Hello. I see this is an old thread but maybe someone will read this. It concerns me that anyone, especially a 17 year old, has gerd and is taking daily meds. Sadly, Western medicine is trained in silencing symptoms rather than healing a patient. You have some sort of food intolerance. Unless testing finds something serious, like cancer, it is that simple.
If you are eating a standard American diet (breads, pastas, soda, fast food, fried food, lots of meat or less than 7 servings of fruits and veggies daily) you are vulnerable to all issues of digestive tract.
GERD tells me you are eating too many simple carbs and sugar and not enough veggies and natural fiber.
The first action (and best action) is to change the diet radically. Cut out all wheat and all dairy. Reduce meat to once a day or less (poultry and fish only). No pork (it's really hard on our systems). Every meal should have veggies (or fruit at breakfast) as the star of the show. No fast food. No drinks that are unnatural or have added sugar or sugar substitute. No fried foods. Only healthy oils, not the typical oils used in the American diet.
This sounds like a lot of "no" but I assure you, by saying no to foods that harm the body, you're saying a big YES to yourself and living a healthy, pain free life.
I am an expert as someone who has been sick for a long time with a dozen doctors scratching thier heads, telling me I have this or that syndrome (which means, I don't know) and trying to get me to take some sort of drug. Never once talking to me about diet.
We're talking about the digestive system here. It's health or sickness has everything to do with what we put into it.
I realize my food list sounds bleak but try it for 2 months and see how you feel. You need enough time to heal the damage before deciding if you'd rather go back to old ways of eating. Be creative, do research. Read books and articles by Dr. Mark Hyman. Play with spices, eat lots of coconut oil and olive oil. Add chia and flax to meals. Enjoy learning to cook in a way that honors your body. You will feel better than you ever have!
My gut healed and digestive pain vanished. My bowel movements became regular. And the side effects of my diet shift were dramatic. I lost 30 pounds no other fad diet did for me. I slept better. All my aches and pains vanished (I was starting to think I had early onset arthritis). Headaches, gone. Fatigue, gone. Depression lifted. Anxiety, gone. Mood, stabilized. And I love what I eat! It was hard at first, mostly because we live in a world that has opted for the immediate taste bud fix (overdosing on salt, bad fats and sugar) which is literally, the path to pain, illness and death. But within a week of my new diet, I began to crave salads, veggies, fruits and I had a negative response to the idea of foods that made me I'll. My nature took the lead and the pop culture, compulsive default way of eating c**p (the standard American diet) is no longer appealing to me.
I have to advocate for my health as well meaning friends try to push food, I know, will make me sick. And I refuse syndromes and drugs (drugs are toxic for the system if taken daily, meds actually make symptoms worse, creating an addiction because the drug suppresses symptoms, symptoms grow as a way to get our attention, it is a dangerous loop). Doctors mean well but medical training is limited to crisis and acute illness and symptom management. Western medicine doesn't understand chronic illness, most doctors do not take more than one class (if that) on nutrition. Symptoms, while painful and annoying are a gift because they are telling us something needs attention. Western medicine silences symptoms, the primary way we can uncover the root cause of an issue. For example, if your car starts to over heat and smoke, Western medicine would prescribe something to stop the smoke. But that doesn't do anything to stop the car from overheating.
I hope anyone who struggles with these issues is inspired to make a loving shift in diet. Get off the drugs and empower yourself with knowledge.
Good luck!
If you are eating a standard American diet (breads, pastas, soda, fast food, fried food, lots of meat or less than 7 servings of fruits and veggies daily) you are vulnerable to all issues of digestive tract.
GERD tells me you are eating too many simple carbs and sugar and not enough veggies and natural fiber.
The first action (and best action) is to change the diet radically. Cut out all wheat and all dairy. Reduce meat to once a day or less (poultry and fish only). No pork (it's really hard on our systems). Every meal should have veggies (or fruit at breakfast) as the star of the show. No fast food. No drinks that are unnatural or have added sugar or sugar substitute. No fried foods. Only healthy oils, not the typical oils used in the American diet.
This sounds like a lot of "no" but I assure you, by saying no to foods that harm the body, you're saying a big YES to yourself and living a healthy, pain free life.
I am an expert as someone who has been sick for a long time with a dozen doctors scratching thier heads, telling me I have this or that syndrome (which means, I don't know) and trying to get me to take some sort of drug. Never once talking to me about diet.
We're talking about the digestive system here. It's health or sickness has everything to do with what we put into it.
I realize my food list sounds bleak but try it for 2 months and see how you feel. You need enough time to heal the damage before deciding if you'd rather go back to old ways of eating. Be creative, do research. Read books and articles by Dr. Mark Hyman. Play with spices, eat lots of coconut oil and olive oil. Add chia and flax to meals. Enjoy learning to cook in a way that honors your body. You will feel better than you ever have!
My gut healed and digestive pain vanished. My bowel movements became regular. And the side effects of my diet shift were dramatic. I lost 30 pounds no other fad diet did for me. I slept better. All my aches and pains vanished (I was starting to think I had early onset arthritis). Headaches, gone. Fatigue, gone. Depression lifted. Anxiety, gone. Mood, stabilized. And I love what I eat! It was hard at first, mostly because we live in a world that has opted for the immediate taste bud fix (overdosing on salt, bad fats and sugar) which is literally, the path to pain, illness and death. But within a week of my new diet, I began to crave salads, veggies, fruits and I had a negative response to the idea of foods that made me I'll. My nature took the lead and the pop culture, compulsive default way of eating c**p (the standard American diet) is no longer appealing to me.
I have to advocate for my health as well meaning friends try to push food, I know, will make me sick. And I refuse syndromes and drugs (drugs are toxic for the system if taken daily, meds actually make symptoms worse, creating an addiction because the drug suppresses symptoms, symptoms grow as a way to get our attention, it is a dangerous loop). Doctors mean well but medical training is limited to crisis and acute illness and symptom management. Western medicine doesn't understand chronic illness, most doctors do not take more than one class (if that) on nutrition. Symptoms, while painful and annoying are a gift because they are telling us something needs attention. Western medicine silences symptoms, the primary way we can uncover the root cause of an issue. For example, if your car starts to over heat and smoke, Western medicine would prescribe something to stop the smoke. But that doesn't do anything to stop the car from overheating.
I hope anyone who struggles with these issues is inspired to make a loving shift in diet. Get off the drugs and empower yourself with knowledge.
Good luck!