Learning about your diet and it's relation to your health

Try to have a chamomille tea after each meal!
You won't use any medicaments anymore!

Have you heard of the blood type diet? I have read the book but I wasn't realy persuaded.
Some friends of mine found it miraculous.
According to this theory we have to feed our selves according to our blood-type.
The author of the book has a site www.dadamo.com.
Maybe you will find there what you are looking for.
Hope you will feel better soon
Don't forget the chamomille tea!

Best regards

:)

Hi W:

Maybe the "not eating all day" part of your post is part of the problem. I know it is for me. I get busy and 8 hours later I notice that I haven't eaten a thing. Try eating small amounts throughout the day. I know that this is easier said than done some times. Some folks that I know try to eat 6 or 7 small snack sized meals throughout the day. Small meals also gets the old metabolism cranked up again if it has gone into crash mode.

Take care of yourself W.

Hi Wendy,
I don't know if this is relevant to you or not, but heartburn is definitely linked (in part) to smoking. Where I have worked, most cooks were heavy smokers andy many experienced heart burn. Shortly after they laid off the smokes, they felt better.

One author that I really like when it comes to all things nutritional is Dr. Andrew Weil. He's a practicing doctor who has a more integrative approach to health. He mistrusts radical and fad diets and instead promotes healthier living in a way that is accessible to most. He acknowledges the fact that food is an important source of pleasure and has a key function in normal social interaction. In his book Eating Well for Optimum Health, he explains your body's regenerative systems to help us understand the connections between our food and our state of health. I highly recommend this book.

Try eating ginger it does help with heartburn Wendy. Drink ginger ale and add a few slices of ginger. Or Japanese pickled ginger maybe…kidding.

I have Food That Heals Food That Harms an informative book on food. If you are looking for something specific let me know and I’ll check it for you.

Ascertain that you don't have a hiatal hernia, a tear in the diaphragm.

Other patients have an overactive nerve supply to the digestive glands, hence TAGAMET.

As I have gotten older I do notice I react differently to certain foods(not that being 30 is over the hill). If I eat a lot of tomato products and very spicy stews, particularly if the tomatoes are in big chunks, I do notice I get heartburn. But sometimes it's a hit or miss situation. I've recently developed migraine headeaches, but I don't think it's triggered by food. I think it would be a good idea to keep a diary on what we eat when the symptoms occur. I'm sure there are some internet sites out there with good info., as well as talking to your doctor.

Wendy,

Have you thought of seeing a dietician? She/he might be able to help you improve your diets and give you more advice on what you should eat.

If you want more medical information on heartburn or any other topics visit [URL=http://www.merck.com/pubs/]The Merck Manual[/URL. It's one of the best ressource on the net for medical information.

from Foods Thats Harm Foods That Heal:

You should cut down on: Alcohol, caffeine, and coffee in all forms, tomato based and other acidic foods.

Heartburn caused by reflux can usually be controlled with a few lifestyle changes, starting with adopting a low fat diet that includes a balance of protein, starches, and fiber rich vegetables and fruits. Fatty foods takes longer to digest and thus slow down the rate of food emptying from the stomach. Coffee including decaffeinated brands, promotes high acid production; so does tea, cola drinks and other sources of caffeine. There is no evidence that spicy foods - except possibly, red and black pepper- cause indigestion, but people who find that a highly spiced meal is followed by discomfort would be better off shunning such seasonings.

Avoid large meals, especially late in the day and try not to eat in the two hours before bedtime. Sit up straight after meals; bending over, slouching or lying down increase pressure on the stomach and promote reflux. Stop cigarette smoking; nicotine relaxes the muscular sphincter between the esophagus and stomach. Limit alcohol intake to an occasional glass of wine or beer.

The use of nonprescription antacids to treat heartburn by neutralizing or suppressing stomach acid is questionable ; the problem is not too much acid but instead, acid in the wrong place. If you find they do help, how ever, follow the instructions and never take them for longer than recommended.

If you want more information or ressources let me know.

Angrychef:

Your migraines could be caused by neck misalignments. Some SOME some of my patients have responded well to chiropractic neck adjustments. The intensity and frequency of their migraines have reduced or disappeared - eliminating the need for their medication. In all fairness some other patients have had to continue with their medication. I can't heal everyone.


To All:

I've noticed that as I've gotten older I can't eat certain foods or I eat alot less of them. Nowadays a nice steak lasts for three meals instead of one. I can no longer eat Dryers Vanilla ice cream. Blue Bunny ice cream, however, tastes great.

Our gastro intestinal tract wears out over time, causing poorer absorption of nutrients. Hence the need for a vitamin supplement such as Centrum (or whatever works for you).

[ September 24, 2001: Message edited by: kokopuffs ]

diet isn't the ONLY factor to consider, though, w...

i had a friend who had some kind of condition where his stomach just overproduced the acids needed for digestion...and used to just always have heartburn...every day. they gave him some drug to reduce the acid production of his stomach, i think, and it worked.

also sometimes the little flap that closes over the food-pipe (i think it's called the glottis?) isn't quite big enough and so the stomach's digestive juices tend to work their way up more.

i'm not a doctor, obviously...but i've known people that have been diagnosed for each of these.

certain foods, though, it's true, are just better to avoid if heartburn is a problem. dairy's a big one, tomato products, red wine, fruits like kiwi, pineapple, or citrus. anything that has a good amount of acidity, basically.

things that work to counteract it are things that "soak up" or counter balance all these acids. bread works for me. so does something cakey for dessert, or simply having a croissant or a muffin with a glass of orange juice. (if i have oj by itself i get terrible heartburn)

i also find digestifs to be helpful. it might sound strange, but having a "bitter" drink like coffee, grappa, or amaro after a meal seems to have a pleasant effect on digestion for me.

Elakin:

Angostura Bitters is a digestif, made with Gentian Root. Read the label on the bottle; it's very informative. Another digestif is Ginger Root.

My earlier post in this thread mirrors - somewhat - what you've said.

I know some of you are dismissive of limited carbohydrate diets, but I and others have found the regime helpful. I was diagnosed with GERD five years ago after an endoscopy. I had been on two capsules of Prilosec daily for several years (usual dose is one per day), but since eating this way for the past two years, I find I can often do with one capsule per day. May not work for everyone, but it's worth a try for, say, a week or so. Notice I'm not advocating "very low carbs", just limited (150 carbs per day or less). Interesting that several of you advocate ginger as a digestif. That does give me heartburn, although I love it! I used to drink ginger tea but had to give it up for that reason.

Wendy,


You should ask your doctor to refer you to a dietician. Or go to the hospital where the transplant will be done. They will be better equipped to answer your questions. Please don't go by the yellow pages. You want to have references so you don't end up with someone who might not be as qualify as you'd like.


To find good medical information you should start at hospital, university or pharmaceutical websites. You need to know the information is exact this is why I always start from a place I can trust. Then I can follow their links.

There are many way to search for information. You can start with an organ, disease or medical speciality and see where it leads you. I have done a lot of medical research on the net so if you need more information and resources. If you need more information you can send me a message I’ll be happy to help you.

The "thing" about health care is the one needs to shop around for the right practitioner. Too bad that it may become costly in terms of time and/or money.

Esophageal Anatomy

NutritionPost:

There's no "flap" in the esophagus as I recall - only an upper and lower esophageal sphincter. Either one can fail to to close completely which allows reflux.

Don't forget the hiatal hernia, where an imperfection in the diaphragm allows reflux of the gastric contents. The imperfection occurs where the esophagus passes thru the diaphragm.

Dietician vs Nutritionist

In general terms:

A dietician is concerned with food and overall diet, what goes into your system from the dinner plate.

A nutritionist focuses on the individual chemical content of foods: a certain amino acid for example.

Chinese herbal medicine is pretty affective for heartburn and more serious digestive disorders, but the problem is being available and having the time to boil them up and the more serious point that they can be absoulutely DISGUSTING. I used to take them and they tasted like a mixture of mud, radioactive waste (or what i assume it would taste like), and two week old sweaty socks. I've found it much easier going to a western herbalist and getting a tincture that I take twice a day in water. It also works. All Chinese herbs may not be as bad as the ones I took - my docotr did warn me that they were very bitter, he didn't say that they were slightly better than being punched in stomach! But he may have been to herbalists what Steve martin was to dentists in Little Shop of Horrors;)

dietician

Do work through a doctor for a referral to a dietician(actually work through a doctor period to find the root of the problem as, as stated, it might not just be diet).

Also the transplant center that you are working through for the transplant should have a dietician on staff. My husband was on a transplant list for multiple years and we met with the dietician regularly to discuss dietary needs. Though he was the transplant patient I'm sure the dietician is available to the donor as well when the donor is known.

Good luck!

W. de Bord - sent you a private message. :)