We've written previously about gastroesophagal reflux disease (GERD), also known as acid reflux, a chronic digestive condition that affects 60 million Americans annually.
A problem with the lower esophageal sphincter's closing causes stomach acid and food content to flow back into the esophagus, irritating the lining of the esophagus.
Symptoms of acid reflux include:
heartburn
regurgitation of stomach acid into throat and/or mouth
inflammation
nausea
bloating
Acupuncture and Chinese herbs have been proven in medical studies to outperform the medication omeprazole (Prilosec, Zegerid) in the short- and long-term in treating acid reflux.
How Does It Work?
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) views digestion as a joint effort between the stomach, liver, gallbladder, spleen, and pancreas. When any one of these is functioning improperly, it throws off the digestive cycle and results in issues such as acid reflux. By increasing healthy blood flow to your digestive organs, acupuncture increases healing and restores regular function to the digestive system.
Acupuncture reduces emotional and physical stress in the body via the nervous system, which is a contributing factor for acid reflux. Specific acupuncture points inhibit the relaxation of the esophageal sphincter, reducing acid reflux and easing heartburn.
Chinese herbs work to inhibit the stomach's acid secretion, reduce bloating and nausea, and improve blood flow and digestive regularity. Due to the highly individualized nature of Chinese medicine, prescriptions for Chinese herbs should only be written by a licensed Chinese medicine practitioner.
What Are the Results?
A study conducted in 2017 compared acid reflux treatments with acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine to treatments with omeprazole.
Acupuncture and herbs had an 89.7% success rate in treating acid reflux, with only 21.7% of patients experiencing an acid reflux relapse within 6 months. Patients taking omeprazole had an 82.8% success rate in treating acid reflux, but within 6 months 45.5% of these patients relapsed.
Though they have similar success rates, acupuncture and herbs work with your body 100% naturally without negative side effects. Omeprazole and other proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs) can result in B12 deficiency, which causes other health problems such as weakness, chronic fatigue, and gut issues as well as more serious problems like loss of coordination and memory difficulties.
If you have acid reflux, call us today at (321) 972-2940 to schedule your initial health evaluation. Heal your gut naturally and avoid relapses!
Sources:
HealthCMI. "Acupuncture Plus Herbs Beats Acid Reflux Drug." (August 6, 2017). Retrieved from http://www.healthcmi.com/Acupuncture-Continuing-Education-News/1776-acupuncture-plus-herbs-beats-acid-reflux-drug