Stuff That Matters In Life

What! There’s more? (The story starts here.)

The health food and supplements industry continues to grow because it’s people like me who keeps them in business.

Manuka honey –  I think this was the first health thing I bought. I was reading about intestinal infections as it relates to acid reflux. The way it’s described, manuka honey could prevent cancer! It is a natural antibiotic with a host of good vitamins and minerals in it. It’s expensive so it must be good, right? Well, it tastes good at least! Did it work? I don’t know but it didn’t hurt…but after a teaspoon a day using up 250 grams and $40+, it didn’t solve my problem. And to be fair, I haven’t taken any of these supplements enough to make a difference. I mean I really shouldn’t expect to be cured after 1 month. Supplements are for restoring your health so your body can heal itself and use its natural defenses to fight germs. I should probably continue with manuka honey, but I can’t justify the spending. Maybe later I will take it again, especially if it’s on sale. A friend told me Costco sells it. I didn’t see it at our local Costco though.

Slippery elm bark powder, organic – never heard of it? Neither have I until now. I read in a forum that it coats and soothes the throat. People also said it’s slimy and tastes awful, you have to just chug it down. I don’t think it’s bad at all. It’s bland which I don’t mind, and yes it’s slimy, but maybe being Chinese has its benefits – I’m accustomed to strange foods. From everything I read, it won’t hurt you and you can’t overdose on it. I take about 1 teaspoon in half cup of water after a meal. It is very soothing, and I will continue with this for a while.

Omega-3 krill oil – I bought this for my husband a while back for his high blood pressure. I’ve forgotten to remind him to take it (unlike me the hypochondriac, he never thinks he’s sick and would not take supplement on his own volition). I’m taking it now, and telling the hubby to take it again too, because my friend told me 4 things helped her health – fiber, omega-3, digestive enzymes, and probiotics. I am pretty sure I am getting enough fiber with veggies and oatmeal. I take digestive enzymes occasionally if I am anticipating a big meal with meat. So I added the omega-3.

Now regarding probiotics, I was taking a capsule a day. However, I stopped because I read that the prebiotic in most probiotic capsules is counterproductive when I’m trying to cut down on carbs. The rationale is that probiotics need to feed on carbs to grow in your intestines. I’m not sure about all that, and I think I will add back probiotics soon. But for some reason that makes no sense to me…I just decided to take a break from it. That’s probably not the right approach to these supplements. There is something about consistency that is good for you. But I’m swallowing so many pills that I just want to stop probiotics due to conflicting info by health gurus.

Gaviscon – Not sure if this is considered a natural supplement, but it’s made with seaweed or something. My ENT told me to take this before bed to coat my esophagus and throat from acid reflux at night. I googled it (yeah, I don’t believe my doctor), and found that the Gaviscon sold in the U.S. contains antacid with aluminum. However, Gaviscon sold in the U.K. does not contain the antacid. It is just the seaweed stuff for coating. Well, it’s a good thing google was invented because I am against taking antacids, for now anyway. So I bought the U.K. Gaviscon on Amazon for like 3x the price of the U.S. brand. Has it helped? I do think so! I take about half a tablespoon before bed, and in the morning my throat feels good. I will continue with this for a while. But I do need to read more about the long term use.

Interesting observation – I just came back from our church’s women’s retreat where for 2 days I ate regular food and did not take any supplements except chewing on a bit of ginger that I brought with me and Gaviscon at night. In fact, I felt pretty good! I attribute that being distracted by the activities and the conversations that I was enjoying, leaving no time for me to think about myself or my symptoms. That was a good thing. I just need more distractions!

Two more things to document here because I end this series of supplements – I stopped eating 3 hours before sleeping at night. Every single website I’ve read says to do that, so it must be right 🙂 Has it helped? It hasn’t hurt and it’s not much effort. It makes logical sense not to lie down after eating. I was eating a small protein snack before sleeping because I read that it helps with balancing your blood sugar. So I eating a bit of cheese before bed, I love cheese. I stopped doing that and maybe it’s helping.

I also raised the head of my bed with blocks by 5-6 inches. Using extra pillows to raise your head is counterproductive to acid reflux. You must raise the bed so your body is more “upright”. Has it helped? Every single website I’ve read says to do this, so must be right 🙂 It hasn’t hurt and it doesn’t cost anything, so why not.

This is the end of my long list. If I add more, I’ll post again!

I hope this will help someone with LPR. And I hope I hear from people with LPR to give me more ideas of supplements I should take.