I posted a week ago about nausea/burping and well its progressed to what i think is GERD - going to dr. tonight.

chest is sore and throat is sore and ulcerated...pain under breastbone .

the crazy part is i have been eating 75% raw and doing wheat grass every day plus aloe vera and can't believe my esophagus/throat tissue has been damaged --and last week it wasn't.

Do any of you know what i should eat to cure this? Anyone had this before?

Thanks so much

Try the other approach - what do you need to stop doing that will bring some relief.

don't know if your doc would recommend or not...

how about a juice cleanse or water fast?

maybe your digestive system is needing a rest

your body is perhaps either detoxing or trying to tell you somethin' or both ;-)

Yup, have the exact same thing. Even after a 3 cleanses and 3+ months of 90% raw my GERD didn't go away.

I was pretty sure it was a hiatal hernia, but it turns out it's not exactly that. I just had an endoscopy yesterday. I have some "irregularities in the z -line" whatever that means, but the doc gave me meds for GERD becuase my esophagus has been getting worn away and needs to heal. in 3 weeks or so we will get results from the lab for the tissue samples.

So this might be one of those things you have to suck it up and go see the doctor about before it gets worse. Diet can't fix everything.

have you tried fasting yet? because I am guessing you only get the GERD when you eat. Probably when you eat greens, or low acid fruit like bananas or avocados.

Just as a note, I had GERD even when I was fasting believe it or not. Not reflux per se but I was still feeling pain in the upper part of my chest.

It's been really disappointing for me. Whenever I see these commercials for all these acid reflux pills I just assume it's because people are eating crap.

-DaveK

Itzdavey Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Just as a note, I had GERD even when I was fasting
> believe it or not. Not reflux per se but I was
> still feeling pain in the upper part of my chest.
>
> It's been really disappointing for me. Whenever I
> see these commercials for all these acid reflux
> pills I just assume it's because people are eating
> crap.
>
> -DaveK

Yeah - i think its worse when fasting because the acid has no food to work on, so works on your stomach instaed.

I was also suprised as I always thought acid reflux was for people who smoked and ate fatty and sugary foods. I've eaten 100% organic for years. And though not 100% raw have always eaten a lot of raw and my cooked foods were things like steamed vegetables, millet etc.

In my case, and maybe in yours, it seems to be a genetic thing. Both my parents have it.

I have recently started writing in the Raw Diary - Personal Experiences Forum under the heading: "Adventures in the Raw Food World," but realized that people who have GERD symptoms might only look for information here. So I decided to duplicate some of what I wrote in my diary entry here. These are some of my learnings so far:


1) I keep oil/fats intake very low. During my first three months raw I realized that eating lots of nuts gave me indigestion. Since I love nuts, it took a while for me to admit to myself that I needed to stop eating them altogether – or at least until they no longer give me reflux symptoms! I do eat a little avocado now and then, but definitely not everyday. I don't use olive oil. Oh, and I eat some seeds, but again, small amounts only.

2) Alkaline foods are key for me. Greens are alkalizing. Salads without oil and vinegar (see #5 below) was not appealing at first, so I needed to find other ways to eat more greens. I was wary of green smoothies until I tried them. Now I think they are delicious. My current favorite is water, an apple, a splash of orange juice, lots of lettuce or baby spinach and grated ginger. The original recipe I got this from included lemon juice, but I just leave that out. When I eat acidic foods like citrus, I also eat some lettuce or spinach at the same time/meal.

3) High protein foods (chicken, fish, eggs - that I used to eat) are hard to digest and increase acid production and GERD symptoms. I always used to think that vegans ate that way for reasons of conscience only. I didn’t understand the many positive health consequences. I worried needlessly about getting enough protein at first. I used to enter what I ate on Fitday.com to measure protein and other nutrients, but found I was always getting enough and rarely do that now.

4) I also used to overeat cheese and dairy products, but don't eat any now. I think dairy was a factor in my symptoms, although I am not sure whether it was the high fat content and/or the high protein in dairy that affected me negatively. It doesn't matter. I don't eat them now and feel better.

5) No apple cider vinegar Some people who have acid reflux find that vinegar reduces their acid reflux symptoms. The opposite is true for me.

6) I don't think "meals" like I used to. Instead, I eat whenever I feel hungry. This way I eat smaller amounts throughout the day. A too-full stomach puts pressure and increases acid reflux.

7) When I first read about food combining I dismissed it. I often have to learn things for myself. Well, I have found that there is something to it.

8) Simple is better. I have tried some complicated raw recipes, but find that I feel better and still satisfied when I eat things that have just a few ingredients. I would never have imagined that I could be happy eating one kind of fruit as my breakfast, but I can.

Note: I was still taking my proton pump inhibitor medication two times a day for the first three months that I started eating mostly raw foods. Then I started feeling good enough to try not taking my prescription. At the same time that I quit taking it, I decided to go 100% raw food. It has been one week and so far so good which is amazing. I still have a way to go, but will write about my progress or lack of progress in my "Adventures in the Raw Food World" thread every now and then. Of course I am not a medical professional and cannot give medical advice to anyone. I am only writing about my experiences and what I find works for me. Good luck in your search!