Healthy Skeptic reader Susan Kazenas was recently interviewed on a Fox news affiliate in St. Petersburg, Florida about her success using a low-carb diet to treat GERD.
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{ 32 comments… read them below or add one }
Within about 3 days of embarking on a paleo style diet, my reflux was gone. It always irritates me though in these type of news segments how the doctors always seem to try to play down low carb at every chance. Anecdotally, I drink coffee like it was going out of style and I don’t get reflux. I eat one piece of bread and BAM! I’m in pain.
I had the same reaction. Why didn’t they ask a doctor to comment on her experience? Why didn’t they at least speculate on why low-carb would help with reflux? Why didn’t they find someone (eh, hem) to interview about the mechanisms involved. Instead they went straight from her to the standard fluff about coffee, smoking etc.
Groupthink at it’s finest.
I have GERD and have taken meds for 10 years. I am 63, white female. I quit the meds 4 weeks ago. I have been on the CSD for almost one year. I still have GERD but it is not as bad as it used to be. Where do I go from here?
Have you read my article Get Rid of Heartburn and GERD forever in Three Simple Steps and tried everything I mentioned?
I went off my antacids & proton pump inhibitors and have been on Atkins for a month. Instead of two days a week incapacitated by stomach problems… I have had one bad day in the whole month. Thanks so much for your heartburn series!
You’re welcome! Happy to hear it helped you.
What a dumb news segment. They had it right with the low-carb information and then switched to the doctor who obviously hadn’t even seen the interview. Tobacco, coffee, please. I used to smoke and drink coffee like mad and didn’t have heartburn. It was only after my thyroid started crashing, I was low on serum vitamin D, and under a lot of stress that I started suffering from a LOT of heartburn and gas. I was also eating mostly pasta, vegetables and ice cream. Went paleo and it all went away.
Pretty amazing how they presented her story and then managed to completely ignore it and start talking about the same conventional nonsense that has failed everyone! Typical. Guess that’s why I never watch or listen to the news.
Coffee doesn’t bother me. Wheat, on the other hand, does.
I agree with all of the above comments. The doctor lead the viewers to believe that my heartburn went away AFTER I had lost weight, when I specifically said that within 1-2 weeks of eliminating carbs, my hearburn went away. My weight-loss came AFTER the heartburn/GERD was cured, NOT the other way around, as “conventional” medical “wisdom” would infer.
Also, I was in DC two days ago and had four separate meetings with members of Congress, and spoke of the link between PPI’s (Proton Pump Inhibitors, i.e. Prevacid, Nexium, Prilosec, etc) and increased bone fractures. PPI’s inhibit the proper absorption of nutrients and the FDA is now requiring these drugs to include this information on the patient information label. Can we even begin to imagine the explosion of Osteoporosis we are facing with the multi-billion dollar PPI drug industry? That’s why I spoke as a patient advocate from Florida on behalf of the National Osteoporosis Foundation.
BOTTOM LINE: Carbs cause MANY problems!!! Stop eating them, as they are unhealthy. I also have been sick just from eating a slice of bread. I live pain free and will never go back to eating carbohydrates other than healthy fresh-vegetable carbs, i.e. asparagus, spinach, green beans, etc. Thanks to all for your comments on my Fox news video.
It’s the same with the link between obesity and diabetes. I keep telling people the underlying conditions that cause obesity also cause diabetes, that while visceral fat is metabolically active and can make a bad situation worse (ditto for fatty liver), being overweight in itself doesn’t cause anything–it’s a symptom. And how do I know? Eating low-carb lets me have normal blood sugar. I don’t think I have ever gotten to the point of diabetes but I sure was getting reactive hypoglycemia. If my overweight was causing that then it shouldn’t have responded to diet. And the same diet that lets my blood sugar normalize also helps the weight come off. There’s a pattern here and most people refuse to see it.
The real issue for GERD is not so much low carb, it’s the wheat (in particular), “vegetable” oils are also implicated and other grains/legumes – only way to find out is to go off all grains & legumes for at least 6 weeks, then add back, one at a time to find your triggers (usually your GI sx return w/in 6 hours). Mine are clearly wheat, corn, most vegetable oils (I don’t know about oats or barley b/c they are not important to me). I can eat rice, quinoa & buckwheat flour, sweet potatoes or other high starch sources w/o problem. I need to note though, I follow a high natural/healthy animal (saturated/mono unsat) fat diet- 70%, no grains or legumes (I do eat small amounts of rice weekly), low carb (50-75g/day limit) 10-15% and moderate healthy animal protein -15-20% – very high nutrient density diet. I am a 53yo athletic female physiologist, (18% body fat- I was not nor ever have been overweight, max BMI of 21) who ate a fairly immaculate organic whole foods diet from 19yo onward. Despite have a history of lots of exercise & low glycemic index type whole foods diet (NO refined grains, no sweet drinks or fruit juice) – I still had hypoglycemia & HgA1c at 6.0. Not until I removed most grains & beans AND lowered my carbs, did I finally achieve HgA1c 5.4, Trig/HDL ratio .58, LDL sub type A, no hypoglycemia even w/ intermittent fasting of 12-22hrs. Obesity, hypoglycemia, glucose imbalance, insulin resistance, hyperglycemia – all are symptoms of a metabolic/inflammatory disorder that is directly related to macronutrient substrate balance as well as malnourishment of micro nutrients. Caloric or carbohydrate restriction only addresses part of the picture. Correlation of symptoms does not indicate causation. Vive Vida, Carmen
Comment to Jane: Have you had a DEXA scan? THis is the scan that measured bone density You are at increaed risk of developing Osteoporosis. If you have not, please have one. It is likely that if you don’t have Osteoporosis, you probably have at least low bone density and you could still have a preventive approach. Osteoporosis is a silent disease. I was a strong and healthy 45 year old diagnosed with the bones of a 70 year old. Osteoporosis is a silent disease; there are two ways of finding out. (1) have a dexa scan or (2) wait until a bone breaks. That’s the truth of it. Wishing you the best…..please read Chris’ series on heartburn and gerd. The low carb lifestyle is a lifestyle choice that we can easily live with.
The interview wasn’t too bad, for the media anyway. (I have low expectations). The talking head spoke to people like they were retarded (GERD is a big word, so I’ll speak sloooowly for all your morons out there). However, Susan’s story was compelling even if the doctor segment was just more regurgitated blah blah blah. I think most viewers will tune out the doctor’s “advice”, that they have probably heard a million times before and focus on the new concept of low-carb eliminating GERD. So all in all very positive.
Thanks, Martine. I’m coming upon 1 year of changing over to a low-carb lifestyle and can count on one hand the times I’ve had heartburn. And each time was when I ate high-carb foods. I don’t need a doctor to tell me how I feel when I eat carbs – I live it everyday and know the truth. I just want more people to understand; I can’t stand it that so many people are sucking in PPI’s instead of making a simple diet change and the medical community continues to lie about the food pyramid. (And we continue getting fatter.)
Hello,
From all my symptoms (initial globus and now for last number of months with heavy draining phlegm throughout day -easing at night) I believe I have LPR or silent reflux). I’ve been trying to eat well, taking probiotics and dig. enzymes fairly consistently but still cannot get rid of phlegm draining and coughing it up.
Just wondering whether anyone with this has been helped on low carb. diet? Many sites tell LPR sufferers to eat low fat and avoid meats. Not sure what the heck to do anymore but just trying to avoid having to get on acid reducers.
Thanks Herve.
Comment to Herve:
I found low carb, high fat helped reduce post-nasal drip, running nose and excessive sneezing, but this was long after these problems had first been substantially reduced by strenuously avoiding salt and salty food.
HTH
I went on a low carb diet for other health reasons and was astonished when I realized one day not far in my constant companion GERD was gone. Totally gone. The only reappearance it made was after one high carb meal eaten as a test. The GERD was gone again a few hours later and hasn’t come back. I’m still eating as low carb as I can get.
After reading your series on GERD I stopped eating grains three weeks ago and have experienced almost no heartburn since (really rare for me–I’ve taken Tums or one of those licorice chewable things for the majority of nights for the past 5-10 years). I don’t eat meat and can’t imagine a carb-free life, so I’ve still been eating carbs (beans, nuts, fruit, some potatoes, some dairy, some sugar even though I know I shouldn’t) just no grains, and it seems to be working. Thanks so much for the advice!!
I should add that I’ve been drinking lotsa coffee and a fair amount of red wine during this grain-free period and, amazingly, still no heartburn.
I started on low carb about 1-1/2 months ago for the purpose of getting some weight off. I’m down from a size 10 to a size 8 so far. One of the most wonderful side effects is NO REFLUX! I have truly suffered with GERD for about 10 years now and was up vomiting every single night due to burning acid in my throat. I also do not have the frequent migraines I had experienced before the low carb diet. I’m not sure what the connection is—I am just so thankful to be sleeping better, losing weight, no more acid vomiting and fewer headaches!
I’m also feeling substantially better on the low carb diet after only 4 days. It is amazing how clueless the medical community is about GERD. After four months of searing pain in my lower sternum, two endoscopies, escalating dosages of PPI drugs, I’m suddenly feeling normal again.
I love all the positive feedback from those who have eliminated/reduced carbohdrates and the GERD/Reflux went away. I have been low-carb now for two full years, and the ONLY time my stomach hurts is when I eat carbohydrates. I CONTROL it, it doesn’t control ME. I love that, too. We need to remember that the medical community and drug companies don’t want us to cure ourselves, they want THEIR MEDICINE to cure us. It’s a multi-BILLION dollar drug industry folks. It’s a no brainer. I feel fantastic and glad that readers here do, too! I originally sent the email to Tampa Bay Fox 13 because I wanted to share what I had learned, and hoped it would help others. I’m glad it has.
Susan, you mean they want their medicine to silence our warning bells so we can go on to develop other diseases with symptoms for which they have more medicine to silence the warning bells until we’re fit for the undertaker
Actually that’s not that far from the truth. Gerd leads to Barrett’s Esophagus which increases our risk for Esophageal cancer.
Chris, (or any of you who have some good advice!)
I recently stumbled upon this blog after my mentioned h. Pylori might have some connection to my GERD troubles. The more I read the more I am convinced this might finally be a legitimate solution to my issues! I have already started cutting my carbs drastically and I am already noticed a difference! I have a few questions & would like some guidance from some more experienced converts to this way of life.
Before I read this I was taking dexilant in the AM and zantacs before I went to bed because it was bugging me so much! I stopped taking the zantacs at night but I am still taking the dexilant because Im not sure if it is a good idea to cold turkey. Should I go off that one right away too?
Also are there things suggested in low carb diets that I as a GERD sufferer should still avoid?
I am planning on making an appointment with a doctor in my area (as soon as I find a good one…) to at least get my stomach acid levels and levels for those nutrients mentioned in the articles checked. I’ve been struggling with this since 2008 and since things just kept getting worse and worse I can’t takin mire and more medication along with trying a variety ” eat this, don’t eat this” lists. About half that time I have been consistently on some strong ppi a year of that being prilosec. I’m wondering if I should get tested for h. Pylori as well or if I should just focus on the diet & see if that takes care of it?
Lastly, I have switched to a very low carb diet. ( at least I think I have!) To give you an example today I ate scrambled eggs with bell peppers, bacon, a salad with chicken & mixed berries, almonds, BBQ chicken, asparagus, & green beans. Is this a wise way for me to start?
Like I said, I’ve been doing this for 2 days now so any guidance and suggestions would be much appreciated!
Hi Angelique- I can’t speak to the medicine and how to take it or cut back. However, when I started my low carb diet two years ago, I stopped taking my PPI altogether after being on the low carb for about 1 week to 10 days. Your low carb diet foods you have listed looks great. Biggest foods to avoid are starches and refined foods. Think about your grocery store…..on the outside perimeter are your produce, fresh vegetables, fruits, dairy products, and meat. On the inside aisles are your high carb and/or refined foods- breads, pasta, rice, cereals, noodles, etc. I stay away from the inside aisles. Meats, cheeses, salads, fresh veggies are all great and will make you feel great and heartburn-free. If you’re on Facebook, look up “low-carb Lifestyle- a change for good.” I have posts there which have photos of food, a long list of suggestions of what I normally eat. (Look under my post entitled “What can I eat?” It’s lengthy, but I’ve been doing this for over 2 years and am more than happy to share information. It’s extremely important to get off of PPI’s. They have now been determined to increase chances of bone fractures due to the malabsorption of important nutrients in food, namely calcium. I took PPI’s for years and was diagnosed with Osteoporosis at the age of 45. PPI’s are now required to include this warning for increased risk of bone fractures per the FDA. I hope this information is helpful, and congratulations….you’re on the road back to controlling your own health…and you may not even have a doctor agree with you but your health will be the perfect testimony of the truth.
Oh, and one more thing. The chicken is good, but the BBQ has a lot of sugar. This will affect insulin levels and will make you hungry, and sugar is not a great combination with low-carb diets. Try sauteeing your chicken in some margarine with garlic, lemon, capers, and other spices.
Thanks Susan! I wasn’t feeling as good this morning as I was after the first day I tried this diet and I think you helped me figure out why. I will have to check out the facebook page. Thanks again for the helpful guidance!
There’s a simple way to tell if you’ve had too many carbs and/or sugar. Go to the diabetic section of your local Walgreens, CVS or Walmart and buy a bottle of KETOSTIX or KETONES test strips. Just pee on the little test strip, and when it changes color, you can be sure that you’re not having too many carbs. Or if it turns too dark, you know you can tolerate adding more back into your diet. It’s a tool to help you learn your body and how it’s responding to your diet change. Also if you’re diabetic, I would definitely talk to a doctor before drastically changing any diet, especially when it has so much to do with insulin levels in the body.
I look forward to Chris weighing in on this. All that matters to me is that my GERD is gone.
That’s good advice Susan. Just out of curiosity, now that you are of your meds and I assuming your stomach acid levels are back to normal, do you find that anything bothers you besides the high carb foods? Because the “typical” reflux diet tells people to avoid citrus, tomatoes, spicy food, high acid food, etc. Are any of those things actually legitimate concerns as far as you’ve experienced? I know thing like this can often be on an individual basis too.
To anyone with suggestions,
I’ve had digestive issues for years which started off with GERD and now includes Gastroparesis. I’m intrigued by the low carb diet and how it can help but is this possible when someone like me struggles to keep weight on? Losing weight is the last thing I want but do want to get rid of digestive issues. I’m familiar with bone broths and make weekly and gluten free but still eat potatoes, yams, white rice, buckwheat, squash and most root veggies. Would appreciate any feedback!
Thanks,
Stephanie