Page 17 - Summer2018

Think about these facts for a moment and let OVERVIEW OF GERD The standard
them sink in. Then consider the fact that in my The esophagus is the tube that carries food allopathic
small private practice in Bergen County, New from the mouth to the stomach. GERD occurs
Jersey, I see on average two new patients a week when the stomach contents move retrograde medical
with GERD symptoms. These patients range back up through the esophageal sphincter up approach to
in age from as young as twenty to the elderly. into the esophagus and, at times, all the way the treatment
Almost all have sought medical treatment before back up into the mouth. GERD symptoms vary
coming to me, and one after the other ends up on widely in both presentation and severity, from of GERD is
my office doorstep looking for a better answer a subtle chronic cough or pain in the abdomen not only
for their problem than the prescription medica- to ulcers and even erosion of the esophagus. fundamentally
tions and over-the-counter (OTC) antacids they A discussion of the stomach’s anatomy and
have come to rely on. function can provide a better understanding of flawed, it
One glaring problem with the status quo is just what is occurring in GERD. The stomach actually makes
that most patients are very unsuspecting when is a muscular organ, somewhat J-shaped, which the problem
it comes to the risks associated with long-term lies in the upper left quadrant of the abdominal
use of the various OTC and prescription drugs cavity. It is closed off at the uppermost section worse, not
recommended for GERD. For all that these pa- from the esophagus by the lower esophageal better.
tients know (or are told by their physicians), their sphincter (LES), a muscular ring responsible
problem is caused by too much stomach acid, for opening and closing to allow passage of food
and neutralizing that acid with OTC antacids into the stomach and prevent it from moving
or shutting down acid production (as is the case back up into the esophagus. The esophagus must
with PPIs and H2 antagonist medications) just first pass through the diaphragm in order to en-
seems to make logical and harmless sense. What ter the abdominal cavity. It does so with the help
I hope to prove in this article is that the standard of the LES, which forms the “door” between
allopathic medical approach to the treatment the esophagus and the stomach (Figure 1, left).
of GERD is not only fundamentally flawed, it The stomach’s lining is made up of special-
actually makes the problem worse, not better, ized cells known as goblet cells, which secrete
and can set a person up for a lifetime of health a protective coating of mucous. This smooth
problems. But before I expound further on the lining is interspersed with millions of deep
dangers presented by the allopathic medical gastric pits where specialized glands produce
treatment of GERD, let’s take a look at what the gastric juices. Within these pits are parietal
exactly GERD is. cells and chief cells. The parietal cells pump

ARTICLE SUMMARY
• Western allopathic medicine blames GERD on the flawed and outdated theory of stomach acid overproduction, but
GERD is actually due to a lack of stomach acid, which can arise in response to multiple triggers.
• Hydrochloric acid plays a critical role in maintaining the stomach’s pH, which enables the first phase of digestion to
occur efficiently.
• GERD symptoms vary widely in both presentation and severity.
• Incorrectly addressing the early stages of GERD as a problem of too much stomach acid turns it into something far
more deleterious.
• Antacids, histamine 2 (H2) antagonists and proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) all have serious long-term risks and side effects.
• Factors that can trigger GERD include gut dysbiosis, medications, hiatal hernias, the standard American diet (SAD)
and stress.
• Diagnosis of GERD requires a thorough health history and assessment of digestive function and inflammation.

• Treatment of GERD may involve correction of hiatal hernias, enzymes, selected supplements and a healing diet that
emphasizes bone broth and lacto-fermented foods.

SUMMER 2018 Wise Traditions 15