To Anyone Who Has Acid Reflux, Indigestion, Or GERD

Post by **tex** » Fri Jul 22, 2011 8:30 am

Hi,

It has just come to my attention, after reading one of Dr. Cannell's past newsletters, (from the Vitamin D Council), that there is a good reason to suspect that GERD, and related issues that are caused by a weakened lower esophageal sphincter, may be related to vitamin D deficiency. Therefore, if you are having acid reflux/GERD issues, it would probably be very beneficial to get your vitamin D level up to where it should be - this may well help to resolve your reflux symptoms.

5,000 IU of vitamin D3 per day is a good, safe dose, but if your symptoms are severe, 10,000 IU per day will probably bring much faster results. If you know that your vitamin D level is low, then you would probably be way ahead to start with the higher dose. Regardless of your dose, you should have your 25(OH)D blood level checked, after about 2 months of such treatment, to determine whether your level is still low, or whether you might need to increase or lower the dose.

The decision as to what constitutes a favorable level, in your particular case, depends on your goals. Personally, I try to keep my 25(OH)D level up in the 70 to 100 ng/mL range, if possible, (IOW, near the top of the "normal" range), because it optimizes resistance to viruses and infections, and probably offers some degree of improved cancer suppression at that level. A level in the 40 to 50 ng/mL range is probably adequate for most purposes, such as preventing an increased risk of common diseases, and helping to prevent nutrient utilization problems, etc.

It's best to not take a PPI while doing this, because PPI's weaken the lower esophageal sphincter, and in many cases, they lead to a chronic condition of lower esophageal sphincter weakness, which, of course, perpetuates GERD problems.

Please keep us updated, if you have GERD or reflux problems, and you monitor your vitamin D level, because GERD is a common problem for many people who have MC. I have long wondered why it is so often associated with MC, and it's beginning to appear that a low vitamin D level, may be the common key.

Love,
Tex

dgshelton · Post by **dgshelton** » Fri Jul 22, 2011 10:15 am

Thanks for the info, Tex. My daughter, who I suspect is gluten intolerant, has been complaining of acid reflux lately. I have tried to get her to at least do a 2 week "trial" of going gluten free, but she refuses. She's 24, so I can't force her to do it. I have come to the conclusion that celiac disease is what ultimately killed my mother. As I have been doing research, I have found so many of her "unexplained" symptoms that are directly related to celiac. For instance, she had pulmonary fibrosis that her dr. could not figure out the cause of. He asked her every time he saw her if she had been exposed to asbestos. She was pretty sure she hadn't been. She also had problems with low calcium and iron. Her chart said unexplained anemia. It breaks my heart now to know that if only she had been tested for celiac, she might be alive today. Of course, the last few years of her life, her diet consisted of two pieces of toast for breakfast, a sandwich for lunch and more times than not, some type of bread with dinner. All of the research I've been doing makes me angry that more doctors don't realize the association of what their patient is eating with the symptoms they are having.

I needed to rant a little, sorry, I should probably have started a new thread.

Hugs,

sarkin · Post by **sarkin** » Fri Jul 22, 2011 11:25 am

I wonder about my mother, too, Denise. Who would think to test an elderly woman for celiac, since everyone "knows" exactly what it looks like, and she "should" have been symptomatic for decades? I feel very lucky to have had her in my life so long, and sorry I didn't know more that might have helped prevent or slow the frailty and debility that dogged her late years. (Her diet was also very bread-y - and her symptoms were multi-system and some long-term, not primarily GI... maybe my celiac gene was actually my dad's, and her was the other gluten-sensitive one? I will never know.)

I can see why your daughter is resisting - she feels mostly good, she's young, she has a lot of much more exciting things on her mind. I have a dear friend twice her age who's been Dx with Crohn's (took Asacol for 10 years), but her new GI told her she doesn't have it. She's had GERD for years, had to stop taking Fosamax for her terrible bone density (in her 30s!!!) because it made that worse. I have not said a word to her, but I have a feeling she knows what I think ;) (Surprised?) Let's just say, I didn't take her up on her GI doc recommendation. I think she should know better than your daughter - she has (of course) been tested for celiac, no doubt via blood test - and of course it was negative. So she "knows" she doesn't have it.

I would guess that your daughter knows what you think, and fears that you are right. Maybe you can gently support her in less-scary health thoughts, like making sure she gets plenty of Vitamin D. There's plenty of good evidence for that that has nothing to do with celiac - and if it can help her GERD, I bet she'd be open. Plus, it might mean that she's less severely affected by gluten sensitivity issues that might well be coming her way (it does seem to be protective, and I'm sure her doctor would be willing to test her levels, because it's sort of an 'in topic' at the moment - she could bring him/her that GERD reference, for example...). Meantime, I hope her health is good in every way possible, and I do think you'll hear from her when she's ready to take this on. Maybe sooner than you fear (but I hope not because of a health crisis).

Tex, this is helpful (and will give me something less gluten-y to say to all my friends who complain of GERD), thanks. I am definitely getting my levels tested.

Love,
Sara

Post by **tex** » Fri Jul 22, 2011 11:28 am

Denise,

My mother had some of the same issues, and her doctors never suspected gluten-sensitivity, (and of course, back then, I didn't know anything about it either, unfortunately). Toast and crackers were her preferred foods.

I can never keep track of who has which type of diabetes, but I noticed some interesting new research information suggesting that vitamin D may also play a role in preventing and/or controlling Type II diabetes, (vitamin D deficiency was previously connected with type I):

http://www.drbriffa.com/2011/07/19/vita ... -diabetes/

I also have shortness of breath, and related breathing issues, for which doctors can't find a reason. I first noticed the shortness of breath when my hypothyroidism symptoms began, (about 5 and a half years ago). We found the hypothyroidism, while seeking a reason for the shortness of breath. This was also the point at which my peripheral neuropathy symptoms first began to be noticeable.

Hugs,
Tex

sarkin · Post by **sarkin** » Fri Jul 22, 2011 11:43 am

Tex, I've had occasional shortness of breath for years - not all the time. In fact, I've always been easily winded, even when I was in much better shape. I'm going to pay attention to that - thanks. I just started using FitDay to log everything I eat, and the 'journal' section for symptoms, etc. It's in some ways harder to "flip through" than a notebook, but I saw right away that some days I just don't eat enough (my husband says he could have told me that), and also that I have a very different fat/carb/protein balance than I used to, which doesn't worry me but is worth attending to. (If low-carb eating is bad, I am in trouble - at least sometimes.)

My mother long ago told me a story about the time she had an upper-GI series, and I think also lower-GI... I have totally lost the point of the story, but now I wonder - what made her have that testing? I think it might have been before I was born, even. Obviously, someone without a complaint doesn't get that sort of test done.

My lab slip for blood tests includes thyroid testing, but I bet it's the very basic kind, not the thorough investigation of a possible problem. I was wondering about thyroid back before I got sick, so will add that to my notes for the followup visit. I would love to know how all these things have fluctuated, leading up to the 'crisis' MC crash, and in these months of recovery.

Love,
Sara

dgshelton · Post by **dgshelton** » Fri Jul 22, 2011 1:51 pm

I can remember when I was 8 years old having terrible stomach problems, so much so that I only weighed 40 pounds in the 3-4th grade. I think that would be classified these days as growth retardation. I was hospitalized several times in the small town where we lived in Mass. I was put through so many tests it was unreal. I missed so much school. I think the longest stretch without being hospitalized or missing for illness was 3 weeks. The doctors couldn't find anything wrong with me and told my mother that it was all in my head. I was faking weighing 40 pounds! Anyway, my mother took me to the Boston Children's Hospital, where I stayed for a month, with 2 weeks of that being in isolation because they couldn't figure out what was wrong with me. They even had me see a psychiatrist, who luckily, told them I didn't have a mental illness. They finally diagnosed me with giardia (they never figured out the source if that) and a hernia, which I got from picking up my brother, who was around 6 months at that time. I don't know if they tested me for celiac then or not. I guess if they did, it came out negative. I don't remember them ever doing an endoscopy on me. I remember that year of my life like it was yesterday. It's interesting that in all the pictures from that time, I was skin and bones, except I had a bloated belly. I have thought a lot about that time because I have read so many times that one of the hallmarks of children with celiac is being severely underweight and of short stature. (I'm 5' now) I don't think this relates to this thread, but all this thinking back about my mother, had me remembering that again.

Hugs,

sarkin · Post by **sarkin** » Fri Jul 22, 2011 2:25 pm

WOW, Denise. Wow.

I weighed more than that in 1st grade (47 lbs. - no idea why I remember), and I was the second smallest kid in my class. At least that psychiatrist was a smart guy

You are very lucky that he didn't diagnose you with a mental illness - quite honestly, I doubt most people could pass that test, if someone were looking for it. Especially after a couple of weeks in the hospital.

Luckier still would have been if all those docs hadn't been taught that celiac is "rare" - and that there was a way to test for it (as you said, *if* they tested you, you didn't produce the serum AGA antibodies they would have been looking for), and that there was no need to try a GF diet.

Just as I was about to post this, my friend called - she has Type 1 and migraines; one kid has migraines, asthma, and ADD; another is skinny and very short compared to his fraternal twin, and has terrible joint/bone pains. She's ordering the Enterolab tests NOW. I am sooo relieved.

I grew up in Mass., too - Wayland... where's your hometown?

love,
Sara

Post by **tex** » Fri Jul 22, 2011 3:21 pm

Denise wrote:I have thought a lot about that time because I have read so many times that one of the hallmarks of children with celiac is being severely underweight and of short stature.

And a bloated belly. It is very, very obvious that you have had celiac disease all your life. Any doctor who is not blind, and suffering from terminal ignorance, should have noticed those salient markers of celiac disease, the first time they saw you. The fact that the medical community was never able to diagnose your condition simply proves how pathetic and insensitive their overall protocol, and their diagnostic procedures actually are. Did I mention that I think that the standard routine for diagnosing celiac disease, and the celiac blood tests that are used, pretty much amount to nothing more than a cruel joke?

If there were any justice at all in this world, all those doctors who couldn't figure out what was wrong with you back then, would be receiving their diagnosis of MC about now, and hoping that the disease is just as benign as they're heard it should be.

Hugs,
Tex

dgshelton · Post by **dgshelton** » Fri Jul 22, 2011 3:51 pm

Sara - I was born in Methuen, but also lived in Medway and Franklin. It definitely sounds like their is some gluten intolerance going on in your friends house. I know she'll be looking to you for some help very soon.

Tex - I wonder if we do a poll, how many of us had hallmark celiac symptoms as a kid? Has a poll like that been done here before?

Hugs,

dgshelton · Post by **dgshelton** » Fri Jul 22, 2011 3:58 pm

I actually have a couple of fond memories from my hospital stays. One being, the sweetest young intern who was in charge if getting me to drink the nasty lime flavored barium. I threw it up every time I drank it. His solution was to get a little tea set and we had a tea party! He matched me cup for cup of that nasty stuff and when we were finished he gave me a piggyback ride down six flights of stairs to x-ray. I wish I could remember his name. I know that he must have become one fine doctor.

Hugs,

Post by **tex** » Fri Jul 22, 2011 4:52 pm

Denise,

Wow! That was an awesome intern.

I don't believe that we've ever done a poll on that particular subject. I kind of doubt that very many of us will recall celiac symptoms from our childhood, though. For example, the only one that I can remember was C, and most people wouldn't even associate that with gluten-sensitivity, though it's definitely a sign of food sensitivities.

Failure to recognize symptoms is a common problem. On my last poll, (about sleep disorders), for example, some members didn't recognize their obvious sleep disorders, because they had been dealing with them all their life, so they considered them to be normal, (for them, at least).

I'll see if I can figure out a way to set up a poll on that topic that might yield some useful data.

Hugs,
Tex

sarkin · Post by **sarkin** » Fri Jul 22, 2011 5:07 pm

Tex, you're right, but that kind of justice that doesn't come around quite fast enough, huh? I also love your idea that all GI docs should have to put in a few weeks of drug-induced colitis as part of their training. Denise, you probably would have been diagnosed faster if you'd been born many decades earlier. Those are not newly discovered symptoms, nor is celiac a newly described disease.

Denise, my mother was born in Methuen! What a small world...

That intern sounds wonderful. I bet only nurse's aides and orderlies are that caring these days, and then only if no one's watching to yell at them for inefficiency. Talk about solving a problem, instead of treating the patient like one!

I believe a huge, giant amount of what is known about celiac disease is just wrong. (Too late for a rant alert, right?) Unlike you, Denise, I did not have 'classic' CD symptoms all my life. I had no GI stuff at all, was small but not underweight or undergrowing (and my parents weren't tall, it was no surprise), was probably pretty average in colds/flu etc. I did have some exercise intolerance, just could not take tennis (or much else) in the heat, which was usually in allergy season... but nothing you'd associate with celiac at all. And neither did either of my parents.

I think there are dwillions of folks out there with celiac genetics - with no known celiac history in the family - and who have amorphous, general symptoms (or even severe, non-GI ones), and they are accumulating AI damage (as you perhaps did, Denise, with Type 1?) in many systems, and yet may never be diagnosed - not evenwhen they break a bone and it's discovered they have pre-menopausal osteoporosis, not even when any number of other things go wrong. (For your mother and mine and Tex's, not ever.)

If they are *lucky* and I entirely mean this, they will get slammed with MC and find their way here. Otherwise, they'll be flailing in the dark with a bunch of 'unrelated' things, with no help at all except perhaps meds that either don't work, or seem to work but require additional meds to counteract the side effects. Here I will only list things my own friends are dealing with: 'atypical' migraines; transient vertigo; Hashimoto's that's 'confirmed by biopsy but not yet needing treatment' - whatever THAT means; GERD; premature osteoporosis... (that's just 2 people, btw).

I also am afraid there's another little girl like you out there right now, with every known celiac red flag waving in their faces, and she's surrounded by doctors who just won't think of celiac disease - because she's not Irish or Scandinavian, or because they know it's "rare" or because her family has recently been on vacation so they're looking for a mysterious pathogen... and maybe they'll even find one, as they did with you, and further distract themselves from the answer that's staring them in the face.

So many of us come from families where we're the only one with gluten sensitivity. But that's fantastically unlikely, given the genetics (and assuming what we know about those genetics is basically sound). I believe there's a huge spectrum, and only those with truly horrible celiac symptoms have a shot at being identified - until perhaps they (also?) have MC. But what if it's not truly benign to be walking around accumulating gluten damage year upon year, just waiting for the right trigger to tip us over into diagnosability? (And how can that be benign?)

Sorry this got so long-winded (my own worst gluten-sensitive symptom, and it's not improving on the GF diet).

Love,
Sara

nancyl · Post by **nancyl** » Fri Jul 22, 2011 6:00 pm

Denise and Sara,
Indeed it is a small world, my mother was born in Lawrence and we had relatives in Methuen. We still live only about 40 minutes from there.

Tex,
Thanks for the information about Vit. D. I do take quite a bit, but maybe not enough. I will have that checked at my next appt. My doctor did prescribe a PPI, but I am not taking it every day. The DGL and L-Glutamine seems to be helping more. I have an appointment with him at the end of Aug. He may not be too happy with me.

Nancy

dgshelton · Post by **dgshelton** » Fri Jul 22, 2011 8:59 pm

Sara and Nancy - We must be kindred spirits! My older brother was born in Lawrence. My parents lived there before moving to Methuen. I'm not sure what brought them there because both of their families were from Rumford, ME. I love the fact that I now know someone who knows the place that I was born. Usually when I tell someone where I was born, they have never heard of it.

Sara - This subject somehow sent me on a rant, which in turn sent you on one. I don't think Tex minds that we commandeered his thread.

Hugs,

Post by **tex** » Fri Jul 22, 2011 9:17 pm

Denise,

You're right, of course. IMO, there's nothing wrong with taking threads in whichever direction they care to drift, and I always enjoy a good rant. There are plenty of discussion boards on the internet that are moderated and administered by highly-regimented topic police, who get all bent out of shape if someone happens to write a post even slightly off-topic, and if they enjoy the stress that usually prevails under that sort of management, they're certainly welcome to it. On this board, though, we don't cotton to that pattern of stressful behavior. Life's too short for that sort of foolishness, IMO.

Hugs,
Tex