How to Lose Belly Fat Naturally

Heartburn Diet Recipe - Instant Polenta With Sesame Seeds

Ingredients
¾ cup instant polenta or corn meal
3 cups whole milk
3 tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. orange extract
½ tsp. vanilla extract
Salt to taste
1 tbsp. sesame seeds

Directions
1. Bring the milk to a boil.
2. Add the polenta or corn meal and whisk vigorously to prevent lumps.
3. Cook until creamy.
4. Add the sugar, salt, and vanilla, and orange extract just before serving.
5. Serve in a bowl and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

[Source: Dropping Acid: The Reflux Diet Cookbook & Cure]

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And the longer women take PPIs, the greater their risk.

That said, the risk does disappear after women stop taking these drugs for two years. The new findings appear in the journal BMJ.

These drugs, which are available by prescription and over the counter, work by reducing the secretion of stomach acid. PPIs such as Nexium, Prevacid, Prilosec, and Protonix are commonly recommended for people with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), peptic ulcers, erosive esophagitis, and a precancerous condition known as Barrett’s esophagus. They are among the most widely used medications worldwide.

Changing the acid environment in the stomach may reduce the absorption of calcium, which is needed for healthy bones. This is not the first study to link long-term PPI use with bone fractures, but it does help narrow down who is at greatest risk. Women who never smoked were not at increased risk for hip fracture even if they took PPIs regularly, the study showed.

The message is clear: Postmenopausal women with history of smoking who take PPIs for longer than two years have more than a 50% chance of sustaining a hip fracture, says researcher Hamed Khalili, MD. He is a gastroenterologist at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

It is also time to take a long, hard look at who is taking these pills chronically and why. “There are very few indications that require long-term and regular use of PPIs,” he says.

His advice? “Consider stopping if there are no real indications, and among those that require long-term use, you may try to switch to less potent acid-suppressive medications.”
Make Lifestyle Changes First

Robynne Chutkan, MD, says these medications must be used judiciously, not indiscriminately. She is an assistant professor of medicine at Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, D.C.

We may all want to pop a pill and make our heartburn go away, but “the cornerstone treatment for GERD is still lifestyle modifications.”

This includes:

Decreasing or eliminating caffeine and alcohol
Quitting smoking
Not eating late at night
Avoiding your personal heartburn triggers
Losing weight, if necessary

“These drugs are so effective that people are less compelled to change their habits, but their use comes with a price — fracture risk,” she says. They are good drugs and are relatively safe, but for most people there is a lifestyle alternative.

Women should ask themselves and their doctors two questions about PPIs: “Do I need it and do I need it long term?” Some people do require long-term use of these medications, Chutkan says.

Ethel S. Siris, MD, agrees that long-term PPI use is another risk factor for fractures, especially in women with a history of smoking. She is the Madeline C. Stabile Professor of Clinical Medicine and the director of the Toni Stabile Osteoporosis Center at Columbia University Medical Center in New York. “The bottom line is that this is one more risk factor that you have to work around,” she says.

It is important to know your risk for fractures and get bone density scans when appropriate. If you are at risk, the same rules apply to everyone. This includes making sure you get enough calcium and vitamin D, exercising regularly, and stopping smoking. “If the woman has already had a fracture, it is time to consider medication to prevent repeat fractures,” Siris says.

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Doctors tend to overprescribe the drugs, known as proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), for patients in and out of the hospital, the studies find.

“I’m uncomfortable when people who have heartburn start the drugs on their own, or when a health care professional guesses and puts them on the drugs,” says Mayo Clinic gastroenterologist Yvonne Romero, MD. Romero, who was not involved with the work, reviewed the findings for WebMD. She has received grants from makers of several acid-suppressing drugs.

Proton pump inhibitors are the most powerful class of antacid drugs. It’s the third highest-selling class of drugs in the U.S. In 2009, doctors wrote 113.6 million prescriptions for the drugs. Prevacid 24HR, Prilosec OTC, and the combination medication Zegerid OTC that contains a PPI and sodium bicarbonate are available without prescription.

People Like PPIs Because They Work

Why are they so popular? The drugs do a great job of reducing stomach acid. They are safe compared with most medications. But mostly, they make people feel better, Romero says.

Prilosec OTC Acid Reducer, Delayed-Release Tablets, 42 Count

They’re not only more powerful than simple over-the-counter antacids such as Maalox, Rolaids, and Tums, they also reduce stomach acid more than the H2 receptor antagonist (H2RA) drugs such as Axid, Pepcid, Tagamet, and Zantac.

And many Americans find it’s much easier to take a pill than to eat less chocolate, caffeine, fatty foods, or other foods that can trigger heartburn, she says.

On the doctor’s side, electronic medical records may be contributing to misuse, Zachary Smith, MD, a medical resident at the University of Chicago’s NorthShore University Health System in Evanston, Ill., tells WebMD.

For all their good, electronic records make it easy to continue a medication by pushing a button. “So once a patient is on a safe drug like a PPI, it may be continued indefinitely and into the outpatient setting,” says Smith, who led one of the new studies.

What’s the harm?

Plenty. “If you take them indiscriminately, you reduce the benefit-to-risk ratio,” Romero says.

Published studies have linked PPIs to an increased risk of potentially deadly diarrhea caused by the bug Clostridium difficile, or C. diff. There’s also a slightly increased risk of fracture in some risk women taking PPIs at high doses and/or for extended periods of time.

Several studies have shown that people who take a PPI may be more likely to catch pneumonia. Suppression of stomach acid may also reduce the body’s ability to absorb calcium and magnesium, Romero says.

And they’re not cheap, she adds. A year’s supply of over-the-counter Prevacid 24HR costs about $200. If you’re prescribed a more expensive PPI, the annual price tag could be 10 times higher or more.

When to Take — and Not Take — PPIs

The bottom line: “We have to educate patients and doctors on when and how to use PPIs,” she says.

That means prescribing them only for serious conditions that occur when stomach acid escapes into the esophagus — reflux disease and Barrett’s esophagus, for example, Romero says. They’re also used to prevent and treat ulcers in the small intestine and the stomach, among other conditions.

When PPIs are used, she advises doctors to use shorter courses and lower doses when possible. And just because they’re available at the local store, people shouldn’t start popping the pills without telling their doctors.

“We also need to train doctors so they know it’s OK to stop a PPI after it’s started. Just because it’s good for them in the intensive care unit doesn’t mean they have to stay on it,” Romero says.

Doctors and patients should consider other treatments for heartburn, including non-drug treatments such as stress reduction, weight loss, and smoking cessation, she says.

PPIs: the Studies

Among the new research presented at the meeting:

• In Smith’s study, 204 of 358 patients (60%) were prescribed a PPI while in the hospital. The most common reason cited for prescribing a PPI was that patients were already on a PPI prior to admission.

In total, 56 patients (26%) received PPIs inappropriately while in the hospital, Smith says.

Also, 157 patients (44%) were sent home with a PPI prescription. Of these, 14 (9%) had no apparent reason to stay on PPI therapy after they were discharged, he says.

• In a Canadian study, about 70% of 125 patients were prescribed PPIs or H2RA drugs for ulcer prevention while in the intensive care unit. In nearly all cases (97%), their use was appropriate.

But about 40% were sent home from the hospital with an unnecessary prescription for the drugs. PPIs were less likely to be discontinued than H2RA drugs.

“Prescription of a proton pump inhibitor in the ICU was associated with the inappropriate prescription of the proton pump inhibitor upon hospital discharge,” says study leader Jasjeet Rai, MD, of McGill University in Montreal.

• A third study involved nearly 2,000 people, of whom nearly one-third took PPIs for acid reflux.

Of these, about one-third received prescriptions from gastroenterologists, one-third received prescriptions from their primary care doctors, and the other third purchased PPIs over-the-counter without medical supervision.

About 71% of the gastroenterologists prescribed PPIs in an optimal manner. But more than half of patients receiving prescriptions from their primary care doctors and about 60% of people who bought the drugs on their own may not have needed the drugs or took them for longer than needed, the study showed.

Not surprisingly, persistent heartburn and other symptoms improved substantially more in people using PPIs optimally, compared with people taking PPIs for inappropriate reasons or excessively, say researchers from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland.

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Heartburn Diet Recipe - Quick Banana Sorbet

Ingredients
3 bananas, peeled
1 tbsp. ginger (peeled and grated fine)
1/8 tsp. ground cardamom
2 tbsp. honey
¼ tsp. salt
3 cups ice

Directions
1. Place the bananas, ginger, cardamom, honey, and salt in the blender.
2, Blend on high until smooth.
3. Add ice and blend until creamy. Add more ice as needed.
4. Serve immediately or store in freezer.

[Source: Dropping Acid: The Reflux Diet Cookbook & Cure]

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Active manuka honey is also thought to help heal esophagitis and protect the inflamed esophagus from further damage. Active manuka honey works best when taken before meals and before bed by applying 1 teaspoon to bread (the bread allows the honey to reach the lower esophagus). It can also be taken after a meal and when acid reflux symptoms are present for those with severe gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

Get This Honey:

Wedderspoon Raw Organic Manuka Honey Active 16+, 17.6-Ounce Jar

Potential risks:
Active Manuka Honey is considered safe and has no common side effects; side effects are extremely rare and are typically linked to an allergic reaction.

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It is one of those “Aha!” moments when you realize that the reason for your sleeplessness is as simple as heartburn.

Heartburn might strike during the day or after a large meal and then linger into your bedtime hour. You can feel it as a burning sensation in your chest, just behind your breastbone, the Mayo Clinic has explained. Also, heartburn discomfort can worsen when you’re lying down.

It might be specifically nighttime heartburn if you wake up with a bitter taste in your mouth, a chronic cough, sore throat or fatigue, according to WebMD. And nighttime heartburn is more common than you might think, affecting as many as four out of five heartburn sufferers.

If it’s a possibility that heartburn is keeping you from falling asleep or staying asleep, then you can explore lifestyle and diet changes as well as over-the-counter medications.

The Mayo Clinic suggests tracking whether certain foods or drinks are triggering heartburn, for instance, orange juice, fried food, coffee and alcohol. If not specific foods, the cause of your heartburn might be late-night eating. The Mayo Clinic said to allow at least three hours between a meal and bedtime.

Other lifestyle changes you can try include losing weight, avoiding tight clothing, eating smaller meals, alleviating stress, and elevating the head of your bed.

The site Sleep.com offered a number of suggestions, including:

– Chew gum in the evening to increase the production of saliva, which neutralizes stomach acids.

– Eat a banana, which also is connected to reducing stomach acids.

– Quit smoking, because not only can smoking increase stomach acids, but also it can relax the lower esophageal sphincter, leading to the reflux of acids from your stomach back into your esophagus.

– Check with your doctor as to whether certain medications you’re taking are contributing to heartburn. Possibilities include aspirin, anti-depressants, and anti-anxiety drugs.

As far as the plethora of over-the-counter medications available for heartburn relief, your choices include antacids, H-2 receptor blockers and proton pump inhibitors. Don’t rely on any medication for too long, however, as there can be side effects.

When heartburn is affecting your sleep for more than a couple of nights a week, it might be a symptom of gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD, which can be quite serious if not controlled. Discuss the various heartburn-fighting lifestyle changes and medications with your health care practitioner.

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Many chronic heartburn treatments are on the market, too. Drugs like Prilosec, Prevacid and Nexium may work well along with lots of nondrug approaches to heartburn.

Heartburn, also known as pyrosis or acid indigestion is a burning sensation in the chest, just behind the breastbone or in the epigastrium. The pain often rises in the chest and may radiate to the neck, throat, or angle of the jaw.
DID YOU KNOW?

Living Low Carb: Controlled-Carbohydrate Eating for Long-Term Weight Loss

About 42% of the United States population have had heartburn at some point.

Heartburn is usually associated with regurgitation of gastric acid (gastric reflux) which is the major symptom of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). It however may also be a symptom of ischemic heart disease so concluding that it is heartburn prematurely may lead to misdiagnosis.

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Reza Shaker, a Medical College gastroenterologist, is testing a prototype device he created that uses pressure to keep stomach acid from rising into the throat.

Patients wear the adjustable band around their necks at night. A small pad in front applies a slight amount of pressure just below the Adam’s apple to keep stomach contents down.

Dubbed the Reza-Band by his investors, the device is the foundation for a new company.

Somna Therapeutics LLC expects to announce in the next few weeks that it has raised more than $1 million, with local angel investors Tom Shannon and Jeff Harris leading the fundraising.

“Reza Shaker’s idea isn’t only good, it also has a large market, no competition, clear regulatory pathway and intellectual property protection applied for,” said Shannon, who formerly led Prodesse Inc., a Waukesha biotech company.

Matching inventors with investors represents a new push for the Medical College, which is putting more emphasis on developing and commercializing technology, said Joe Hill, director of the college’s technology development office. The school took an equity stake in the company.

Shaker, which is pronounced Shah-keer, said he and others in his lab cobbled together the Reza-Band with elastic bands, gauze, tape and Velcro.

In two small Medical College studies, the device helped 28 patients with a severe type of acid reflux called extraesophageal reflux disease, or EERD.

People with the disease suffer from chronic cough, hoarse voices, asthma, throat irritation, difficulty swallowing and postnasal drip. They are more prone to bronchitis and pneumonia, and can be at increased risk for bone fractures because of prolonged use of acid-reducing pills that can affect nutrient absorption, said Nick Maris, Somna’s chief executive officer.

“Your throat is made for air. It’s not made for last night’s pepperoni pizza,” Maris said.

The Reza-Band won’t stop acid from rising into the esophagus, but it could help some 15 million people in the U.S. who have regurgitation into their throat, Maris said.
Strong potential

Doctors recommend diet changes, prescription acid reducers, and a host of wedge pillows, bed raisers and even sleeping in recliners to keep stomach content down.

The Reza-Band “will either be a nice addition to the tool kit physicians use to manage this disease, or it will become the standard of care for EERD,” Maris said. “And if that’s the case, it’s a very, very big deal.”

Shaker wants to think of the Reza-Band as a patient aid rather than a moneymaking device.

“The beauty of this device is, when it works, you will know the next morning because you’re not coughing and hacking and wheezing,” Shaker said.

The band was developed with help from partners in the Clinical and Translational Science Institute, a collaboration of eight area institutions including the Medical College. Shaker is the institute’s director.

Among the challenges to developing the device were finding the best way to fit the band to each patient, and deciding how much pressure to apply, Shaker said.

Somna hopes to have the Reza-Band on the market by mid-2013, said Maris, who previously was chief operating officer for a division of Serigraph Inc. and spent 15 years in the medical device industry.

Shannon said his vision is for the company to begin selling the Reza-Band through doctors, but ultimately market the product in retail channels the way GlaxoSmithKline sells Breathe Right nasal strips.

“There’s a decent shot at it becoming a very large-revenue company very quickly,” Maris said.

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Dental erosion stems from more than acidic intake and environmental causes, but has also been strongly linked to acid reflux. Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) is the leading cause in dental erosion.

If there is a malfunction with the esophagus — a tube that links the mouth to the stomach — and the lower esophageal sphincter, or LES, that works as a ring of muscle fibers closing off re-entrance relaxes, stomach acids that are supposed to be blocked from entering the esophagus travels back up to the mouth.

However, the acid landing in the mouth does more damage than one would think. The toxic stomach acids that makes its way back up to the mouth ends up wearing away the enamel on the teeth, which is designed to initially protect the exterior surfaces from damage, stains and cavities. Once the enamel is continuously damaged and consequently dissolved by the likes of GERD, tooth erosion and decay can occur.

GERD is not always plainly evident from the unmistakable pain of heartburn and belching. Many could be walking around with its imperceptible, yet abusive nature beating on one’s body and teeth. Silent GERD can usually be determined by a dentist, or it can be seen as a warning sign if you are left with a sour taste in your mouth without explanation.

Symptoms of GERD include heartburn, a burning sensation under the breastbone in the chest, nausea after eating and coughing or wheezing. Other symptoms are difficulty swallowing, a sore throat, hiccups, hoarseness and a change in voice.

If your dentist agrees that the loss of enamel on your teeth is not due to the grinding of your teeth, then go see a doctor to determine whether it is related to gastroesophageal reflux.

There are many treatments, however, to resolving GERD and its disastrous effects on one’s dental health. Changing one’s diet, avoiding drugs such as aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), or naproxen (Aleve, Naprosyn), and instead substituting those for acetaminophen (Tylenol) is a better alternative to relieving pain.

In addition, over-the-counter antacids help to quickly lessen pain after meals and before bedtime. Over-the-counter and prescription drugs are also another suitable treatment for the symptoms of GERD that alternatively give you longer relief than antacids.

Applying techniques associated with heartburn helps to prevent further discomfort of GERD and its detrimental symptoms and effects on dental health.

If GERD is not treated, ulcers and esophageal cancer can result, in addition to the deterioration of your teeth.

It is very important to make sure to go in for yearly checkup appointments with a doctor or dentist, and to follow the needed lifestyle changes to keep your smile healthy, and root cause resolved.

Sources:

Livestrong.com. Web. Published 18 May 2011. “5 Things You Need to Know About Dental Erosion and Acid Reflux.”

http://www.livestrong.com/article/6031-need-dental-erosion-acid-reflux

U.S. National Library of Medicine: PubMed Health. Web. Published on 11 August 2011. “Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001311

Delta Dental: Learn About Oral Health and Wellness. Web. Published on 30 December 2010. “Prevent Dental Erosion Due to GERD.”

http://oralhealth.deltadental.com/adult/medicalconditions/22,Delta137

Hindawi: International Journal of Dentistry. Web. Published on 14 September 2011. “Review Article: Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease and Tooth Erosion.”

http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ijd/2012/479850

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