My own N=2 study: Based on a random comment in an obscure forum, I cured my specific form of reflux for 10 years with a couple of simple stretches.<p>I think they only address reflux due to <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiatal_hernia" rel="nofollow">https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiatal_hernia</a> The theme is to physically push the stomach back down into place.<p>The first exercise was to lay in bed, one hand over the other just below the sternum, push in and slide down slowly. Repeat 4 or 5 times. I felt my esophagus being stretched during this, which was quite an odd sensation. I did this each morning and sometimes at night.<p>The second exercise needed the stomach to be filled with liquid. A bowl of cereal or a lot of water does the trick. Stand on your tip toes and fall down on your heels with a loud thud ten or so times. I did this once a day.<p>It took about two and a half months to see results. But, I went from “These PPIs are not effective enough” to “I don’t need any pills” for ten years.<p>Unfortunately, over the next ten years I gained a beer belly, the reflux returned, and I think the visceral fat is getting in the way of the manual manipulation exercise because I did not feel the stretch at all last time I tried the repeat the process. Maybe I should give it another go. But, mainly I need to lose the gut.
I read this last year after going through some pretty weird oesophageal stuff, and I think if it did work it's almost certainly not because they provided the LES with "resistance training".<p>A sphincter doesn't provide motility along the oesophagus, it tightens and contracts. The angle at which it does this is irrelevant.<p>If this was indeed successful, a far more likely explanation is that doing this slowed down their eating and put less pressure on the smooth muscle function of the oesophagus during peristalsis and less pressure on the LES, allowing it some time to rest and perhaps get better at sphinctering.
The main thing here seems to be giving your oesophagus' "swallowing muscle" gravity to fight against.<p>The traditional Indian method of eating, sitting cross legged on the floor, is similar to this. While sitting cross legged, you bend your back and have your head point at an angle towards the plate on the floor, and then put the food in your mouth. So cos(theta)*gravity has to be opposed by your oesophagus.
For those who drink caffeine and have reflux, try shift to decaf. I still drink the same amount of coffee as I did before, only now it is decaf rather than regular. Acid reflux disappeared to the point I didn't need a daily PPI anymore. I still have a caffeine every once in a while, but multiple daily caffeinated beverages was the cause of my reflux.
I’ve found a similar article with the actual picture, but there they’ve tested bridge posture, effect should be similar I think.. will definitely try it out (been suffering from severe GERD since last year after swallowing a piece of nut and after the endoscopy, maybe they’ve also taken too much material for the biopsy)<p>Article:
<a href="https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/prm/7/0/7_20220054/_html/-char/en" rel="nofollow">https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/prm/7/0/7_20220054/_htm...</a>
> <i>Eventually, I devised the following regimen with the intent of providing the LES with some resistance training. The resistance was provided by positioning my head below my stomach in a kneeling posture. This required food being swallowed to be pushed up an incline. I began eating part of each breakfast (oatmeal) and sometimes lunch (a sandwich) in the exercise position. I would kneel on a platform (which happened to be 6 ½” high), take a normal mouthful, chew it as needed, and prepare to swallow. I would then lay my forearms and the backs of my hands on the floor, rest my head on my hands, and complete the swallowing process. With a little practice, I was soon able to initiate and complete the swallowing process with my head resting on my hands on the floor. I did not attempt to determine what the optimal height of the platform might be or if, indeed, any was necessary.</i><p>This is interesting, as a GERD sufferer I really wish an image or video of the exercise was provided.<p>Is it basically kneeling, touching your head to the floor to get it below the stomach (like someone doing a prayer), and swallowing food?<p>I'm fascinated and confused. It also seems like an easy way to choke tbh.
Right, so this paper is from a Ph.D of Botany [1] that worked at a research firm that's, from what I can surface, best known for a hydroponic algae cultivation system [2].<p>How did this get published on PubMed.<p>I have GERD. The best known way of dealing with this piece-of-shit disease is to either restrict your diet to things that won't produce as much acid (so pretty much everything good) or take PPIs for the rest of your life that might or might cause bone problems due to decreased calcium absorption (my preference).<p>The good news is that PPIs are manageable with vitamin/calcium supplements and yearly physicals, and you don't have to take them every day if the GERD isn't that bad.<p>- [1] <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-karrfalt-b60a1b49/" rel="nofollow">https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-karrfalt-b60a1b49/</a><p>- [2] <a href="https://intengine.com/directory/profile/13861-renewergy-corporation" rel="nofollow">https://intengine.com/directory/profile/13861-renewergy-corp...</a>
If you have reflux consider getting tested for celiac. Reflux was my only symptom for years, and I had it every day without fail. It was only when I developed anemia that I was diagnosed celiac; a month gluten-free and my reflux was gone.
"One weird trick...?"<p>I practically healed my reflux by drastically reducing lactose and alcohol at night (I used to drink half a glass of wine at night) and replacing coffee for tea after lunch. May not work for people other than me, of course.
I think I will try this though I'm not sure I have the patience to try it for 2 months before seeing any results. Hopefully I will see some benefit before then.<p>If the theory is correct that the peristaltic and sphincter muscles need to be worked harder then I wonder weather it makes more sense to do this while drinking rather than while eating. It should be significantly harder for your muscles to work against gravity when "pushing water uphill" than when pushing solids. I wonder if the simple cure for hiccups (bending over and then swallowing water) could work here.
Simple and it makes sense. I wouldn’t call it scientific proof, but as a reflux sufferer interested in non pharmaceutical solutions, I’ll give it a try.<p>TLDR-
- Position: Kneel on something raised (like a 6.5" platform), put your head lower than your stomach by resting it on your hands on the floor<p>- Exercise: Eat some food (like oatmeal or a sandwich) in this position, making your esophageal muscle work against gravity<p>- Results: improvement after ~2 months, complete relief after ~6 months, and stayed fixed even after stopping the exercise
Slighly related, but maybe somebody here has some tips: I've had a sore throat for months. And initially they thought it's from GERD, but it does not appear to be. Checks showed no other issues wiht my oesophagus or stomach. Did anybody experience something like this before?
I also sometimes get acid reflux and I wonder if the real reason this person cured his GERD is because the sphincter got a chance to heal properly because of the bed wedge. Once it healed then it could perform properly.
Another method that works is doing glute bridges.<p>Edit:
See
<a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9668752/" rel="nofollow">https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9668752/</a>
I've had a sortof gaseous reflux for years I can't seem to eliminate. Ive seen these exercises and they sounded like BS or not applicable to my symptoms of LPR. Maybe I'll give it a go after all... I've had most success with digestive enzymes and eating more veggies, less packaged food. Anyone have similar experience and solved it I would be interested. PPIs only worsened the problem.
I will def be trying this since it's the second time that I've seen it, my problem with acid reflux is that i drink a lot of coffee and without it I am sleepy.<p>Stress impacts it a lot.
Coffee does I still drink, like a lot. 8 cups.<p>Since quitting cigs it's 80% better.
And yeah I definitely 'feel' some muscle in my stomach is the issue.