Heartburn... Not sure if right thread?

[Rach_Doug]

Evening all, new to ME.. Only a couple of months into diagnosis so symptoms are still all over the place. Short and sweet... Does anyone get heartburn really bad?

Ive only ever suffered during my pregnancies but its so extreme lately that I've done 3 tests in the last 10 weeks!

It just won't go away!

 

[Plum]

Yes. Mine was due to food allergies and a gut condition.

 

[raghav]

Could be due to a sluggish intestine (Intestinal hypomitility). Better consult a gastroeneterologist.

 

[Timaca]

I'm sorry......I can relate. I'm thin and don't eat any trigger food for heartburn (check out what those are....easy to find online)...and several years I developed heartburn also. It was almost constant, and was even there when I woke up in the morning!! I had an endoscopy done and it was obvious that there was some irritation to my esophagus. What has helped me a lot was various probiotics. I still have heartburn from time to time, but it is more of a background thing now rather than in my face (or in my throat as the case truly was). I'd like for it to be totally solved...and it isn't yet, but most days I rarely think about it, so that is a gift.

 

[Judee]

DGL helps me and my mom when we are bringing up acid. It has to mix with the saliva for some reason so we buy powder but chewables are also available.

I agree with @Plum though. The best relief has come in discovering and avoiding foods/substances that trigger it, like tomatoes and spicy foods or Tylenol (even that) or any other pain relievers.

Hope you get some help with this soon. It can be frustrating as well as irritating to the lungs if you aspirate it.

*If you are pregnant or nursing, you might want to avoid the DGL.

**Also if you have high blood pressure, if/when you can use it, make sure only to use this form. Regular licorice can cause high blood pressure.

 

[PatJ]

Heartburn can be caused by low stomach acid as well. Low stomach acid is common in people with ME/CFS. I've had to take betaine HCL with pepsin for many years because my stomach produces barely any acid.

This article contains details, symptoms of low stomach acid, and some remedies.

From the article:

Heartburn, a burning sensation in the chest caused by the regurgitation of bile through the stomach into the lower esophagus, is a frequent symptom of low gastric acid. The traditional approach of treating heartburn is to suppress gastric acid by taking antacids or alkalizers. This approach is the opposite of what should often be done, and in many cases only worsens the problem by suppressing gastric acidity when it is needed and promoting it (rebound phenomenon) when it is unnecessary.

Jonathan Wright, MD, states, “In 24 years of nutritionally oriented practice, I’ve worked with thousands of individuals who’ve found the cause of their heartburn and indigestion to be low stomach acidity. In nearly all of these folks, symptoms have been relieved and digestion improved when they’ve taken supplemental hydrochloric acid and pepsin capsules. (Certainly it would be preferable that our stomach production of hydrochloric acid and pepsin be restored on its own, but a reliable way to do this hasn’t been found.)”
...

Healthy digestion and absorption of nutrients is dependent upon the secretion of gastric acid. When gastric secretions are reduced the result can lead to nutritional deficiencies and a variety of chronic disorders. Low secretion of gastric acid can also allow orally-ingested pathogens to prevail and contribute to their overgrowth in the stomach and small intestine. HCl supplementation is a safe and effective means of restoring normal gastric levels, particularly in cases where age or chronic conditions indicate that nutrients, particularly B vitamins and minerals, are not being properly utilized.

And this article details a few more things you can do about low stomach acid (if that's the cause in your case).