Acid reflux, more precisely
gastro-oesophageal reflux disease, is caused due
to malfunctioning of the lower oesophageal
sphincter, clinically called the LES, and hyper
acidity in the stomach. Acid reflux happens when
the oesophagus, which carries food and beverages
into the stomach and is guarded by the LES, that
should allow entry of the eatables into the
stomach but otherwise, should remain shut, fails
in its duty to do so.
On account of muscle
flaccidity and pressure of the gas built up within
the stomach due to over production of hydrochloric
acid in it, the LES often opens up, resulting in
backward flow or reflux of acidic stomach contents
into the oesophagus, giving rise to moderate or
even severe heartburn and associated discomfort.
Apart from sporadic use of anti-acidic medications
and home remedies believed to reduce the symptoms,
no specific treat for this distressing disease
condition has yet been found by conventional
medicine.
As a first step towards reaching the
goal, all acidic food and beverages were discarded
from the menu of the people suffering from acid
reflux. The list of untouchables contain tomatoes,
along with all its derivatives like tomato sauce,
tomato ketchup, tomato soup; citrus fruits like
orange juice, pineapple juice, etc and alcohol
since most forms of alcohol available in the US
are acidic in nature. Since beer (though having
less acidic content in it) also has some amount of
alcohol, it was naturally banned for acid reflux
patients.
However, a recent research suggests
that 'Unfiltered Wheat Based Beer' can be
safely termed as "acid reflux beer" as it
reportedly does not aggravate the disease
condition.
Disputing this newly discovered acid
reflux beer, another group of people are of the
opinion that the only beer that may be judged as
truly acid reflux beer is nothing but the Natural Brew
'Draft' Root Beer. The inner ingredients of
this beer, they argue, do not stimulate over
production of stomach acids and so may be consumed
safely. This proclamation may be partly true since
some of the components involved in the brewing
process which include sarsaparilla, liquorice,
cinnamon and ginger do have anti-acidic
properties.
In fact, Sarsaparilla which is widely
grown in parts of South America, India and China
is often used as home-made treat for heartburn.
Interestingly, root beer used to be quite a common
drink in the United States during pre-Coca Cola
days, when incidence of acid reflux was relatively
fewer than what it is today.
To minimize the impact of beer in
triggering your acid reflux, you can try the
following –
·
Use water or club soda to dilute the
beer
·
Drink in
moderation
·
Choose the non-alcoholic variety of
beer
·
Rely on your personal experience to
determine which kind of beer is the best/worst for
your acid reflux condition
Sadly, many acid reflux patients make
the costly mistake of seeking conventional
remedies that actually do not work in the long
run, but instead inflict dangerous side-effects.
Holistic remedy on the other hand is the best
because it can challenge the multiple factors that
cause acid reflux. It treats the body as a whole
and not just the symptoms of the disease and this
is why it is so successful. It also comes without the side-effects
of conventional medicine and does not compromise
on your inner vitality. Holistic treatment is your
best bet for treating acid reflux.
