Could A Supplement called MSM Be The Answer?
Acid reflux or gerd (gastroesophageal reflux disease) is a condition in which fluid splashes up from the stomach into the esophagus. This fluid contains mostly acid with some pepsin and bile. All three of these fluids are potentially dangerous to the sensitive esophageal tissue, with acid being the most harmful. This refluxed fluid can inflame and damage the lining of the esophagus (esophagitis). If this condition is allowed to become chronic, it can in time develop into Barrett’s esophagus, which is the precursor of esophageal cancer.
Over 15 million Americans experience acid reflux daily. People at all ages are susceptible to this condition. Older people who suffer from acid reflux tend to be more seriously affected than younger people. 13,000 people are diagnosed with esophageal cancer each year. At least 12,000 people die from it. The overall survival rate is very poor. Acid reflux is the greatest known risk factor for developing Barrett’s Esophagus, which can become esophageal cancer.
Barrett’s esophagus occurs when chronic acid reflux or esophagitis is not controlled. Through constant inflammation and damage, the normal cells that line the esophagus called squamous cells turn into specialized columnar cells. Columnar cells are not normally found in human beings and can become cancerous.
Although this can happen to anyone, it usually occurs in people over forty who have had regular bouts of heartburn for more than five years. Some of the symptoms are difficulty in swallowing and being awakened in the night by the pain of heartburn. Some people have no symptoms at all.
Scar tissue can develop from the constant attack of acid on the tender lining of the esophagus. The tissue can become thickened and hard, making the esophagus narrower. This can make it difficult to swallow food or even water.
I am a firm believer in natural cures versus conventional medicine. When I go to a doctor it is for diagnostic purposes only. Then, instead of subjecting myself to a barrage of harmful pills and painful procedures, I attempt to cure the condition myself by using alternative methods. I have found that MSM (methylsulfonylmethane) has the ability to soften scar tissue, making it flexible and permeable. I believe that by taking MSM on a regular basis, one can possibly avoid the severe problems associated with chronic acid reflux.
MSM has been touted as the greatest natural healing agent since vitamin C. It seems to have the power to reduce pain and inflammation. It is currently being used to treat a wide range of ailments including, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis and gout. It’s even being used as a treatment for snoring and constipation. MSM has been used with great success on horses and dogs, to control the inflammation associated with allergies.
I use MSM to relieve the summer allergies of my twelve year old Jack Russell Terrier, Jack Pot. It works like magic. By giving him a gram of MSM in a little cheese twice a day, I have reduced his itching and running eyes, which are associated with air born allergies, to a bare minimum.
I also use MSM drops for my eyes. It evidently has the power to reduce, if not prevent, cataracts. It seems to dissolve them. My mother had cataracts in both eyes. She had one removed by her ophthalmologist. When she told me what she had one, I put her on MSM drops immediately. When she went back to the doctor for her pre-surgery exam for the second eye, they discovered that the other cataract had completely disappeared.
Aren’t cataracts a form of scar tissue? I believe that scar tissue and Barrett’s Esophagus have an important connection. Therefore, if MSM does, in fact, have this beneficial effect on scar tissue, perhaps it can prevent, or at least improve Barrett’s esophagus. Maybe MSM can help prevent this kind of cancer? I don’t know, but I will continue to take it rather than to subject myself to so called “modern medicine”.
If you should choose to go the allopathic medical route, diagnosis of Barrett’s Esophagus involves an endoscopy. The doctor sticks a long mechanical tube down your throat to observe the esophagus and perform a biopsy. It can’t be a very pleasant procedure. And what if the results are negative? The doctor will most likely prescribe drugs which have harmful side effects. Some of these drugs include H2 blockers like cimetidine, ranitidine, and famotidine. Or he may prescribe the drugs omeprazole and lansoprazole, which are proton pump inhibitors.
Some of he side effects of these drugs are: headache, disturbances of the gut such as diarrhea, constipation, nausea, vomiting or abdominal pain, excess gas in the stomach and intestines (flatulence), dry mouth, skin reactions such as rash and itch, inflammation of the skin (dermatitis), dizziness, pain in the muscles and joints, swelling of the legs and ankles due to excess fluid retention (peripheral edema), pins and needles (paraesthesia), depression, agitation, confusion, difficulty sleeping (insomnia), sleepiness (somnolence), liver or blood disorders. The list goes on and on.
If the drugs don’t work then he’ll most likely suggest a surgical procedure called fundoplication, which entails removing the damaged part of the esophagus and attaching the remaining section to the stomach.
For myself, I will continue to search for and experiment with natural cures for acid reflux. I think that perhaps the medical approach could be worse than the disease itself.
I was a victim of acid reflux for many years. I had disappointing experiences with doctors, who knew nothing about nutrition or alternative medicine. Basically, doctors only know how to write prescriptions. They know nothing about healing. They are only taught how to treat symptoms by dealing drugs that support the pharmaceutical industry.
The Proton pump inhibitors, which my doctor prescribed, ultimately didn’t work for me. Besides the harmful side effects caused by these drugs, no one really know what the long tern affect of them is on the human body.
Since conventional medicine didn’t help me, I was highly motivated to explore alternative means of healing myself. After much research and experimentation, I did find natural ways which allowed me to ultimately cure my acid reflux condition. MSM was one of them.
For information on how to heal acid reflux the natural way, go to: http://www.refluxgoneforever.com
Acid Reflux Disease - The Pharmaceutical Hoax!
Date: Friday August 14, 2009Posted in: Alternative Medicine
The medical community would have you believe that only drugs can treat and heal acid reflux disease. This is simply not true - there are natural ways to heal this condition. PPI drugs (proton pump inhibitors), like Nexium, Prilosec, Prevacid and Protonix should only be be taken for eight weeks, at most. Doctors are aware of this, but most patients continue to take these drugs on a permanent basis. Unfortunately, there are no studies determining what the long term effects of these drugs are on the human body.
PPI drugs actually shut down the pumps that produce the stomach acid necessary to digest food. You have to wonder how the human body digests and assimilates food properly without stomach acid. How does a body remain healthy without the proper digestion of food? Is this natural?
I used to suffer from acute acid reflux. I was addicted to a PPI drug…..that certain “colored pill”. After several years of taking this drug, my condition became worse and I was told to double the dose. I began to feel sluggish and tired. My vision suffered and my blood pressure went off the charts. I realized that these were probably side effects of the PPI drug. I did some research and found that there were hundreds of possible harmful side effects, including:
Headache, diarrhea, nausea, abdominal pain, dry mouth, aggravated
constipation, enlarged abdomen, back pain, chest pain, anemia, allergic
reaction, hypertension, tachycardia, goiter, tinnitus, facial edema, conjunctivitis, vision abnormal, aggravated depression, dizziness,
hypertonia, nervousness, cystitis, insomnia, migraine, anorexia, acne,
dermatitis, glycosuria, hyperuricemia, hyponatremia, arthritis aggravated,
tongue edema, ulcerative stomatitis, impotence, insomnia, to name a few.
I mean, who needs tongue edema, impotence or aggravated constipation? Good God! I knew that I had to stop taking this drug! But when I tried, the acid pumps, which had been shut off for so long, went wild and produced more acid than ever before. I have never suffered so much in my life….even drinking water gave me severe indigestion. My doctor suggested that I get back on the pill. He had no other advice to offer.
I became determined to beat this dreadful condition - beat the curse of the big drug companies! I really had no choice, because medical science, apparently, had no solution for my problem. I began extensive research on the subject and found out some very interesting things.
Acid reflux is big business. It’s a drug company’s dream come true. Millions of Americans suffer from acid reflux. Many millions more experience the pain of heartburn, ranging from once a month to every day. This affliction is the result of the splashing up of fluids from the stomach into the esophagus. These fluids are composed of hydrochloric acid, pepsin and occasionally liver bile. Stomach fluid helps break down the food we eat so that it can be digested. The hydrochloric acid in the stomach fluid helps prevent harmful bacteria from multiplying in the stomach and intestines. Although hydrochloric acid also helps the body absorb vitamins and nutrients, it is a very strong corrosive. The stomach holds this powerful acid in check with a special protective lining. The esophagus, however, does not have this protection. When acid splashes up through the lower esophageal sphincter into the esophagus, we have the problems of heartburn, gerd, or acid reflux. This condition, if left unchecked, can eventually lead to Barrett’s Disease, or cancer of the esophagus.
Of course, I found all this to be quite scary and, since drugs were not the answer for me, I had to find alternative ways to treat this condition. I researched the subject even further and found a plethora of natural things that could heal acid reflux. First of all, I learned that acid reflux is not a disease, but a condition that begins when the esophagus becomes irritated. Let’s say that you are watching an exciting ball game on TV. Someone hands you a bag of corn chips and without thinking, you eat them too fast, without chewing properly. The jagged edges of the chips have caused little lacerations in the esophagus that you’re not even aware of. Later that evening you are invited to a Mexican chili party. The spicy tomato sauce in the chili further irritates those injuries. You wash down the chili with alcohol or soda, making it even worse. Before you know it, you have a full blown case of acid reflux. Until you allow your esophagus to heal, you will continue to suffer from this condition.
I was astounded to find that the esophagus can be healed in about three days. Simply eating foods that are easy to digest, three or four times during the day, and omitting the regular big meals, is the key. I ate fruits like bananas, melon and apples during the day. I snacked on walnuts and almonds. I found that eating slowly in a relaxed atmosphere and chewing food well helped enormously. There are foods and drinks which should obviously be avoided like those which are fried, spicy, or too crunchy. Alcohol and carbonated drinks are a definite no-no . We are all aware of which foods trigger our indigestion. You just have to avoid them for a few days until you are over the hump.
There are many natural herbs and health store items which can assist in this healing process. Slippery elm, Twig tea, aloe vera juice, licorice products and orange peel extract can be of great value, just to mention a few. Removing stress from your life is essential during this period. Yoga and meditation are worth considering to ward off the daily angst.
I managed to stop taking those harmful and expensive drugs, in favor of natural remedies. I cured my acid reflux condition. I am drug free. You can do it too.
