Amavic – I’m hoping that 5:2 will help. My partner had a lot of problems and having lost weight is now rarely troubled. I was given the PP inhibitors after a coronary bypass op because I was having to take aspirin – I didn’t realise what they were at the time, but they fixed my heartburn and reflux problems. However I was (and am still) overweight and I hope if I can get down to an acceptable weight the problem will disappear and I will be able to stop the medication. The 5:2 way of life certainly doesn’t make it worse.
Bunnie

Hi Amavic–
My doctor explained GERD was invented by the pharmaceutical industry. Before that we all just had acid reflux. When they created drugs to treat it, they needed a disease! huh? PPIs can upset your gut biome/healthy bacteria and create a whole new host of problems….google it. PPIs wrecked my digestion. So. Here’s what I did..

Eliminate anything you put in your mouth that aggravates your condition. All the fun stuff in packages, the lunch meat & crackers, the industrial foods with high fructose corn syrup & hydrogenated fats and ingredients too numerous to mention. Select foods as close to their original form as possible. Cut out caffeine, soda, alcohol, coffee, black tea…etc. Eliminate/reduce pain relievers–acetomenophen, aspirin, ibuprofin, naproxen–as long term use can also change gut biome.(Anything that goes into your mouth is suspect) And let your gut start to heal.

Intermittent fasting / fasting is a great way to help your body begin to heal itself!

Minimize liquids with meals.

Talk to someone who specializes in healing the gut from a holistic perspective: holistic practitioner, functional medicine doctor, naturopath, or a compounding pharmacist.
Explore….
digestive enzymes: (for example, dairy problems? you need lactase,sold as Lactaid. Can’t digest fats? Lipase. The ‘new’ fats that have been heat treated, compressed, hydrogenated, etc. are NOT digestible. Eliminate them.)
pancreatic enzymes: to boost stomach acid production.
probiotics: to help your intestines restore flora. Since there are different strains, try varying them. Some probiotics offer prebiotics now. Look for probiotic numbers in the billions.

Light to moderate, regular exercise. 5-7 days a week. Even if it’s a 15 minute walk after dinner.

Clothes that fit. Waistbands that don’t restrict.

Don’t eat 3-4 hours before bedtime.

Treat your allergies, sensitivities, or eliminate any problem foods. I got the most relief after I gave up gluten, sorry to say, and avoid gluten free processed foods–that’s trading one problem for another.

Watch out for environmental problems, say mold in buildings or Recently discovered that strong scents/odors (febreze, for example) as well as something in the air inside large ‘chain’ stores aggravates acid reflux for me. Surprised the heck out of me.

Good luck!

My husband has been a long term sufferer of reflux and had bottles of Gaviscon and the chewable tablets as well as occasionally having a course of PP inhibitors prescribed by his doctor.

For the past 9 months he has had no symptoms at all and it is all down to lifestyle changes. He has lost some weight round his stomach, he goes for a daily walk and he eats smaller portions.

The main change has been to eat just a light easily digestible meal in the evening that coats the oesophagus/stomach – we have been enjoying winter vegetable soups with chickpeas/lentils and that seems to calm the upper digestive tract.

I am on 5:2 and he has similar food to me – no more rich, spicy foods or alcohol, smaller portions, home prepared food,

I have GERD and I’m taking it seriously. I wouldn’t know about any pharma conspiracies or marketing schemes. I do know my uncle died from esophageal cancer that started as GERD.
Anyhow, I would not go off the meds lightly. I went off after about 3 weeks of lifestyle changes. 3 weeks after that I was in so much pain that I couldn’t sleep or eat for days. My guess is that shutting the pp off and then switching it back on can make it worse than ever. So be careful, for some acid reflux may be an annoyance. If it’s more than that do not dismiss your doctor’s advice. And I do love the 5:2, certainly doesn’t hurt!