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DISORDERS
(Their description, characteristics or symptoms,
causes, and complementary or alternative treatments)
Disorder: HEARTBURN
Description: Heartburn often occurs when hydrochloric acid, which is used by the stomach to digest food, backs up into the esophagus, causing sensitive tissues to become irritated.
Symptoms: Heartburn causes a burning sensation in the stomach and/or chest.
Incidence:
Causes: People with hiatal hernia often experience heartburn. It can also be caused by excessive consumption of spicy foods, fatty or fried foods, alcohol, coffee, citrus fruits chocolate, or tomato-based foods. Other possible contributing factors include ulcers, gallbladder problems, stress, allergies and enzyme deficiencies.
Treatments: Dietary changes and changes in heating habits can provide relief.
Nutrients:
Supplement Dosage Comments
|
Aloe vera |
|
See under Herbs, below |
|
Papaya tablets |
As directed on label. |
To relieve symptoms. |
|
Vitamin B complex plus Extra Vitamin B12 |
50 mg. 3 times daily, with meals. 200 mcg. 3 times daily. |
Needed for proper digestion. Use a lozenge or sublingual form. |
Herbs:
 | Aloe vera juice aids healing of the intestinal tract. |
| Catnip, fennel, ginger, marshmallow root, and papaya tea all aid in proper digestion and act as a buffer to stop heartburn. |
Recommendations:
| Eat more raw vegetables. |
| Eat slowly and chew your food well. |
| Drinking a large glass of water at the first sign of heartburn often helps. |
| Sip 1 tablespoon of raw apple cider vinegar, mixed with a glass of water, with meals. Do not drink any other liquids with meals. |
| Eat fresh papaya and/or pineapple to aid digestion. |
| Do not eat for three hours before bedtime. Wait at least three hours after eating before lying down. |
| Eliminate carbonated beverages, fats, fried foods, processed foods, sugar, spicy foods and highly seasoned foods from your diet. These seem to be the main cause of heartburn. |
| Avoid stress as much as possible. |
Considerations:
| The early symptoms of angina and heart attack sometimes mimic those of heartburn, indigestion, or "acid stomach." If symptoms persist, or if the pain travels into the left arm, or if the sensation is accompanied by a feeling of weakness, dizziness, or shortness of breath, seek emergency medical help immediately. |
| People with certain illnesses, such as cancer, often have excessive amounts of acid in their systems. |
| Consuming too much processed and cooked food can create an acidic environment in the body. |
| Aspirin and ibuprofen can cause heartburn. |
| Estrogens can weaken the esophageal hiatus muscle, which keeps stomach acids in the stomach. Women who are pregnant and women who take birth control pills that contain estrogen and progesterone are therefore more likely to suffer from heartburn. |
| Lying on your left side can help relieve heartburn. Lying on the left side keeps the stomach below the esophagus and helps to keep it acid-free. |
| There are many over-the-counter antacids that provide relief from symptoms. However, they may mask an underlying problem. In addition, many contain excessive amounts of sodium, aluminum, calcium and magnesium. Prolonged use of these products can cause mineral imbalances; excessive sodium can aggravate hypertension; and excess aluminum has been implicated in Alzheimer’s disease. Some of the most popular products they are found in are: |
-Aluminum salts or gels: AlternaGEL, Amphojel
-Aluminum-magnesium mixtures: Gaviscon, Gelusil, Maalox, Mylanta, Riopan
-Calcium-carbonate: Alka-Mints, Chooz, Tums
-Calcium-magnesium mixtures: Rolaids
-Magnesium salts or gels: Phillips Milk of Magnesia
-Sodium bicarbonate: Alka-Seltzer, Bromo Seltzer, Citro-carbonate
| Calcium carbonate works as an antacid and contains no aluminum. |
| Drugs that suppress the production of stomach acid are sometimes recommended for people who suffer from frequent heartburn. These include cimetidine (Tagamet), famotidin (Popcid) and ranitidine (Zantac). |
| People with certain illnesses, such as cancer, often have excessive amounts of acid in their systems. |
Vitamin For Life Recommended Regimen and cost:
|
Product No |
Description |
Comments |
Cost |
|
253-15 |
Aloe vera 25 mg. extract tablets |
As directed on label |
$7.50/100 |
|
113-15 |
Papaya Enzyme Chewable Tablets |
As directed on label. |
$3.95/100 |
|
891-15 |
B complex 50 mg. tabs. |
1 tablet 3 times daily. |
$6.95/100 |
Sources:
Prescription for Nutritional Healing, 2nd Edition
By James F. Balch, M.D. & Phyllis A. Balch, C.N.C.
