And you probably didn’t expect it to be this particular item.
12 people with gastroesophageal reflux disease, an average age of 52 years, and a healthy body weight were given two liquid meals, one for lunch and one for dinner.
Meal A consisted of 500 ml of liquid containing 474.4 calories with 10.4 grams protein, 10.4 grams fat, and 84.8 grams carbohydrate.
Meal B also consisted of 500 ml of liquid but contained 850.4 calories with 10.4 grams protein, 10.4 grams fat, and 178.8 grams carbohydrate.
Three days before the study, the participants were given an endoscopy to examine their esophaguses and their esophageal sphincters (the valve that is meant to prevent reflux of stomach acid into your esophagus).
Throughout the study, they wore a pH probe with pH sensors connected to a digital recorder to test the level of acid in their esophaguses.
With all this information available, they could see that, compared with the lower-carbohydrate meal, the higher-carbohydrate meal caused:
1. A longer total reflux time
2. More periods of constant reflux
3. More reflux periods longer than five minutes, and
4. More heartburn sensation and acid regurgitation.
Therefore, to relieve your symptoms, you should eat lower quantities of carbohydrates.
Natural Remedies for Acid Reflux – 5 Things That Eliminate Acid Reflux
Acid reflux is a serious condition that can cause numerous lethal diseases.
That’s probably the reason that many doctors jump to immediately prescribing medications. Unfortunately, these medications have proven to be more dangerous than the acid reflux itself.
So, we welcome a new study from Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, published in JAMA Internal Medicine.
The five lifestyle factors they identified were normal weight, no smoking, moderate-to-vigorous daily physical exercise for at least 30 minutes, no more than two daily cups of coffee, tea, or soda, and a prudent diet.
If you think about it, with the exception of the 30 minutes of daily exercise, these guidelines are not too difficult to follow. For example, they don’t tell you to follow a Mediterranean or a DASH diet, just any carefully thought-through sensible diet. You are even allowed two cups of coffee or soda per day.
They obtained their data from the Nurses’ Health Study II, a large nation-wide study that asked its participants to return detailed health and lifestyle questionnaires twice a year from 1989 onwards.
For this study, the researchers used data from 42,955 women aged 42–62. From 2005 to 2017, their questionnaires included questions about acid reflux and heartburn.
Those women who followed all five of these lifestyle guidelines managed to reduce their acid reflux symptoms by 37%. Some of them managed to reduce it by almost half.
To ensure that acid reflux medications did not interfere with their results, they separately examined the data for women on these medications, establishing that these lifestyle factors worked in their cases too, by approximately the same amount.
Therefore, whether or not you are on some unhealthy medication, these lifestyle factors work to reduce symptoms.
One of the most effective of these lifestyle factors was physical exercise, which the scientists speculated probably worked by promoting movement in the digestive tract that, in turn, cleared away the excess stomach acid.
Another factor was normal weight. Obesity puts pressure on your stomach that then compromises the functioning of the sphincter between your stomach and esophagus, where the acid then escapes.
Stop smoking, keep your body weight normal, exercise for at least 30 minutes daily, eat a sensible diet, and drink only two cups of coffee, tea, or soda per day.
The traditional medical system has no solution except popping PPI pills, which can cause serious side effects—from stomach cancer to depression.
This is a shame, because a new study published in in the journal Digestive and Liver Disease reveals a shocking discovery.
Apparently, most cases of acid reflux are caused by easily identifiable and avoidable lifestyle factors. So there’s no need for PPIs anymore.
Scientists from the Beijing University of Chinese Medicine identified 23 studies investigating environmental factors that contribute to acid reflux.
From these studies, they identified seven primary risk factors for acid reflux: being overweight or obese, having fat deposited around the abdomen, smoking, consuming alcohol, using nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), drinking coffee, and have a stomach bacterium called Helicobacter pylori.
The most serious of these risk factors are the ones that cause both gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and erosive esophagitis together. The latter is a symptom of GERD. It involves serious inflammation of the esophagus that eventually causes esophageal cancer.
The risk factors that cause both GERD and erosive esophagitis together are being overweight or obese, having abdominal fat, drinking alcohol and coffee, and having Helicobacter pylori. These are especially important to avoid.
Smoking and NSAID use tend to cause GERD alone, without erosive esophagitis.
This post is from Scott Davis’ Acid Reflux Solution. This program helps you to cure your heartburn and acid reflux by using natural remedies to quickly heal your stomach without dangerous medicine or risky surgeries. It can also help you to remove some disorders of acid reflux such as constipation or IBS.
Fully Regain your Sexual Stamina in time for Tonight – Can COVID-19 Cause ED?
For someone who is in intensive care with COVID-19, worrying about ED seems like something of a luxury.
But if you had COVID-19 and managed to shake it off some time ago and you are now struggling with ED, you’re not alone, as explained in a new study in the Journal of Endocrinological Investigation.
Many doctors have reported seeing patients who complain of ED (erectile dysfunction) months after recovering from COVID-19, but most of these reports have been anecdotal and are yet to be confirmed by proper scientific studies. But while studies on the relationship between ED and COVID-19 are scarce, there is enough emerging research to make one wonder whether ED could well be a long-term consequence of the serious illness.
Researchers from the University of Rome decided to survey this literature in preparation for the time when the world can turn its attention to the long-term consequences of COVID-19 survival.
Many of the studies they surveyed provided substantial amounts of anecdotal evidence that people who were infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus complained of ED months after their recovery.
They identified some important possible causes of this relationship from the literature:
1. Vascular symptoms. Due to damage to blood vessels, heart disease causes ED. Erections are only possible if the blood vessels in your penis are flexible enough to allow for the influx and outflow of blood.
Because COVID-19 causes so much systemic inflammation, it can damage these blood vessels and thus make it difficult to achieve satisfactory erections. Many studies have linked COVID-19 to serious damage to the linings of the blood vessels (endothelial dysfunction) throughout the body.
2. Psychological damage. The pandemic has increased rates of depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder, especially for people who have become seriously ill as a result of the virus. Sexual performance is linked to psychological well-being, so the rise in mental health problems may partly explain the increase of ED.
3. Low testosterone. Low testosterone levels have been tested in COVID-19 patients up to weeks after recovery. Post-mortem examinations of testicular tissue have also found testicular damage. Testosterone is not only necessary for strong erections, but also helps to suppress inflammation by helping to increase anti-inflammatory chemicals in your body.
4. Underlying conditions. It is likely that the people who suffered the worst bouts of COVID-19 were those who already had pre-existing conditions like heart disease and diabetes. Since COVID-19 may have exacerbated these conditions, and since ED is a consequence of both heart disease and diabetes, COVID-19 may have pushed survivors from subclinical into detectable ED.
5. Medication. COVID-19 has worsened the status of patients’ heart disease and doctors have prescribed heart disease drugs combat this. Unfortunately, many of these drugs can cause ED. the most common culprits being β-blockers.
Putting all these factors together, it seems quite possible that COVID-19 can lead to ED, even after recovery.
Fully Regain your Sexual Stamina in time for Tonight – Weird Blue Light Heals ED In Men (and it works)
Now, throughout the years helping men (and women) with all kind of sexual dysfunctions, I’ve heard about many weird cures. Some of them worked, most didn’t.
But blue light to cure ED? That’s one of the weirdest things I’ve ever heard of. Till I read about the genetic research behind it. Then it all makes sense.
How it works is that a specific kind of gene construction that reacts to blue light is injected into the penis (oh, that must hurt). When blue light shines on it, this genetic construction changes to reduce calcium levels in the arteries of the penis.
This makes it possible for the tiny tissues in the penis to relax and let more blood flow into the penis, therefore resulting in a harder erection.
Researchers are still experimenting on rats. So far, everything is positive. But it will be awhile till human research can begin.
Now the negatives are obvious. First of all, you’ll need to inject the solution. It may or may not cause side effects. And then you’ll have to shine a blue light on the penis every time you want to have sex.
I’d rather recommend you take a safer, more permanent route!
Our simple erectile dysfunction exercises work in a similar way to strengthen and loosen up the muscles around the genitals, therefore letting more blood flow into the penis.
Unlike any other method, the results are permanent. Once your pelvic muscles are working properly, you’ll get an erection naturally, just like you did when you were 22.
Fully Regain your Sexual Stamina in time for Tonight – Suffer ED? These Herbal Remedies are Deadly! (better ones recommended)
If you are one of the millions of men who suffers ED, you’ve probably been tempted to try out over-the-counter herbal medications advertised literally everywhere.
Be warned, however, because a new chemical screening of some of these herbal pills proves deadly ingredients. And since they’re not regulated, you have no idea what is in the pills you’re taking.
The FDA (the US Food and Drug Administration) has discovered at least 25 herbal medications include “sildenafil citrate,” which is the active ingredient in Viagra and other erectile dysfunction drugs.
And we’re not talking traces. Most of these herbs had double the doses found in Viagra. And since these herbal medications are not regulated, there is no mention of these ingredients on the package.
Often they were even labelled “All Natural.”
Sildenafil citrate can cause serious side effects and should only be taken under strong supervision of a doctor. What’s even scarier is that you have no idea what other things are not listed on the ingredient list.
Most of these “herbal medications” are manufactured in China by the same companies that make counterfeit prescription drugs.
So what can you do if you don’t want to take dangerous medications or risk “herbal medications” that may only be prescription drugs in disguise?
This post is from the Erectile Dysfunction Master Program, which was created by Christian Goodman for men who are looking for the best erectile dysfunction natural remedies. This is an all-natural system that utilizes the power of exercises to permanently cure erectile dysfunction. By following the techniques in this program, you will be able to get hard fast without pills and maintain stronger erections for hours so you can enjoy sex again.
Erectile problems can be physical or emotional. If your problem is physical, you need to exercise the muscles around the genital area. If your problem is emotional, then you need to learn relaxation techniques. Erection Master will teach you steps that can help get rid of your erectile dysfunction for good. As long as you’re willing to commit 30 minutes of your time, 3 to 7 days a week for 1 to 2 months, they’ll work for you. You can practice the steps alone or with your partner.
These techniques are far more effective than Viagra, Cialis or other drugs for erectile dysfunction. The drugs only help about 40% of men who use them and can also cause very serious side effects.
20 Reasons You’re Bloated (And How to Get a Flat Belly)
Everyone knows the feeling — uncomfortable, heavy, expansive — of being bloated. It is one of the most common complaints out there, and the causes for bloating number in the dozens.
Although the reasons for that feeling of bloat are not confined strictly to the gastrointestinal system, today we are going to go through a quick list of the most common reasons for bloat in relationship to your gut — and what to do about them.
The Food You Eat
1. Foods that are well-known gas causers: Every time I think we are all familiar with this list, I find someone who isn’t. These commonly consumed foods, many of them healthy in their own right, are capable of making some feel like a rapidly expanding hot air balloon. Broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, beans, soy, gluten and dairy products all have a long record of bringing on the bloat.
2. Salt: Excessive salt consumption, particularly when combined with low water intake and/or a low mineral intake will actually pull water from your cells and deposit it in the spaces between cells, giving you the appearance of holding water and making you feel bloated and puffy. Fake sugars like Splenda and aspartame can pull fluid and gas into the intestine, causing you to feel bloated.
3. Sugar alcohols and fake sweeteners: You’ve got to respect the maltitol. Anyone who has accidentally overeaten sugar-free candies knows exactly what I am talking about here. Sugar alcohols are not broken down by the human GI tract, remaining whole. They pull fluid and gas into the intestine. Xylitol, sorbitol and mannitol are also capable of exerting these effects.
Fake sugars like Splenda, aspartame and others can also create these issues. Read those labels, folks, particularly in protein bars and protein shakes. Gum chewers who can’t pin down why they are bloated should consider their gum chewing habit.
4. Foods you are sensitive to: Many of us are walking around with a food sensitivity we are not aware of, because, well, we’ve always eaten that food! Finding and removing food sensitivities from your diet is a project you want to pursue if you have been having chronic gastrointestinal distress in spite of being told that you are “fine”.
5. FODMAPs: This acronym stands for Fermentable Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharides and Polyols. It’s a big mouthful that refers to certain types of carbohydrates and fibers that are highly fermentable (gas-causing) to the gut bacteria.
FODMAPs are in a wide variety of foods, but do not inherently cause bloating for everyone. They are most problematic for those with IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) and SIBO (small intestine bacterial overgrowth).
6. Foods that aren’t appropriate for any diagnosis you may have: Like FODMAPs with IBS and SIBO, there are some foods that don’t work well in certain conditions, no matter how healthy. Examples of this are nightshades (white potatoes, tomatoes, bell pepper, eggplant) in those with IBD (inflammatory bowel disease) and gluten in those with autoimmune conditions.
Solution: The most reliable way to sort out which foods do what to your body does not lie with any test (though IgG food sensitivity testing can help guide, it is by no means definitive), but with an elimination-challenge diet. No test, checklist or hunch of a natural health guru trumps your own experience.
The Way You Eat
7. Not chewing well: Chewing helps pre-digest food by mechanically breaking it down and biochemical breaking it down via enzymes found in the saliva. When you don’t chew well, it puts more mechanical and biomechanical stress on the stomach and small intestine to break things down. This, in turn, will make you feel bloated.
8. Eating on the run: Shoveling food down as you stand next to the sink or the fridge does nothing to help prep your brain and gastrointestinal system to help you digest your food.
9. Overeating: Overconsumption of any food can create gas and bloating, for very similar reasons as not chewing your food does. A greater volume of food requires more energy and resources for breaking it down.
Solution:Insert mindfulness into mealtimes. When you eat, sit down. Pay attention to the taste and texture of your food. Chew. Don’t talk with your mouth full, as this introduces excessive air into your system. Slow down as you eat, to give your brain — and second brain (the enteric nervous system, ENS) — a chance to gauge when you are satisfied, and to orchestrate the creation/release of digestive enzymes, acid and bile.
Your Ability to Digest What You Eat
10. Low digestive fire: I call the body’s ability to break down carbohydrates, fats and proteins into their building-block constituent compounds of starches, fatty acids and amino acids through the use of enzymes, bile and stomach acid “digestive fire.”
When we lack production of one of these factors, your body’s ability to break down these macronutrients is compromised. Thus, the ability to absorb them is also interrupted. Unbroken, partially-digested food compounds are more fermentable to the gut flora and more provocative to the immune system. The end result? That bloated feeling.
11. Carbohydrate malabsorption: Lactose intolerance is the most famous example of this, but fructose malabsorption and the inability to digest other carbohydrates is also a possibility. Undigested and unabsorbed compounds in your gut are likely to cause gas and bloating.
Carbohydrate malabsorption is easily diagnosed via a breath test, particularly if you suspect fructose malabsorption. Many of those who are lactose intolerant discovered it through trial and error, but this is more difficult with other forms of carbohydrates.
Solution:If you feel your digestive fire may not be burning brightly, consider supplementing with a digestive enzyme at mealtimes. You may also try taking a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar before meals, incorporate ginger and turmeric into your diet, and follow the other solutions in this piece, as low fire is often caused by a combination of reasons.
The Health of Your Microbiome
12. Dysbiosis:Dysbiosis is an umbrella term for an imbalance in your microbiome. Your microbiome is a beneficial colony of one hundred trillion bacterial cells residing in your large intestine.
When the numbers of good guys drop, or the number of unsavory characters increases, this is called dysbiosis. A dysbiotic gut flora is a gassy one. Unfortunately, dysbiosis irritates the lining of the gastrointestinal tract, as well, adding another layer of inflammation and with it, the potential for even more bloating.
13. Pathogenic infection: There are many types of specific dysbiosis, including frank infection with a parasite or harmful bacteria or overgrowth of Candida or other forms of yeast. These can be objectively measured and diagnosed with a stool test.
14. SIBO: Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth is a colonization of bacteria — even normal ones — where they don’t belong. The small intestine is supposed to be relatively sterile, but sometimes the guys from our microbiome move north and set up shop.
There they do their bacterial thing, but because the location is off, we experience feelings of bloat, excessive gas and spasm. SIBO, unlike other forms of dysbiosis, is diagnosed via a breath test.
Solution:For those of you who have tuned up your nutrition and lifestyle and spruced up your digestive fire but are still experiencing symptoms, it is time to rule out dysbiosis and infection. This is done with a stool test.
You can also help build a robust microbiome by eating lots of veggies (that you tolerate) and fermented foods, using antibiotics judiciously, laying off hand sanitizers and considering a probiotic.
The Integrity (or lack thereof) of Your Gut Lining
15. Your small intestine: The cells that line your small intestine are supposed to stand next to each other, tightly. There is even a structure called a desmosome that buttons these cells together.
Chronic inflammation from dysbiosis or inflammatory disease states, consuming foods you are sensitive to, high stress, alcohol binges and a host of other factors can disrupt this integrity and unbutton the cells.
With this interface disrupted, the immune system interacts with food and native bacterial compounds in a non-ideal way. It views them as invaders and generates an attack. These inflammatory compounds further disrupt the integrity of the lining, generate new food sensitivities, increase the risk of autoimmune reaction, and make you hold water and feel bloated.
16. Other problems with the lining: Ulcers, gastritis, esophagitis and even diverticulitis all can create the sensation of bloating.
Solution:While approaching any digestive issue, not only do we look to food, our ability to digest it and the health of the microbiome, we also must take steps to ensure that the structure that is housing all of this — the gut lining — is in good shape, too.
There are many nutrients and compounds out there that help us accomplish this goal, including glutamine, n-acetyl glucosamine, chamomile, turmeric, zinc carnosine, MSM (methylsulfonylmethane), bone broth, gelatin and many more.
Your Lifestyle
17. Lack of sleep and downtime: The central nervous System (CNS) has two branches — “fight and flight” and “rest and digest.” When we are sleep-deprived, overworked and do not get enough rest, the fight or flight branch begins to dominate, and the rest and digest branch takes a back seat. This branch, however, helps keep things moving smoothly in the gut. When its function is suppressed, bloating can ensue.
18. Lack of Movement: Movement is life. All types of physical activity help keep the ENS, your second brain, running smoothly. The ENS (enteric nervous system) is responsible for all of the minutiae of digestion, including the rate at which digestive factors are released and the regulation of peristalsis, the rhythmical, muscular contraction that propels food and gas down and out.
There are few quicker ways to impair your ENS than to not move your body in some way, whether it is walking, stretching, yoga, weight training, sprints or whatever your pleasure. Remember: Movement is life.
19. Constipation: Bloating and constipation often go hand in hand. A slow bowel, much like a sedentary lifestyle, can leave you feeling full and uncomfortable.
Addressing constipation is a key strategy in helping you not feel bloated. Hydration, adequate fat, fiber and minerals, along with physical activity and sleep, are the first steps to take to tackle this common condition.
20. Unmitigated Stress: The prior two points are major causative factors of this point, but we can lump in here all types of mental, emotional and social stress for which we have no relief or release. As above, uncompensated stress greatly disrupts the ENS, which in turn creates a whole host of digestive distress, including bloating.
Solution:For starters, protect your sleep. Go to bed before 11:30 p.m. and do your best to get at least 7 hours of sleep. Indulge in a morning walk, using the mindfulness you are cultivating while eating to your walking experience, noticing the sights and sounds around you and the feel of air and sun on your skin.
Develop a support network and start tackling your inner anxieties and stressors through self-development books or courses, physical activity or a combination of what suits you best.
As common and annoying as it is, you don’t have to just deal with being bloated. It is often an indicator that something is not quite right, and with some detective work and tweaking, we can determine for ourselves what is best for our body, and that is a very sweet place indeed.
Jillian Sarno Teta, ND, is the author of the best-selling book Natural Solutions for Digestive Health and the creator of Fix Your Digestion. Internationally recognized for her work in digestive health and wellness, Jillian writes, speaks and blogs extensively on the subject, traveling near and far.
A lot of people have gotten results from the Keto diet, and enjoyed the foods that it has to offer. However, many of the people who are following this diet have a hard time finding the recipes that they need, especially ones that are quick and easy to complete.
Fortunately, Kelsey Ale, noticed this problem, and decided to do something about it. She’s found that making recipes in a slow cooker gives you meals which are not only delicious, but also take very little time to make. Mostly you just put a few simple ingredients in the slow cooker, and let it do the rest.To find out more, click on – Keto Slow Cooker Cookbook
