Have you been affected by the worldwide recall of ranitidine due to the risk of contamination with a potential carcinogen?
Ranitidine is a medication commonly prescribed by GP’s to ease and prevent heartburn, otherwise referred to as GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease). Since it’s recall, GP’s have been recommending antacids and often prescribing proton pump inhibitors (PPI’s) such as omeprazole as a replacement for ranitidine. Unfortunately, PPI’s have their own set of side effects including headaches and stomach pain and the malabsorption of some nutrients including B12, a deficiency of which can cause fatigue among other symptoms.
Wouldn’t it be simpler if there were natural protocols for heartburn? The good news is that Nutritional Therapists can help to manage heartburn with personalised dietary and lifestyle recommendations. No one plan is ever the same (shame it can’t be that easy!) as the root cause for each person differs, but to give you an idea of what we have in our tool kit, here are 5 top tips we might consider:
1. introducing fermented foods such as miso soup and sauerkraut
2. helping with weight loss using a focus on healthy eating not calorie reduction
3. boosting the amount of fibre in meals to help with overall digestion
4. reducing alcohol intake
5. testing for H.pylori infection.
Please note, do not stop medication without taking your doctor’s advice. If you have digestive problems, what have you found helpful?
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