Medslant Acid Reflux Newsletter

Acupuncture And Gerd

By definition, acupuncture is the treatment of pain or disease by inserting the tips of needles at specific points on the skin.

Traditional Chinese acupuncture has been used to treat digestive disorders for more than 2000 years. Typically, in traditional Chinese medicine, the practitioner inserts long thin needles into various parts of the body to modify the flow of forces such as yin and yang and to restore organs to their normal function. The locations of the needle insertions are related to what are determined to be the specific causes of reflux. This may or may not be used together with Chinese herbal medicine.

There is also a related treatment - acupressure - which is acupuncture without the needles. The theory is that by applying pressure to specific organs and/or areas of the body, the body may heal itself. In the picture to the left, P6, the dot opposite the arrow, represents Neiguan. Pressure applied to this point is thought to reduce relaxation of the lower esophageal sphincter which we know is what lets acid reflux or go back up your esophagus. Acupressure to the P6 has been used for many years to relieve nausea and vomiting and recently to treat motion sickness. Pressure can be applied with a wrist band (available in some health food stores) that fits snugly on the wrist and has a small plastic button which applies pressure to the P6. You can also carefully apply this pressure yourself.

The P6 is a point located on the underside of the wrist between 2 tendons. If you hold out your hand and bend it toward you, P6 is located I the middle of the wrist approximately two finger widths from the crease where the hand and arm meet. The caution is that when you apply pressure you should feel a slight numbness, never a sharp pain. Acupoints are in between bones and tendons, never on bones, blood vessels or arteries.

And here is the big warning. As you know, I am neither a physician nor health care professional of any kind. I am neither recommending something nor saying that it works. I am also not saying that it doesn't work. Personally, I tried it and think I successfully applied pressure to the P6 point. Of course, I was not feeling any reflux symptoms at the time, but it was certainly neither pleasant, nor unpleasant.

All the information I found kept referring to "recent studies" showing that both acupuncture and acupressure worked to relieve GERD symptoms. The only referenced study I could find was one published by the American Physiological Society in August 2005 in an issue of Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology that indicated that stimulation of certain acupuncture points inhibit the esophageal sphincter relaxation by as much as 40%.

* Thanks to the many of you who had questions, comments, and requests for information after reading last month's newsletter. Several of you asked for information on acupuncture and GERD. Although it is not a lot of information specific to GERD and acupuncture, I hope this was helpful.

Gerd, PPI's And Calcium

ven the Mayo Clinic is cautioning that if you are on PPI's for a year or more, your calcium needs should be evaluated. According to all research, it is a fact that PPI's inhibit your body's ability to absorb calcium. Mehmet Oz, MD, and Michael Roizen, MD, the You docs, recommend eating lots of salad and fresh veggies.

They say that a four year study found that adults with the highest intake of carotenoids, i.e. tomatoes, carrots, leafy greens, had more bone density than people who ate fewer vegetables. Carotenoids may protect bones by stopping the stress thought to play a role in age related bone weakening. They may also help vitamin D to boost bone cell growth. Please keep the emails and phone calls coming to customerservice@medslant.com and 1.800.346.1850. I love hearing from you.

Wishing you a good night's sleep,

Adele

Customer Feedback: "The MedSlant was a gift for my mother who has severe acid reflux and had disks fused in her lower back. Not only has she not had a single acid reflux attack, she no longer wakes with back pain. She is so happy with her MedSlant and is amazed that something so simple as a pillow has improved her quality of life so much. Thank you."



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