Have you taken any acid suppression medicines?

Growing your own veg is brilliant Alan! :slight_smile:

You could try juicing veg too - vegetables are excellent for vital electrolytes and juicing them gives you a concentrated dose (has to be fresh tho - so that the enzymes are still intact).

Though ideally, you need to attack on all angles with the full diet.

What dosage are you currently on?

Omeprazole 20mg o.m., Ranitidine 150mgm before lunch, if I feel like I want to eat, & one before tea then Gavicon 30ml before bed.
None of it makes any difference to my being able to eat anything thatā€™s not oats or rice.
Started off with anything fatty, sausages etc, then spicy, then any sort of meat, the veg, now porridge is upsetting me, so eat mainly rice.:shock:

When do you take the Omeprazole? As soon as you get up?

Yep, have tried different times, but then get acid in the daytime instead of at night, sleeping sitting up mostly now.
Really annoyed as I didnā€™t take it for reflux to begin with!

I would probably try 150mg of ranititdine in the morning, then the same before bed.

I would cut out difficult to digest food - food that is high in carbs, spices, sweet fruits etc

I would add home-made yoghurt (24 hours) and home made sauerkraut and cabbage rejuvelac :slight_smile:

Iā€™ve had a hiatal hernia for about 20 years but it only started bothering me a few months ago. I was taking Ranitidine pills from the pharmacy shelf, no prescription. They really helped & I started trying the exercises below. Whether itā€™s helped or not my problem hasnā€™t bothered me in a few weeks. I might take a pill every week or so now.


Other methods of dealing with stress include changing your environment, finding new ways to resolve problems and communicating your thoughts and feelings honestly with others.

It is also possible to bring down a hiatal hernia using manual manipulation. Find a chiropractor a massage therapist who knows how to manually manipulate a hiatal hernia. You can also massage your own abdomen daily for about 5-15 minutes paying special attention to massaging the area under your ribs.

As an alternative, the following technique can be used as a self-help form of manual manipulation.

Drink a pint of warm water first thing in the morning. Next, stand on your toes and drop suddenly to your heels several times. The force of this little jump and the weight of the water help pull the stomach down in place while the warm temperature of the water relaxes the stomach area. Taking a dropper full of lobelia essence with the water will relax the stomach and make the treatment more effective.

If youā€™re adventurous, jump off a chair or down a short flight of stairs to get the same effect. The idea behind this technique is to get your stomach to ā€œdropā€ as if you were in an elevator that suddenly started going down.

If this doesnā€™t solve the problem, place both hands under your breastbone in the center of your rib cage. Take a deep breath and press your fingers firmly into the solar plexus area (just under the breastbone). As you forcefully exhale, push your fingers downward and bend forward slightly. Be careful not to push your fingers up under the rib cage. Repeat this action several times. Do this before meals on an empty stomach.

It is usually important to work on the ileocecal value when correcting the hiatal hernia. This valve is located on the right side of the abdomen midway between the belly button and the right hip bone. Just start massaging in that area and if there is any pain or discomfort in that region gently massage the area while breathing deeply until the pain goes away. Do this at least once a day.

Finally, although nutritional supplements wonā€™t correct a hiatal hernia, they will help it heal as you mechanically get the stomach to move downward.

I copied this off the internet, the link is soooo long.

Here it is though
http://modernherbalmedicine.com/articles/hiatal-hernia-hidden-cause-of-chronic-illness-2.html?page=3

I have cut out all foods that upset me, thatā€™s why Iā€™m eating just rice & oats. I canā€™t eat anything else without rushing to the loo within 15 minutes of eating which is why a dietician would be useless. Iā€™ve tried every combination of doses of tablets, the only time I donā€™t get acid choking me in my sleep is when I take Omeprazole first thing. I just want to stop taking these damn things!:cry:

Self help re HHā€™s is something I would do too AC - in fact when I thought I might have had one I tried the exercises anyway :slight_smile:

Hmmmm, I wonder if you have a microbial infection or gut flora imbalance :confused:

You can get a DNA stool test that can check for many of the most common gut pathogens (inc yeasts, bacterial and protozoan). The test costs about Ā£170

However, I would assume we have them, or an imbalance anyway (thanks in part to our western diets) - the cleanse part of my diet focuses on getting rid of the little critters!

Did you get a chance to get your case history down for me?

Well I guess Iā€™m headed for the great hereafter poste haste.

Been on Omeprazole for decades (2x20mg day).
Have had a life-long allergy to exercise.
Smoked for forty years.
Eat anything I like and drink two bottles of wine a day.
Feel fine at 68.

I reckon most vitamins and supplements are more of a con than the pharmaceutical companies.
Might as well try voodoo.

Have read apparently authoritative, scientific articles decrying the value of Omega 3, fish oil, Glucosomine, most supplements etc etc etc

Medical specialists have warned me AGAINST VitC, fish oil, iron supplements and multi-vitamins.

But CLEARLY, I am open-minded ā€¦ lol ā€¦ :-D:-D:-D

Very interested !:smiley:

When I was much younger, I had severe problems with what was then called lazy colon.

This caused me a lot of pain because food particles that were far too big were being forced through my stomach.

I had to go on a special diet for about 6 weeks but since then Iā€™ve had no problems until about 2009.

I now have an unrelated hiatal hernia condition that occasionally causes acid reflux problems but Iā€™m not on any medication as the Zantac I was given seemed reduce the severity at the time very quickly.

I read an internet article somewher,(which I canā€™t find now!), that said people like me should avoid coffee so I stopped about 18 months ago just to see if it did make any difference.

Although I do still have to be careful with the hiatal problem and Iā€™ve over-done things physically several times and had some severe pain, Iā€™ve had no acid reflux at all in those 18 months.

Whether this is a coincidence or not I have no idea because I do like my cup of tea but I think that the level of Caffeine in black tea is a lot less than that of coffee so it may be Caffeine thatā€™s the irritant in my case.

Iā€™ve noticed online that when some experts are saying acid reflux is down to excess stomach acid others are actually saying the opposite!

Iā€™ll just stick to my tea I think! stevmk2

A hiatal hernia is a mechanical problemā€¦ not an over production of acid. Your stomach is being squeezed up through a hole in your diaphram. Best solution, do not eat a large meal 3-4 hours before bedtimeā€¦ Sleep with the head of the bed slightly elevated at 15 to 20 degrees. Avoid acidic foods, alcohol and coffee. Iā€™m sure your doctor told you that.

I know some doctors, especially older ones poo poo the idea of stress being a factor but it does play a big part in my opinion.
Even if you donā€™t think youā€™re stressed, your body ā€œremembersā€ & can bring on physical symptoms of a mechanical problem you have (or one you didnā€™t have). I know this from experience.

One example is I may not have had a problem with acid for a week or more but if Iā€™d been going through something stressful, I suddenly have acid/diaphragm discomfort & have to take a Ranitidine (I take generic Zantac).

I agreeā€¦ stress can stimulate the H2 receptors in your GI tract and creating more acid production as well as increased intestinal motilityā€¦ and cramps and diarrhea that some people experience when under stress.

Each to their own I guess :stuck_out_tongue:

If you are happy to interfere with your bodyā€™s natural functions, thatā€™s fine with me - itā€™s just not for me if I can avoid it :slight_smile:

You are right about synthetic minerals and supplements, itā€™s almost always to get them from food sources (hence I mentioned eating salmon as the best option :D)

Awesome - will keep you posted :mrgreen:

I would personally try the HH exercises and see how that goesā€¦

I believe it is most unwise to tell people that their prescribed medication is wrong and that you have a better solutionā€¦very dangerous practice imo.:shock:

Thanks Audrey but I do know all about the function and problems of the hiatus and I do also know about acid reflux.
Perhaps I just put it all the wrong way.

If you have ever had your stomach squeezed through the diaphragm youā€™d know instantly itā€™s a physical thing because it can be extremely painful!

What happened to me - about two years ago - this physical ā€œdisplacementā€ was immediately followed by a whole load of acid being pushed up at the same time - that was what I was referring to.

My doctor just gave me some Zantac but he has not told me to avoid acidic foods and I can happily eat all kinds of foods without any problem but for some odd reason I canā€™t drink coffee now without getting heartburn.

I can eat very hot chillies or vindaloo-strength curries with no problems whatsoever!

Tea, again, no problem.

Alcohol, in moderation Iā€™m fine but I donā€™t drink much anyway; itā€™s just coffee I canā€™t drink now but I donā€™t miss it! stevmk2

I think it is very dangerous (and selfish) not helping enlighten others - especially when they have been led to believe something they are doing is good for them when it may be the complete opposite.

As someone who works in the NHS, the best selling book, Bad Pharma, might be a bit of an eye opener for you: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bad-Pharma-How-Medicine-Broken/dp/000749808X

Their doctor knows their full medical history, I donā€™t claim to know itā€¦do you?