What is acid reflux?
In the center of your chest, there is a small, muscular tunnel that separates the end of your esophagus from your stomach. Think of it like a fist that can be closed tightly or loosely. It’s called your lower esophageal sphincter (LES). When you’re eating, the fist should be open and loose, so food can travel to your stomach. But at all other times (unless you need to vomit), the sphincter should be tightly closed. This prevents all food and digestive fluids from traveling upward. Acid reflux is just having a loose sphincter when it should be tight. It does not mean that there is too much acid.
Why does it burn?
Your stomach produces a few different digestive juices. A primary dominant one is hydrochloric acid (HCL). One of nature’s strongest acids, HCL is designed to make light work of breaking down proteins, like the tough meat in that burger you just ate. It’s also key for killing pathogens that might otherwise move in and set up shop in your intestines. If you put HCL directly on your hand, it would quickly burn you— badly. Another key “digestive juice” component is pepsin, a digestive enzyme that breaks down protein. HCL activates pepsin and starts the protein digestion.
If digestive juices are in the wrong place, it hurts! Likely because of the acidity and because the pepsin is beginning to digest your tissue instead of your lunch! Animal research also shows that pepsin in the esophagus triggers an inflammatory cascade which might be the largest driver of reflux pain. The cells of your stomach lining are coated with mucus to protect them from digestive juices. The lining of your esophagus is not nearly as well coated. So when the LES is loose and these juices bubble upward, it hurts. Acid reflux is not evidence of excessive stomach acid; it’s evidence of stomach acid in the wrong place.
The Root Causes
There are many reasons why you might have acid reflux. I’m going to share some of my top tricks for making acid reflux go away. Instead of popping a TUMS or use a PPI drug, you can help to get rid of the true root cause(s). And your long-term health depends on it!
Root Cause #1: Under-Chewing
Slow Down, Sit Down, and Chew, Chew, Chew. This is what we call Eating Hygiene. The average American chews each bite of food only a few times before swallowing it down hard. Often with several gulps of water as a chaser. Many of us eat so quickly that meals feel like a race— an annoying must-do to put hunger at bay. I like to teach that meal time can be a meditation— a very real form of self-care and healthcare. Try to chew your food until it’s mostly liquid. This significantly reduces the work of your stomach. I know this seems simple. But you would be stunned to know the number of clients I’ve seen cure their reflux this way. Just by chewing their food 20-30 times per bite and not drinking too much liquid with meals (below).
Root Cause #2: Hydrating during mealtimes
Avoid the Big Gulp. Certainly it’s fine to have some water along with your meals, but many people use meal time as an opportunity to tank up and hydrate. Too much liquid during meals can dilute your stomach acid and make it less potent, leading to belching and bloating. Food can hang around in your stomach longer than it should and ferment. Gas builds up and blows open your LES— causing reflux. I recommend— especially if you have GERD and indigestion—focus on steady hydration in between meals and have only a small glass handy during meals to help clear the palate (e.g. 8 oz).
Root Cause #3: Meal size
Eat more often and less at once. Sometimes our LES gets blown open by the sheer volume of food we try to cram into our bellies. This is especially true when we eat at restaurants. Yes, the stomach will stretch— but only so far. Research shows better digestion for people who eat smaller meals. Note this is not the same as “grazing.” Your body needs a break from digestion, so eating here-and-there all the time is often counterproductive (the GI tract’s cleansing waves don’t happen while we’re digesting food). Small meals every 3-4 hours may help those with GERD greatly. Then stop eating when you are 80% full. You have to leave (literal) room for digestion to take place.
Root Cause #4: Restrictive clothing
Wear loose clothing around your midsection. If you wear a tight belt or waistband, you put tremendous pressure on your digestive organs. This can push food and digestive fluids physically upward and beyond your LES. Muffin-Tops and Belted Beer Bellies, take particular note of this one!
Root Cause #5: Magnesium deficiency
Address a need for magnesium. This is a widespread issue in the US. The USDA estimates that the majority of Americans don’t get optimal intake of magnesium. Low magnesium can cause your muscles to be too tight or to spasm erratically. This includes the LES. I often recommend the glycinate form of magnesium because it’s easy to find and well tolerated and absorbed. If you also struggle with any regular constipation, consider magnesium citrate instead.
Root Cause #6: Food triggers
Stop eating foods that cause your LES to spasm. (Ok, here’s the big one.) Unfortunately Americans love some of the foods which are most irritating to the LES. If you struggle with daily GERD, consider giving your body a break from these foods. Yes, it will take some coaxing because you love these foods! But continuing to eat them and just pop a pill to ignore the pain is likely to turn into a serious illness or disease some day. These are the most powerful food triggers: cooked tomato sauce, citrus juices, coffee, black tea, soda, alcohol, peppery or spicy foods, fried food, chocolate, and things with mint in them (e.g. gum, mints, toothpaste, tea).
Root Cause #7: Eating before bedtime
Reflux can often be worst at night. This is when all of our muscles relax at least a little bit, including our LES, and then we go horizontal. If you put food in your stomach and then go to bed before it’s fully digested, reflux is much more likely. If this is your struggle, you might want to eat throughout the day and go to bed with an empty stomach— but not hungry. Avoiding food for a full 2-3 hours before bed is also an excellent way for many to improve the quality of your sleep (don’t get me started about Ambien).
Root Cause #8: Fight-or-flight as a way of life
The culture that encourages you to go-go-go also promotes chronic mental/emotional stress. When we are in a “fight or flight” (sympathetic) nervous system mode, it is quite normal body functioning for digestive secretions and peristalsis to be reduced in order to support other body function that promotes survival (e.g. running for your life). We are intended to live primarily with our parasympathetic nervous system mode active (aka “rest and digest”). Understanding the direct connection between your stress and your chronic GERD is a powerful tool of empowerment. This is especially true at meal time and why a few calming breaths and a conscious effort to sit and relax the body prior to and after eating can help alleviate acid reflux.
Root Cause #9: Medication triggers
Be aware of common medication triggers. These include a rich variety or oral drugs such as nitrates, anticholinergics, benzodiazepines (common for anxiety or insomnia), calcium channel blockers (common for hypertension), and theophylline.
Root Cause #10: Food sensitivities
You might already recognize that certain foods trigger your reflux (beyond the LES irritants above). In over 50% of my clients, dairy foods (e.g. milk, cheese, cream, ice cream) are a major trigger, and dairy elimination from the diet brings tremendous relief. Other food sensitivities might be at play too (e.g. gluten, soy). While food sensitivity testing is available, no single test assesses all possible pathways via which the immune system can react negatively to a food. In most cases for GERD in particular, a simple elimination experiment works very well (e.g.~10 days before reintroduction— one food category at a time per three days).
If all the above fails…
Rule out other physiological drivers of chronic reflux. You might want to work with your doctor to find out if you have a hiatal hernia (a simple x-ray) or an H. Pylori bacterial overgrowth (this is a bacteria that commonly causes ulcers but can also cause chronic GERD— diagnosed with a simple breath or blood test) or insufficient stomach acid (actually very common as we age and in those with thyroid, adrenal, and/or chronic stress issues— and a strong likelihood if you struggle with belching all the time). I have successfully supported many clients in working through all of these— including how to approach doctors about testing.
Long-term use of PPI medications can be dangerous. These drugs were actually originally developed to help those with gastritis or ulcers to heal and were prescribed for a few weeks at most. PPIs can impair absorption of critical protein and minerals that, over years, can be the true root cause of ailments such as osteoporosis, arthritis, depression, heart disease, and diabetes. In particular, don’t just try to suddenly stop cold-turkey taking these meds; that can actually do more harm than good. And your GERD root causes should be addressed before weaning off of acid-suppressing drugs. A progressive titration downward (typically over 4-6 weeks) allows the body to adjust, and during the weaning, targeted supplements can help to fortify and soothe the protective mucosal lining in the stomach.
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