I Had Reflux for 15 Years. Here’s What I Learned

My Journey Beyond Medication

The doctors are now testing for cancer in my stomach polyps, which they say might be from using reflux medication for so long. If that is not bad enough, the specialist also found a hiatal hernia and told me that my reflux is permanent because of it.

I feel like I’m stuck in a loop. My search for a solution has only led to more concerns about living with constant reflux and the possible dangers of the medications that I rely on. This led me down a path of research and discovery, ultimately freeing me from reflux. And so in this post, I’m sharing my journey, in hopes to inspire and teach you how to find relief beyond a lifetime of meds.

Reflux’s Hidden Harms

But first, have you ever wondered if any of the other symptoms you have are related to your reflux?

I didn’t, but after my friend’s tip, I googled reflux vitamin deficiencies and was shocked to find that my fatigue, brain fog, depression, anxiety, memory problems, and many more were indeed tied to my reflux. Turns out googling my symptoms actually worked. Take that, WebMD!

I realized I was juggling almost 50 problems that I never thought were related. And the crazy part is most were due to common reflux vitamin deficiencies my doctor never warned me about. I knew I had to dig deeper. Fixing these deficiencies seemed like a good step, but I didn’t just want a quick fix for the side effects – I wanted to get to the root of the issue.

Navigating Reflux Triggers

It turned out the reason for the vitamin deficiencies was an important clue to figuring out how I could do that. We’ll come back to that. But first, I looked at my diet, hoping better food choices could patch up my nutritional gaps and soothe the flare-ups. For years, I’d been chasing away the burning in my throat with antacids, but they were less effective over time.

Research made it clear: my diet was part of the problem. I thought I was eating well—by American standards, anyway. But I was actually making some big mistakes without realizing it, like soothing the burning and mucus with mint tea, not knowing mint was one of a few, of what I call “universal triggers”. This made the tea less soothing the more I drank, like trying to dig yourself out of a hole.

Another mistake was trying to avoid foods on the “reflux trigger lists” to calm my symptoms. It didn’t work because they’re not one-size-fits-all. Our bodies react differently—what sets off my reflux might not bother you at all. For example, I realized milk was a no-go for me, but it took a lot of trial and error to figure out that bread was a trigger for me too.

After cutting out these personal triggers, my symptoms began to settle down. But there was more to it. I discovered what I call ‘deep triggers’—stuff that doesn’t just spark immediate symptoms but slowly damages your digestion over time.

When your reflux is as intense as mine was, even a little bit of these can be too much. That meant no more foods with things like added sugars, artificial sweeteners, or vegetable oils. It required a lot of self-discipline, but changing what I stocked in my kitchen really helped me to start turning the corner on my health.

Next, we’ll look at how you can mirror the exact steps I took etc….but before that, let’s talk about ways I found to build on the dietary changes I made.

How to Naturally Heal Acid Reflux

You know, if I had only started tweaking my diet when I first felt that bit of indigestion 15 years ago, maybe that would’ve been enough, but in the later stages of reflux it was clear I was going to need some extra help. That’s when I circled back to the vitamin deficiencies I’d stumbled on. These aren’t just random; they’re often linked to a bigger issue, many with reflux face, which affects how our bodies take in nutrients like vitamin B12 and magnesium.

Here’s the twist: The very thing our stomachs need to take up these vitamins properly is stomach acid. Yep, the acid itself, which is also a big player in our immune system and digestion. So, the next leg of my journey was about getting my stomach acidity back to normal, especially after years of using meds to lower it. I had to mimic how our bodies naturally manage digestion.

And after diving into tons of studies, I found out there are natural remedies out there that can help rebalance acidity and digestion, boost our immune system, reduce inflammation, restore hormones, and even help our nervous system talk to our digestive organs better.

My Reflux Transformation

But after healing my reflux, my focus shifted to prevention. I didn’t want to go back to square one. The great news is I found I could enjoy foods like milk, cheese, and even bread again, without any reflux flare-ups. And this isn’t just my story. Many of the people I’ve guided through this process have seen similar results.

And the best part is I can now treat myself to desserts without the fear of a reflux attack. I’ve learned it’s all about balance – eating well most of the time allows for those sweet moments.

I know you are eager to start this healing journey, too. That’s why I’ve created the Reflux Relief Challenge. It’s a 3-day email series that’ll guide you through the same steps I took to test and confirm my healing plan. It’s worked for me and hundreds of others, and it might just work for you.