Reflux but not acidic

2012

2012

Messages
23
Hi,

I have had ongoing digestive/gut issues my whole life which were made worse by taking too many supplements, which then caused more gut issues and stomach acid problems. I have been off most supplements for quite a long time now however lately I have been having regular reflux throughout the day but without acid or burning sensation.

I'm thinking maybe this could be due to very low stomach acid however I'm not sure. I have recently tried having lemon or ACV water atleast 1/2 hour or longer before a meal. I have previously taken Betaine HCL and Enzymes but they didn't seem to do anything. I tried taking them again recently but still got the reflux (non-acidic).

I don't drink anything with or after meals. It seems to be happening more and more often sometimes after eating or drinking, or sometimes for no apparent reason. My digestion continues to be a huge mess and I don't seem to digest any foods.

Any help or suggestions welcome. I'm sure others on here have had non-acidic reflux - hopefully you can chime in and give some help on what to do or what may be causing it.

Thanks
 
amaru7

amaru7

Senior Member
Messages
252
It probably is low stomach acid as you said.
How much betaine hcl did you take? As 1-2 capsules would do nothing
 
2012

2012

Messages
23
amaru7 said:
It probably is low stomach acid as you said.
How much betaine hcl did you take? As 1-2 capsules would do nothing
Click to expand...

Only 1 x Betaine HCL (520mg) + Pepsin capsule, plus Digestive Enzymes.

How much Betaine HCL do you suggest?

I wonder what has actually caused it to occur at the moment.
It actually seems to be worse since trying the Betaine HCL again, however can't be certain.
 
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R

roonie

Messages
89
most people that are older have low acid but if your immune system is fighting all the time, you may have the opposite. Why dont you try not eating for a while and see if things settle. I sometimes wake up and dont eat for a couple days when my issues get real bad and i have severe pain. When i stop eating for a couple days things get better and much more tollerable....but ...i believe i am one of the people that have an infection/s that my immune system is constantly fighting so i have too much acid one time and it seems, not enough at other times. This is what happens when these issues go on for a substantial legth of time ...IMO. The fight that started, with severe acid pumping , has now created spaces, if you will, where the acid pumps when the fight starts fighting and probably low acid when the resting period or recoup period/saving up for the next fight begins. That is why i believe the when a person gets in too deep with this , whatever this is, its so very hard to reverse. i do know that when i fast it seems to sort things out and seems to get me back to a new starting point...if that makes any sense. Sorry if it does not.
 
Martial

Martial

Senior Member
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1,409
Location
Ventura, CA
It could possibly be eosphogas spasms too, this an cause regurgitation of food without acid, also chest pains, and other things.. It commonly happens when the lining of the eosphagas is irritated by supplements getting stuck, or highly acidic things.
 
2012

2012

Messages
23
roonie said:
most people that are older have low acid but if your immune system is fighting all the time, you may have the opposite. Why dont you try not eating for a while and see if things settle. I sometimes wake up and dont eat for a couple days when my issues get real bad and i have severe pain. When i stop eating for a couple days things get better and much more tollerable....but ...i believe i am one of the people that have an infection/s that my immune system is constantly fighting so i have too much acid one time and it seems, not enough at other times. This is what happens when these issues go on for a substantial legth of time ...IMO. The fight that started, with severe acid pumping , has now created spaces, if you will, where the acid pumps when the fight starts fighting and probably low acid when the resting period or recoup period/saving up for the next fight begins. That is why i believe the when a person gets in too deep with this , whatever this is, its so very hard to reverse. i do know that when i fast it seems to sort things out and seems to get me back to a new starting point...if that makes any sense. Sorry if it does not.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the replies. Interesting you notice that it sometimes seems to be too much and other times not enough. It seems for me that food sometimes shoots through my stomach and other times sits in my stomach for a very long time but no real reason why it should do this (such as the type of food I ate). I have no proof that this is actually happening but this is what it feels like is happening. However with a lot of my health it seems I go from one extreme to the other so this seems plausible. I am certainly "in deep" and struggle to reverse any of the problems while making problems worse in the process.
I too am fighting gut infection both chronic as well as new infection recently. Maybe I have yet another new infection on top of this which is causing the reflux.

However you said not eating for a while is helpful. There is absolutely no way I can not eat. I am eating less and less and meals are becoming further apart but that in it self is creating a whole new set of problems. In the early hours of morning I often have an acidic / upset gut which probably correlates with poor digestion from previous night - however it is usually food which partially settles this in the morning.

Are there any easy and non-invasive ways to measure stomach acid production over time without actually disturbing digestion?

I am keen to keep hearing other peoples thoughts, experience and help.
Thanks.
 
Lotus97

Lotus97

Senior Member
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2,041
Location
United States
Martial said:
It could possibly be eosphogas spasms too, this an cause regurgitation of food without acid, also chest pains, and other things.. It commonly happens when the lining of the eosphagas is irritated by supplements getting stuck, or highly acidic things.
Click to expand...
(Note: My post isn't directed specifically towards the person I'm quoting so if anyone else has something helpful to add I'd appreciate. I'm just quoting for context)
That sounds like what's been going on with me. I have a pressure in the back of my throat like something is stuck there. If it gets worse it's more of a generalized feeling that's extremely uncomfortable.

I've found that sour things, garlic/onions, and swallowing capsules sets it off. I've found that chewing fennel seeds helps, but I'd like to do more. I had the same symptoms a few years ago and I had to go off SSRIs because I found those were contributing to the problem.

Is this from esophageal spasms? Are there other possible causes? Someone in another thread mentioned something with the hiatal muscle (hiatal hernia?) What treatments are there? I've been taking DGL for the past week or two and I was also thinking about getting aloe vera juice, slippery elm, and digestive bitters, but I don't know if this is the right way to go or if there's something else that would work better.

The doctor I'm seeing though candida might be part of the issue. I started Nystatin because I'm going to be taking antibiotics soon. I know some antibiotics can also cause reflux issues.
 
D

daisybell

Senior Member
Messages
1,613
Location
New Zealand
Have you seen a gastroenterologist? It sounds like your gut peristalsis is not working properly - at times going too fast and at others too slow. It's all controlled by your autonomic nervous system....
 
D

daisybell

Senior Member
Messages
1,613
Location
New Zealand
roonie said:
and if it was a peristalsis problem what could be done about it daisybell
Click to expand...
A gastroenterologist would be able to tell you that I hope... There are meds that speed up eristalsis but I don't know about slowing it, or of regulating it better... You definitely need a doctor's opinion.
 
manna

manna

Senior Member
Messages
392
The "Hay food combining diet" is reportedly good for indigestion/reflux. I do it and it makes a difference for me. everything you eat, if its poorly digested, just becomes a toxic burden and most likely absorbed into the system by leaky gut vicious cycle, gotta eat, eating makes you worse.
 
manna

manna

Senior Member
Messages
392
@roonie lol, i was thinking as i was typing whether i should. briefly, no concentrated starches; potatoes, rice, sweet potatoes, parsnips etc, to be eaten with concentrated proteins; meat, cheese, eggs etc, because they require different types of digestion that function poorly together. The starch ferments more than it would, creating acids, if it had been eaten alone. You will have to google to get the full list and i don't know a site though they're generally identical lists with starch foods, neutral (goes with both starch and protein) and protein foods. In my, and other peoples, experience it does help. Reflux is the main thing its reported to aid although im not sure about non-acidfic reflux. The Hay Diet has a long history of use. Some folk would say that it has to be organic too.

heres a basic list though you need a more comprehensive one. They have a forum which I might join. I was fortunate to have the a book on it pre-illness so have always done it (since getting ill).

http://www.haydiet.co.uk/Protein_vs_carbohydrate.html
 
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