What is PEMF Therapy
Treating Heartburn Gastritis Reflux and Gastroesophageal Reflux Holistic Medicine and PEMF Treatment
Because GERD is so complex, you need to understand the mechanisms behind the problem. GERD is due to a hiatal hernia. When there is a hiatal hernia, there are varying degrees of acid reflux from the stomach into the esophagus. The main symptom of GERD is heartburn.
Another common problem associated with GERD is "water flow" or the feeling of acid in the throat. It is not uncommon for people with severe reflux, which is what what is PEMF therapy means, to experience irritation of the vocal cords, a chronic cough, sore throats, especially in the morning and even asthma.
A hiatal hernia is caused simply by the excessive stretching of the stomach, which unfortunately causes the end of the esophagus to overstretch. When the esophagus stretches too much, the acid moves freely in the esophagus, and it is not designed to handle the acid.
Heartburn is often caused by gastritis or gastritis. These two conditions can be difficult to differentiate and can only be performed by endoscopy or by placing an endoscope down the throat, down the esophagus and stomach. Gastritis is treated as a completely different condition, although both tend to be treated with acid suppression with medications like Zantac, Prilosec, purple pills [protonix], etc.
The condition most worrisome with GERD is esophagitis, which is called reflux esophagitis. At worst, it is known as Barrett's esophagus. Barrett's esophagus can lead to esophageal cancer due to chronic irritation of acid at the lower end of the esophagus.
So there are two ways to manage GERD.
The first is to reduce acid reflux into the esophagus. This again is the use of acid-suppressing medications. In an inclusive world, the main strategy is to reduce the amount of time food remains in the stomach and attempt to heal the esophagus. Medicines used to suppress acid reflux into the esophagus simply reduce acid production. They do nothing to heal the esophagus or stomach. Doctors in this case strictly rely on healing the body. Holistic practitioners use an additional strategy with a supplement called DGL or Aloe Vera to help heal the lining of the esophagus and stomach.
The second important strategy is to reduce the time it takes food to leave the stomach. Unfortunately, with acid blockers, we're into Catch-22. By suppressing stomach acid, we are unable to digest our food as well, thus it tends to stay in the stomach for longer. Although it may seem counterintuitive, we usually recommend that people with GERD use acid during their meals. In fact, many people develop reflux simply because they do not have enough stomach acid to properly digest food.
This means that the food stays there for a long time and is therefore more likely to back up into the esophagus. For this purpose, people can use apple cider vinegar, 1-2 tablespoons in 4 ounces of water at the end of each meal, or use an acidic preparation such as betaine hydrochloride, in the appropriate dose.
Digestion really starts in the mouth. People need to do this properly so that the food is liquid before it leaves the mouth. This pre-digestion reduces the amount of work the stomach has to do and as a result the food will flow out of the stomach faster, which reduces reflux. I firmly believe that a large part of the GERD problems in our society is that people do not chew properly, given how much we wind up speeding up our meals.
Also, people with reflux, especially morning symptoms, need to have the head of the bed elevated or have a foam wedge 6 inches high. The foam wedge should cover your body from head to tailbone. Fortunately, this can be done on one side of the bed so that neither partner is affected. It is important to perform a wedge elevation [the extra pillows will not work] to reduce the chance of acid refluxing into the esophagus. Also, meals should not be consumed within two hours of bedtime, as the food will likely remain in the stomach and then return to the esophagus.
Also, small meals throughout the day reduce the amount of food in the stomach at any time. The stomach is like a small balloon, the size of a fist, and when it is pressed by the muscles with bending and elevation or any other effort of the abdominal muscles, the balloon is compressed and the pressure is made.