Talk about health

I've read that as many as 44% of adults in the UK (and maybe the USA too) suffer from heartburn or acid reflux. If it's true, thats a whole lot of people.

Part of the problem is because the sphincter (a circular muscle at the bottom of the oesophagus and the top of the stomach that keeps the acid where its supposed to be) that normally shuts the opening after food you've swallowed goes into the stomach doesn't do its work properly. The result is that acid can get back out onto the oesophagus causing the burning feeling. In extreme cases the acid even gets quite a way up the oesophagus and into the bronchi and lungs. So, the escape of acid can cause a whole range of symptoms over and above heartburn.

Some experts suggest the reasons for the sphincter becoming less efficient is due at least partly to the antacids we swallow in an attempt to counter the acid. Its a kind of vicious circle where less acid means less need to have the protection of the sphincter muscle, so the muscle doesn't need to 'try' as hard.

And it's generally agreed that the long-term use of powerful drugs to limit acid production (proton pump inhibitors and histamine antagonists) just makes it worse.

As usual, conventional medicine searches for a innovative and usually expensive, if not life threatening treatment, while the alternative camp have much safer and ultimately more effective cure.

In this case, a UK hospital team have devised a piece of equipment that is inserted into the sphincter area to make it more efficient and cut the acid reflux. It needs general anaesthesia to insert, with all the problems associated with that. Not to mention the recovery time, pain killing medication and the rest while the patient stays in hospital.

Now, there may well be a use for this device and many people may benefit from it and feel much better in the long run. So, I don't want to 'rubbish' it until I've seen more information on the success rates, problems and so on.

However, I think you can treat and possibly cure heartburn using alternative therapies. Dietary changes, probiotics, and herbs all feature in effective treatment. It certainly takes some effort by the patient and a little time. Very few cures are instantaneous. But, by making the necessary changes to diet and lifestyle, heartburn and reflux can be effectively worked on.

The 'one stop' treatment does have its attractions, but there is always a downside. Please consider this when contemplating the options.

If you would like to find out more on the good and bad of antacids in general, and ways of approaching the alternatives, get in touch for a copy of my booklet called 'Heartburn, Indigestion & Acid reflux- Causes and treatment'. Its available as digital download or printed copy through http://www.healthexplored.co.uk , or drop me an e-mail at info@healthexplored.co.uk for more information. Or you can subscribe to my FREE newsletter and get regular health updates.

You know, when I decided to start a blog, I thought it would be easy to post articles at least once a week if not more often. Just sit down and write your thoughts. How long could it take?

Well, if anyone actually reads this, they will realise that I've managed to miss almost three weeks. And it's not as if I have been ploughing ahead with the business, either. I have spent these weeks working on the house and garden, playing dad and host to my adult children and their partners as they visit/ stay, and generally trying to make myself useful.

The time sure flies by and then when you eventually sit down at the computer, your mind is full of all kinds of random thoughts and concerns, most of which have little to do with the business in hand. Anyway, sorry for the feeble excuses and let's try to put something on 'paper'.

Autumn, the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness, usually sees a bit more media activity on the preparation and build-up to winter. The prospect of the cold and flu season brings out an avalanche of articles on building up the immune system, taking vitamins and herbs to fight colds and the like.

And I've just been reading one in my local paper that tells me that vitamin C is useless and all you need is a balanced diet. According to the reporter some guy has brought together the results of 30 trials all of which merely shows that taking the recommended daily dose of vitamin C, that's 60 mg in the UK, has no effect on preventing or limiting colds.

I thought we had got over that sort of rubbish. Most articles I've read in recent years plainly states that 60 mg of vitamin C is the absolute minimum anyone needs to stop them getting scurvy. If you want to be healthy, you really need to think about taking at least 500mg a day and probably a lot more besides. Some experts say at least 1,000 mg or more taken is divided doses (500mg twice or three times a day) is what you need.

To make matters worse, the reporter trotted out the 'balanced diet' argument for the millionth time. Who eats a balanced diet? And who even knows what a balanced diet looks like? I wish I did. Because a balanced diet in theory is a mix of fresh fruit and vegetables, some oily fish, carbohydrate and protein to match your metabloic type ...

And thats assuming you are not stressed out, depressed or ill, and on your exercise program.

A balanced diet for me will simply not be a balanced diet for you. We're all different and while our dietary needs are certainly based on the ideal, they are not the same in every detail. So, good luck in your quest for a balanced diet.

To my way of thinking, aim for that ideal diet by all means, but while you work on getting there, you simply have to boost certain aspects of your nutrition to keep you as healthy as possible. That means a form of basic supplementation to boost your essential nutrients and top up the vitamin and mineral content in your body.

So, get yourself a good quality vitamin C tablet and take it every day. Look for a vitamin and mineral supplement, too, to boost the rest. And consider a fish oil supplement to top up your omega-3 essentail fatty acids. Those three will give you a sound basis for health.

As for preventing colds, I believe that vitamin C supplements will help as long as they are reasonable doses. That is, more than the measly 60mg RDA.

If I feel a cold coming on, I reach for the 500mg tablets and take at lease three a day. And I get myself some zinc lozenges and suck half of one twice a day. I find the combination of vitamin C and zinc helps soothe my throat, make the symptoms less severe and limit the length of the cold. Together they make me feel much better. A result, I would say.

And my regime of basic supplementation also means I get fewer colds in the first place!

Overall, when I read these articles, I smile serenely and reach for my vitamin C supplement.