Before
delving deeper into the wine and acid
reflux problem, it may be prudent to get into
the bottom of acid reflux first and then see how
wine fits into the subject. Acid reflux or
gastroesophageal acid reflux (disease) commonly
called GERD involves two very clear cut
significant issues. They are (1) weak lower
esophageal sphincter (LES) that involuntarily
opens up, permitting part of the acidic stomach
contents to reflux back into esophagus, causing
heartburn and (2) too much of acid built up within
the stomach, creating unusual pressure within, so
that the LES is forced to open up.
Both
these factors may again be caused due to the
following…
- Leading
an apparently wrong lifestyle, eating and
drinking what does not suit the
person
- Gluttony
- Maintaining
irregular meal times, causing gastric juices to
overflow as food intakes are
untimely
- Eating
fatty or spicy food that demands more stomach
acids
- Chain
smoking that causes more nicotinic acid to get
into the stomach
- Genetic
or hereditary malfunctioning of hormones and
many more unknown
factors.
In
this vast sea of fathomless factors it may be
difficult to determine if and how wine can play a
prominent role. And then there are various kinds
of wines, like Red, White, Dry, Sour, Sweet,
Aromatic, Old and New. So, a person may complain
of acid reflux from Red wine but in another case,
a glass of White wine might not lead to the same
story. The perplexed doctor has nothing more to
say but to advise sticking to one’s own brand.
However, that hardly addresses the problem of wine
acid reflux.
The
following can be a classic case of red wine
acid reflux. A person may in a jovial mood
order a box of a branded Red wine, but it can lead
to a severe case of acid reflux. But what went
wrong with the wine? Some say the bottling was
defective while others argued that the box was the
culprit. However, chemical analysis later revealed
that the wine was pretty old and had turned into
wine vinegar due to ageing! Now who wouldn’t
experience severe heartburn after gulping gallons
of vinegar in a fit of
bliss?
The
truth is, alcohol is acidic in nature and is a
branded enemy for those who are affected with GERD
and that is probably why Englishmen staying in the
tropics during old colonial days always diluted
their scotch with carbonated (alkaline) drinks to
neutralize their sundowners. Wine on the other
hand is far less acidic as to cause acid reflux.
But then, a person’s constitution has a big say in
such matters and it may be a matter of trial and
error before someone can find out which wine suits
him.
When
suffering from GERD, the best option really is to
get treatment as soon as possible. But sadly, many
make the mistake of seeking conventional remedies
that really do not work. Holistic remedies on the
other hand work very well because they can
challenge the multiple factors that cause acid
reflux. Holistic remedies treat the body as a
whole and not just the symptoms of the disease and
this is why they are so
successful.
