The Truth About Acid Reflux, Heartburn & GERD

Although heartburn, acid reflux, and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) are incredibly common, they are not a “normal” part of healthy digestion.  

Occasional symptoms may occur during pregnancy, after a large meal, or after certain foods or beverages. However, frequent symptoms are your body’s way of signaling that something deeper may be out of balance.

Many people have been led to believe that reflux is an issue with an excess of stomach acid, but often the opposite is true. Various factors including inadequate stomach acid production, chronic stress, structural imbalances such as a hiatal hernia, food intolerances, nervous system dysregulation, and impaired digestive motility can all lead to digestive symptoms.

At Hope and Healing Naturopathic, we absolutely want to help relieve your symptoms, but our goals go far beyond just symptom management. Rather than simply masking reflux with medications or supplements, we focus on understanding why your body is mounting this response so we can address the underlying causes and support your body’s natural ability to heal.

Much More Than Just Heartburn

Whether you’ve been told you have heartburn, acid reflux, GERD, or silent reflux, your symptoms are your body’s way of asking for help.

Some people experience what is known as silent reflux (laryngopharyngeal reflux), where typical heartburn symptoms are absent, yet internal damage may still occur.

Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) like Omeprazole are one of the most commonly prescribed class of medications and unfortunately do not address the underlying causes of symptoms, and can cause harm.  While these medications may provide temporary symptomatic relief, they aren’t recommended to be used longer than 1-2 months.  PPIs work by significantly reducing stomach acid production. While this may provide temporary relief, stomach acid is necessary and plays an important role in digesting protein, absorbing nutrients, and protecting against harmful microbes.

Long-term PPI use has been associated with an increased risk of conditions such as:

• Vitamin B12 deficiency
• Magnesium deficiency
• Iron deficiency
• Osteoporosis
• Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO)
• Clostridioides difficile (C. diff) infection
• Pneumonia
• Dementia
• Kidney disease

Rather than simply suppressing symptoms, wouldn’t it make more sense to understand why they’re happening in the first place so you can work with your body, and prevent future issues?

Healthy digestion requires the body to be in a relaxed, parasympathetic (“rest and digest”) state. Worry, stress, or overwhelm can contribute to reflux, bloating, indigestion, and poor nutrient absorption.  Chronic stress shifts the body into a sympathetic (“fight or flight”) state, which can reduce stomach acid production, impair digestive enzyme secretion, slow digestive motility, and decrease the stomach’s protective mucus layer.  

A Patient’s Heartburn and Acid Reflux Story of Why and How

Symptoms rarely develop from one single cause or one event. More often, they are the result of multiple imbalances over time.  Our job is to help uncover what’s contributing to your symptoms and why your body is asking for help.  Some of you can likely relate to Suzie.

Suzie is a loving mom of two who is also helping care for her aging mother. She is incredibly compassionate, health-conscious, and tends to put everyone else’s needs before her own. She strives to eat well, exercise, and manage her stress, but the reality is that most days feel overwhelmed. Meals are often eaten quickly, if at all, and she’s constantly thinking about the next thing on her very long to-do list.

Lately, she’s noticed that she feels full after just a few bites, feels pressure in her upper abdomen and chest, clears her throat often, and frequently burps. Her anxiety has become more noticeable, and despite her best efforts, she can’t seem to get her digestive symptoms under control.

How We Treat Heartburn, Acid Reflux, and GERD Differently as Naturopathic Doctors

Our approach is different in many ways from conventional, functional, or even other naturopathic practitioners.  Every patient is unique, so no two treatment plans look exactly alike. We know that the body doesn’t produce symptoms randomly without cause and we are determined to understand why your body is producing symptoms in the first place. To date, the cause hasn’t been a deficiency in PPI meds or Tums.  

Many people believe extensive specialty testing, scopes, or imaging studies are necessary. We’ve found that many patients improve without an invasive workup when we assess and address any applicable causes. Understanding the whole person is more important than understanding results on a piece of paper.

Let’s see how Suzie healed with our approach.  During our first 2 hour appointment, we learned more about her health and family history, personality, and lifestyle.  We collected a few drops of blood painlessly from her ear to assess which foods her body was unable to properly digest through a food intolerance evaluation.  When a physical exam was performed, a hiatal hernia was noticed and gently corrected.  We also identified areas of restricted motion and dysfunction throughout her digestive tract that were affecting how efficiently her body was processing food. Through gentle hands-on therapies, these areas were addressed to support more normal digestive function.

She immediately noticed she could take a deeper breath and felt more relaxed. These gentle treatments also help support parasympathetic (“rest and digest”) activity, allowing the digestive system to function more efficiently.  When her intolerance results came back, she realized she was eating several foods her body wasn’t digesting well—even though she was eating a “healthy” diet.  We discussed how avoiding foods her body was struggling to process could reduce inflammation, lessen the burden on her digestive system, and create an environment that supports healing.

Suzie was aware of how her deep concern for her family and health resulted in worry, anxiety, and overwhelm, yet she wasn’t sure how to reduce her stress without spending hours each day trying to “manage” it, which wasn’t practical.  We performed treatments to resolve subconscious blocks to healing, suppressed trauma, and stored stress, and she noticed feeling lighter, less anxious, more relaxed, and digesting and sleeping better.  She still felt compassionate and loving, yet wasn’t consumed with worry about her or her family’s health and was able to release what was out of her control.

We used supplements to support her body’s healing rather than simply suppress symptoms. She realized she was able to take and do less at home, yet felt better as her body was healing from within.  She did her best to avoid her intolerances and noticed how she felt when she ate them, and no longer felt confused or discouraged with her digestive health.

Suzie still has busy days with long to-do lists, yet her nervous system is more balanced so she feels less stressed and more stable and resilient.  She knows what foods her body doesn’t do well with, and doesn’t have to guess.  She is no longer bothered by belching, throat clearing, pain, or fullness.  She has peace of mind knowing she’s digesting food more efficiently, absorbing nutrients more effectively, and finally understands what her body needs to thrive.

Hope for Healing from Digestive Discomfort…Naturally