Stuff That Matters In Life

Continuing my list of supplements to help relieve LPR:

Calcium with Magnesium and Zinc – I read that calcium citrate can help heal the LES (lower esophageal sphincter), so I figured it wouldn’t hurt to have some calcium anyway. It’s a huge pill, so I let it sit in my mouth with a little water and then just swallow after the pill is dissolved. It doesn’t taste like anything other than a little gritty, I don’t mind it. I read that the calcium citrate should touch the LES so dissolving it this way helps it come in direct contact better than if I swallowed the pill – that’s my theory. The blog post I read did say this is not proven, but it doesn’t hurt to try. This is the attitude I take on all these supplements. It won’t hurt and maybe it’ll help, even a little would be worth it. I also read that if you are acidic your body will draw calcium to balance the pH. In case if this is happening, the supplement will help. I only take 1 tablet instead of the 2 recommended a day. So it gives me 50% of the recommended daily value, so it won’t be anywhere near toxic levels. There isn’t much magnesium or zinc, but it’s there to help calcium absorption.

Magnesium – For a couple weeks I was experiencing heavy anxiety especially at night time. I read that magnesium helps you to sleep, so I had to try that. Stress draws magnesium from you, so I am taking a little extra just in case. I take 1 tablet instead of the recommended 2 a day, so I am getting 50% of the recommended daily value, and I won’t overdose on it. Including the amount of magnesium in the calcium supplement I’m probably getting about 70%. Like the calcium, it is a huge pill. It is so hard that I couldn’t even dissolve it in my mouth. So I soak it in a little water to dissolve it and it tastes yucky! Kind of like oyster fishy flavor! It’s the price I pay for taking it this way. Has it helped? Well, I am able to sleep a lot better now, and I only feel anxiety once in a while. However, I attribute the improvement to God’s help, that I am learning to deal with my emotions with prayer. God is my heavenly Father who cares for me, so I am putting my trust in Him, not on these supplements. It may be that He is using these supplements to help me, so I just do my part in using wisdom to take the supplements and see what God will do. It is the attitude I take with all health related issues. We do our part in taking the appropriate meds and caring for our body the way God intends, and we trust Him for the rest.

Ginger – I chew on a small piece of raw ginger after meals and whenever I feel any symptoms. This is probably the best thing I’ve done and really helps with minimizing symptoms. I read that it’s safe to chew up to 4-5 grams a day. I weighed it out to see how much that is, and it’s probably about an inch and a half. I don’t come near to chewing that much, so I’m safe to continue this. Ginger is an anti-inflammatory, so that’s another reason to eat ginger. It was very spicy when I first started on this, but I’ve gotten used to the taste. A friend bought me the dried ginger coated with sugar. That actually is more spicy because it’s concentrated when it’s dried. Plus I don’t want the extra sugar. I buy the organic ginger available at a farmer’s market near me and carry a little bit of it in my purse whenever I go out to eat.

One thing that has also noticeably helped is changing a habit of drinking liquid during a meal. I read that drinking liquid during a meal washes down all the stomach acids needed to digest the food. Since I stopped drinking during a meal, bloating and burping has definitely decreased. I drink about 15 minutes before and after eating. In the old days when I was young, I used to love drinking milk with my meals. Those days are gone…but I can still enjoy life without milk 🙂

To be continued.