The main symptoms of GERD are persistent heartburn and acid regurgitation, but some have GERD without heartburn. Instead, they experience pain in the chest, hoarseness in the morning, or trouble swallowing. It may feel like food is stuck in your throat like you are choking or your throat is tight. Heartburn can have causes that aren't due to underlying disease. Examples include spicy food, alcohol, overeating, or tight clothing.

The medical approach to treating GERD is the use of antacids and medications, called proton pump inhibitors, to reduce stomach acid. In some cases, surgery will be recommended to correct a Hiatal Hernia, which occurs when the upper part of your stomach, the esophageal sphincter, bulges through your diaphragm into your chest cavity. The problem with the medications given for GERD is that they are found to lead to osteoporosis if taken long-term. If you decrease your stomach acidity, you don’t digest food properly, and you don’t absorb the minerals you need to maintain healthy bones.

The real issue is that most people do not have too much stomach acid, they have too little. This is especially common in older adults. The stomach produces hydrochloric acid, pepsin, and gastric lipase. Before the food arrives, the stomach normally has a pH between 5.0 and 6.0. In young, healthy adults it takes about 45 minutes before enough acid is generated to drop the pH to 3.0. This is because stomach acid is secreted into the stomach in response to the expansion of the stomach wall. When the stomach acidity increases, the pyloric valve opens, allowing the stomach contents to dump into the small intestine.

The stomach is responsible for preliminary digestion and kills any pathogenic microorganisms you might have eaten. If the proper acidity is not reached, the body will not allow the stomach contents to continue on. Instead, the body will protect you from possible harm from stomach contents which are now putrefying, and not digesting properly. The way to get rid of this unhealthy bolus of food is for it to move up, out of the stomach, into the esophagus. This is GERD.

SOLUTIONS FOR GERD:

1. Chiropractic adjustments: We often find Subluxations (Misalignments) in the mid-thoracic area, the area that supplies the stomach and esophagus. This helps normalize the production of acid and enzymes, allowing normal digestion.
2. Soft tissue abdominal manipulation to pull the stomach down if it has bulged up through the diaphragm.
3. Take specific digestive enzymes and/or hydrochloric acid with meals to enhance digestion and speed the time it takes the stomach to dump into the small bowel. We first recommend the apple cider vinegar test (attached here), to make sure that the stomach is not too inflamed to handle this increased acidity and enzymes.

Other tips to avoid GERD: Avoid lying down for at least 2 hours after eating, eat light at your evening meal, avoid caffeine, citrus juice, alcohol, and caffeine.

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