How’s your heartburn? 

Gastro-esophageal  reflux disease, or GERD,  is the focus of considerable medical attention at  the moment. 

This very old problem has gotten some new attention as it has  recently been recognized as a significant factor  in some pulmonary diseases (1) and esophageal malignancies (2). While some sufferers have few or no  symptoms of reflux disease, most  of us feel at least some degree  of discomfort when a mixture  of food particles  and stomach acids are pushed back up  the esophagus where there is less protection from harsh stomach acid. The protection diminishes  the further up the esophagus the acid rises as there  is some mucous produced in  the lower reaches  of the esophagus nearer the stomach. The unprotected tissues further up  the esophagus are burned, often causing pain, and sometimes, permanent damage (2). 

We need only turn on our television sets  to see the frequent and expensive advertising campaigns  for the various products available to treat this widespread problem of indigestion and heartburn. If you regularly experience heartburn or indigestion, you may take one of  the many drugs that are often prescribed  to reduce production  of stomach acid. Or you  may just take one or more  of the over-the-counter remedies such as Tums, Gaviscon, Rolaids, Mylanta, etc. But all of these products, whether prescribed or not, simply mask  the symptoms  of GERD without addressing the underlying cause. 

Many of us who have gluten-induced disease have experienced some degree of relief from  GERD symptoms after beginning a gluten-free diet. Prior  to my diagnosis  of celiac disease, I  not only took prescription medications in  a vain attempt to control the acidity  in my stomach and throat, I also ate a huge quantity  of Tums and/or Rolaids every day, all day long. The lucky ones among us  experience complete, long-lasting relief from indigestion and heartburn. For those  of us who aren’t so lucky, the problem may be caused by one  or more of several factors such as smoking, excessive alcohol consumption,  or allergic reactions to the foods we are eating. 

If you struggle  with excess acid production and/or  esophageal reflux, it  may be the  result of your immune system reacting to the contents of your stomach. When such immune reactions are mounted, histamine is released into the stomach which triggers excessive secretion of gastric acid. If there isn’t enough food  in the stomach to absorb the  acid produced, we begin  to feel uncomfortable. We may eat more food to get temporary relief  or we may take one or more  of the remedies listed above. Weight gain  and obesity are predictable results  of eating more  and more to control stomach acid production. Prescription  and non-prescription anti-acid strategies pose  a host of other health problems, from inducing vitamin deficiencies, to compromising  the immune protection provided by stomach acids. Whatever we choose,  GERD is likely to continue until we address the underlying problem  by eliminating allergenic foods from our diet. 

The first step  in this elimination process is to identify  the foods  that are triggering an immune response. There are simple, convenient IgG antibody blood tests available  to help identify  the specific foods that are causing your discomfort. If you are following a gluten-free diet and you continue to experience GERD, you may benefit from  this testing. However, if you have been free of gluten for more than a few months, you should  not expect these tests to identify any of  the gluten grains. (Also, such negative results should not be taken  to imply that it is safe to return to eating gluten.) 

Once the allergenic foods have been identified, they should be strictly removed from your  diet for at least six months. You can try re-introducing the offending foods after that time, but some immune reactions may last many years. Even six years after my own IgG food allergy testing, I must still avoid eggs, dairy proteins,  and several other foods  that were identified back then. The lab that did my testing (Immuno Labs, Ft. Lauderdale) provided information on  the strength of  the immune reaction to each allergenic food. From weak to strong, the reactions were numbered +1 to + 4. This has been very helpful because I was able to re-introduce most  of the foods marked +1 and +2 after about six months. 

Whether you follow a gluten-free diet or not, if you are experiencing heartburn and/or indigestion, food allergy testing may be just what you need. It has proven very helpful to my family and me.