Natural Alternatives for Heartburn and Acid Reflux Medications

Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) like Nexium, Prilosec and Prevacid are taken daily by 20 million Americans for heartburn symptoms. These drugs have been linked to a heightened risk for a number of serious health problems that are much scarier than heartburn, including: chronic kidney disease, pneumonia, osteoporosis, hip fractures, dementia, heart disease, and heart attacks.
There are many ways to eliminate heartburn or acid reflux without drugs, starting with eating real food and probiotic-rich fermented foods like Kefir. There are also supplements available to help treat the underlying cause without the nasty side-effects.

The theory that heartburn symptoms is caused by too much stomach acid has been disproven. Most cases of heartburn are actually caused by one or more of the following scenarios:

• Insufficient amounts of stomach acid: That burning sensation is not caused by too much acid, but instead by the rotting food that is sitting in your digestive track because it is not being properly broken down due to lack of stomach acids. Swap out your processed table salt for an unprocessed Himalayan salt. Take a tablespoon of raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar before meals and/or take a hydrochloric acid supplement with meals. (Order a supplement here and enter code: BaltuskaChiropractic)
• Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) imbalance: While H. pylori can be part of your normal healthy microbiome, it can cause problems, including symptoms of acid reflux and heartburn if there’s an overgrowth of it. This typically occurs over time as a result of poor food choices. Avoid processed, high sugar “food-like” substances.
• Hiatal hernia: Some people actually have anatomical abnormalities in which part of the stomach actually slides up through the ring that the esophagus descends. See a Chiropractor to have your stomach adjusted into proper position.
• Food allergies: Hypersensitivity to foods often contribute to acid reflux.  Eliminate common culprits such as wheat, dairy, sugar, caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine.

The uncomfortable symptoms that your body is signaling to you is a cry for help to correct an imbalance before it becomes a larger problem. When you mask this signal with prescription drugs, it only allows for the imbalance to fester into something far worse that is harder to correct. If you have become dependent on medication to control your acid reflux and heartburn symptoms for some time, do not stop taking them “cold turkey”.  Instead, as you ease into some of the natural alternatives, slowly wean your dependency over time. It will be worth the hassle and effort to avoid the disasters of long term use.

A charley horse, or muscle cramp, is a common condition that results in your muscles becoming tight, stiff and extremely painful.

These muscle cramps are referred to as “charley horses” because of Charley “Old Hoss” Radbourne, an 1880s-era baseball pitcher who often suffered from muscle cramps during games.

What Causes a Charley Horse?

About 1 in every 3 adults is affected by muscle cramps in their lower limbs. I get asked very frequently from my patients about these pains. In many cases, the pain is temporary and goes away on its own, but for some the cramps interfere with sleep, quality of life and daily activities. Anyone can get a charley horse, but they’re most common in the following populations and scenarios:

• During exercise
• At nighttime, especially in the elderly
• In pregnant women
• In people with neurological disease
• During kidney dialysis

Many medications are also associated with muscle cramps, including statin cholesterol-lowering drugs, blood pressure drugs, certain asthma drugs, diuretics and more. In addition, the following factors may also increase your risk of a muscle cramp:

• Poor blood circulation in your legs
• Muscle fatigue
• Dehydration
• Mineral deficiencies, including magnesium, potassium or calcium

Is Magnesium Deficiency Causing Your Charley Horses?

Up to 80 percent of Americans are not getting enough magnesium and may be deficient. Magnesium is often thought of primarily as a mineral for your heart and bones, but this is misleading. Researchers have now detected 3,751 magnesium-binding sites on human proteins, indicating that its role in human health and disease may have been vastly underestimated.

If you suffer from headaches or charley horses, low levels of magnesium could be to blame. Magnesium is necessary for activating muscles and nerves, and a key sign of ongoing magnesium deficiency can be headaches, muscle contractions and cramps like charley horses.

Low Potassium Levels May Also Trigger a Charley Horse

Potassium, a mineral and electrolyte, is essential for your cells, tissues and organs to function properly. It plays a vital role in heart health, digestive and muscular function, bone health and more. One of the symptoms of low potassium levels is muscle cramps.

While potassium is found in many foods commonly consumed in the U.S. such as fruits, vegetables, dairy products, salmon, sardines and nuts.

Potassium is a nutrient that needs to be kept in proper balance with sodium in your blood. If you consume too much sodium, which is common if you eat a lot of processed foods, you’ll have an increased need for potassium.

Others who are at particular risk of low potassium, or hypokalemia, are those with chronic malabsorption syndromes, such as Crohn’s disease, or those taking heart medicine. However, anyone who eats a poor diet with an excess of processed foods and not enough fresh, whole foods is potentially at risk of inadequate potassium levels and related muscle cramps.

Green vegetable juicing is an excellent way to ensure you’re getting enough nutrients for optimal health. Some additional rich sources of potassium are: Lima beans, winter squash, cooked spinach, and avocados.

Too Little Calcium May Trigger Muscle Cramps

Low blood levels of calcium may increase the excitability of nerve endings and the muscles they stimulate. Good sources of calcium include nuts, seeds and raw, organic, grass-fed dairy, and vegetables. Homemade bone broth is another excellent source. Simply simmer leftover bones over low heat for an entire day to extract the calcium from the bones. You can use this broth for soups and stews or drink it straight.

What to Do If You Get a Charley Horse

A charley horse often occurs without notice, sometimes waking you up from sound sleep. If you’re lying down when the pain starts, stand up and put some weight on your foot. (Easier said than done) Walking around will help to increase blood circulation to your muscles and possibly help to soothe and relax the cramp.

You can also try a simple stretch. If the cramp is in your calf in the back of your lower leg, pull your toes and foot upward until you feel a stretch in the back of your leg. You can also do this sitting down with your legs outstretched. Put a towel around your feet and gently pull both ends toward you until you feel a stretch.

Soaking in an Epsom salt bath may also help to relieve pain and possibly help with prevention. Massaging the area and applying a heat pack will increase blood flow to the area promoting healing and soothing pain.

Staying well-hydrated is also important for muscle cramp prevention. You’ll want to drink enough pure filtered water so that your urine is pale yellow in color. In addition, performing regular stretching exercises on your legs may help reduce your risk of a charley horse.

Chiropractic care will ensure that your skeletal system is in proper alignment and that your nervous system is functioning well. Regular adjustments will balance any bio-mechanical malfunctions that cause undue tension in specific areas of the body. Schedule your Adjustment online now at this link or call 913-283-9803.