Sometimes it is the simple things that most elude us. These days, Americans take millions of little purple pills, antacid tablets, and other pharmaceutical remedies for indigestion and its more serious cousin, GERD. But recent research suggests that a simple diet change could hold the key to relief for many -- and there's no plopping or fizzing involved.
I'm talking about eating more fiber, just like your grandmother always tried to tell you. Apparently it helps with more than just regularity and constipation.
A recent study found that participants who were identified as having GERD, and who followed a regular, high-fiber meal plan, were 20 percent less likely to experience GERD symptoms. They also found that the higher the number of calories consumed and the more fat servings a person consumed, the more likely they were to experience GERD symptoms. Also, perhaps not surprisingly, they found a direct link between obesity and GERD.
I'm certainly not implying that only people who are overweight are at risk. But this study does imply that the correlation between a poor diet, obesity, and GERD should be taken as a warning bell for the millions of Americans who do fit into this category. And if bulking up on additional dietary fiber helps, this sounds like a no-brainer solution to me.
Keep in mind that while adding more fiber to your diet may help your symptoms of GERD, initially it might cause intestinal gas, abdominal bloating, and even cramping. Adding additional fiber is best done gradually to allow your digestive tract to adapt to the change. Also, you may want to increase the amount of water you drink each day since fiber works best when it absorbs water.
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Yeast on the rise
Q: My doctor told me that my cholesterol is high and wants me to begin taking a prescription for it. I've heard some negative things about cholesterol medicines and am looking for alternatives. What do you recommend?
JVW: I highly recommend policosanol, a natural supplement derived from sugar cane. In numerous studies comparing it directly with patent cholesterol-lowering medicines, policosanol was more effective at lowering levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol. But that's not all.
Unlike the patent medicine products, policosanol also lowered triglyceride levels and elevated HDL (good) cholesterol levels. It two studies, it also significantly lowered blood pressure as well. The good news is that it does not require a prescription and is available at most natural food stores, compounding pharmacies, and even online. And it doesn't come with the negative side effects associated with statin drugs.
If policosanol doesn't do the trick, you might want to try red yeast rice, although it may be harder to find. Back in 1998, the patent drug manufacturer Merck sued a major manufacturer of red yeast rice supplements. It seems the active ingredient in it, mevinolin, is chemically identical to lovastatin, which is found in Merck's cholesterol drug, Mevecor. This resulted in almost all red yeast rice products being pulled from shelves in 2001. There is one product which remains on the market that I recommend to my patients. It's called Wine Extract (formerly called Choless) and is manufactured by Chi's Enterprises of California. It makes no claims about cholesterol-lowering benefits, which is probably why it is allowed to continue being sold.
In case it doesn't go without saying, please don't dive into taking cholesterol-lowering alternatives on your own -- make sure to work with a natural health physician who can safely monitor your condition.
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What is...fiber?
Most of us know we're supposed to eat fiber, and we even know where to find more fiber for our diets: prunes, apples, bananas, pears, dried fruits, bran-containing foods, raw vegetables -- the usual suspects. But what exactly IS fiber?
The term "fiber" refers to the parts of plant foods that your body can't digest or absorb. At first, it doesn't sound like it would be good for you. But clearly it is.
You see, since our digestive enzymes can't break fiber down as it does other food compounds such as protein, fats, and carbohydrates, it makes its way to your colon virtually unchanged. Which means it can usher out the by-products from the digestive process more easily. Since your digestive system is one of your best defenses against toxins and disease, it makes sense that the faster you can extract the nutrients, and get rid of what you don't need, the better.
Yours in good health,
Amanda Ross
Managing Editor
Nutrition & Healing
Source:
El-Serag HB, Satia JA, Rabeneck L. "Dietary intake and the risk of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease: a cross sectional study in volunteers." Gut 2005; 54: 11-17
