GERD is when acid reflux and heartburn affect you frequently and disrupt your life. Because there are many blockbuster medications to treat GERD, and because the standard American diet is full of GERD triggers, it’s a bit over treated.
GERD and its treatment are pretty mild (relatively speaking, of course). Past studies have found that chronically popping antacids can lower your IQ, and that the GI tract can adjust to these meds, basically building tolerance.
A new study has found that GERD medications (proton pump inhibitors) also increase the risk of B12 deficiency. Basically, B12 comes from meat, and you need acid to make it absorbable. (Aging can also affect this process as many people start to produce less bile).
You have some options to combat vitamin B12 deficiency:
-Take a B Vitamin. Welltrient’s CoEnzyme B Complex comes readily digestible, so you don’t have to worry about your stomach acid or lack thereof.
And naturally treat your GERD (the lower your medication dose, the less likely you’ll be B12 deficient, so make some lifestyle adjustments then talk to your doctor).:
-Stop smoking—smoking increases your GERD.
-Avoid trigger foods (these can vary).
-Eat frequent small meals, not big infrequent ones (also great diet advice!).
-Don’t eat before bed. Standard advice is 3 hours, but if you follow the small meal rule you can get away with less.
-Try sleeping on your left side (this encourages your stomach-throat valve to naturally close).
Do you have GERD? What are your trigger foods?
