."Even better was the fact that the problems swallowing also improved enough that he didn't have to worry about choking anymore."After years of suffering, my life was normal once again," the proud reader stated. "It has now been a year, and I have lost 45 pounds. I'm still fine."And you'll keep being fine, too, as long as you keep on livin' la vida low-carb. While this way of eating is generally thought of almost exclusively as a weight loss tool only, many people start eating this way for health reasons, not the least of which is improving severe cases of GERD like this man experienced.While he recommends people try a "temporary low-carb diet," why wouldn't you want to keep on eating this way over the long-term to completely eradicate not just the GERD, but also dealing with obesity, the potential onset of diabetes and insulin resistance, and too many other benefits to mention here? I mean DUH!!!The Graedon's concurred."Thanks for sharing your story," they wrote in response to this letter. "In one study, people on a carbohydrate-restricted diet had significantly less heartburn."They are of course referring to this study published in the August 2006 issue of the medical journal Digestive Diseases and Sciences which incidentally featured someone I have interviewed previously at my blog--Duke University low-carb researcher Dr. Eric Westman.Also, don't forget about this study regarding the impact of a high-carb diet on the development of esophageal cancer. You will recall the researchers in that study found that eating a carb-heavy diet leads to obesity which can then lead to a predisposition to the development of GERD, which then increases the chance of the onset of Barrett's esophagus which is the very last step before the full-blown development of lower-esophageal adenocarcinoma or cancer of the esophagus. Yikes!If you suffer from heartburn, indigestion, or GERD, then why not start livin' la vida low-carb to relieve your pain? I can't understand why somebody would prefer to keep popping tons of Prilosec day after day when a simple and pleasurable change in diet will do the trick. All I have to say is WHATEVER!The Graedon's have an excellent resource with natural ways to treat your stomach acid issues in a pamphlet they developed called the "Guide to Digestive Disorders" available for $2. Send them a check or money order for the pamphlet as well as a self-addressed No. 10 long envelope with 63 cents in stamps on it to the following address:Graedons' People's Pharmacy No. G-3, P.O. Box 52027Durham, NC 27717-2027. Or, if you want it quickly, you can also download it for $2 by clicking here. It's time to stop the burn and the nagging pain without the use of drugs. The suffering can be over in just a matter of days thanks to low-carb living!Do you have a question for the Graedon's about treating your health ailment? Send it to them using this contact form and let them know Jimmy Moore from the "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" blog sent you there. :D
Labels: acid, diet, digestive, disease, esophageal, GERD, Graedon, heartburn, low-carb, Prilosec, reflux
posted by Jimmy Moore at 1/17/2007 10:06:00 PM
3 Comments:
Alison Pegg said...
I had exactly the same experience with heartburn, which started to become a problem in my early fifties. Quite by chance, I read something which suggested the problem could be caused by wheat allergy. There was no harm in trying so I did and my symptoms - bad heartburn that was pretty well continuous - simply disappeared. I definitely recommend anyone with the same problem to give up wheat.
1/18/2007 5:44
Teapotsgalore said...
This is SO true! No one had alerted me to this wonderful side effect of low-carbing when I started on this WOE 2+ years ago, but as the weight started to melt off, I also realized I was no longer having any heartburn problems in the evening. And in fact, I haven't had heartburn in 2+ years -- I love that!!!
1/18/2007 3:39 PM
Gary said...
Doctors love to push Prilosec. It's an easy fix, except it's not always a fix to the real problem
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