Gastro-Esophageal Reflux Disease (GERD), more commonly known as acid reflux, affects many millions of people all over the world. In the US alone, 47 million people suffer this syndrome. Although medications and surgical options are available, many medical professionals look to the benefits of consuming a more alkaline diet in order to control acid reflux.

For both immediate and long-term survival, the body must maintain a correct pH balance (between acid and alkaline). In fact, the link between dietary pH balance and various health issues has been recognized since the early 20th century. Why? Because the modern diet is vastly different than it was 100 years ago due to the wide availability of protein, soft drinks and fast foods. It produces an acid residue when food is metabolized and broken down. Chemicals and metallic residues are left behind that produce acid or alkaline pH potentials for the body.

Taking symptomatic medication is not the answer. You must change your diet � and in some cases change your thinking. The human body seeks balance in all forms. GERD is simply a result of a long-standing pH imbalance. When too much acidic food is consumed, the stomach can�t digest it completely. Undigested food then turns into acid waste, which causes stomach spasms or twitching. That leads to an increase in stomach gas, which forces open the valve between the oesophagus and stomach (cardiac sphincter), allowing stomach acid into the oesophagus.

It is also very important to drink alkaline water that has a pH of 7.2 or more. A good alkaline bottled water is 100 times more effective at neutralizing body acidity than other remedies. The pH scale measures how acidic or alkaline a substance is, and it ranges from 0 to 14. If we take a pH of 7 as neutral, any reading below is acidic and above is alkaline. A reading of 6 on the pH scale would be considered 10 times more acidic than a 7.

Chronic heartburn is the most common symptom, though you should consult a health practitioner if you experience one or a combination of the following: belching, difficulty or pain when swallowing, a sensation of food sticking in the oesophagus, chronic sore throat, laryngitis, gingivitis, erosion of teeth enamel, chronic irritation of the throat, sour taste or halitosis. Other symptoms may also be associated with this syndrome, the most common being left frontal headache and left shoulder pain.

Many GERD sufferers are people who lack the capacity to consciously cope with what is annoying them or with their own aggressive urges. They are unable to resolve their conflicts and problems. Such people either do not express their aggression at all, or they display exaggerated aggression. This emotion is acidic, and it brings me to another important facet of GERD: the Solar Plex (energy) Chakra, located at the level of the T12/L1 vertebra. All GERD patients have dysfunction of this energy centre.

Over-stimulation of this chakra is also connected with many kinds of skin eruptions and a wide range of nervous disorders. Usually dysfunction of this chakra is psychosomatic.
I should include a mention of the gastro-oesophageal junction (cardia) and its relationship with the hiatus of the diaphragm muscle. The function of the cardiac sphincter relies upon a balanced tension between the supra- and sub-hiatal forces of traction during breathing. If this balance shifts, gastric reflux is likely to occur, hence the important risk of hiatus hernia. This is common in more than 60 percent of people over 60. The principle causes are mechanical, but this syndrome may also be due to an excess of oestrogen or a decrease in progesterone causing hiatus relaxation. It�s a common problem during pregnancy and at menopause. Acupuncture treatment (at the ST.34 and Ren 12-13-14 points) and Osteopathic Visceral Manipulation have both produced good results with GERD and Hiatus syndromes.

As much as diet is an important factor in the treatment of GERD, we must also consider the emotional and mental state of the patient. Both are equally important and never to be forgotten � the mind governs all! As an end note, the most important acid forming foods to avoid are coffee, sugar (cakes, biscuits, etc.), red meat, alcohol, soft drinks, cheese, processed foods and chilli peppers. Also, quit or reduce smoking.

Garnett Symonds, DO, LCSP, D.Hom (Med), HMD, is an osteopath and a fellow of the British Institute of Homeopathy. 0-7638-8524. info@garnettsymonds.com. www.garnettsymonds.com.