Recently, Natural Awakenings Magazine featured an article “Banish Acid Reflux: Eating Alkaline Can Cure the Burn” by their senior staff writer Linda Sechrist.

The article uses a few interesting statistics and reports from current research on acid reflux, combined with some dietary suggestions that the author feels will help the condition. Acid reflux is increasing year to year at an alarming rate, and many people now suffer from some or all of its symptoms.

When it [acid reflux] occurs more than twice a week, reflux can progress from a minor irritation causing heartburn to gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD. When the throat is most affected, it’s called laryngopharyngeal reflux, or LPR. Untreated, LPR can damage the throat, airway and lungs. If left untreated, GERD can damage the digestive system and cause precancerous Barrett’s esophagus or even esophageal cancer. (Banish Acid Reflux: Eating Alkaline Can Cure the Burn by Linda Sechrist)

According to Dr. Jamie Koufman, founding director of the Voice Institute of New York and author of Dropping Acid: The Reflux Diet Cookbook & Cure, “…In the United States, the prevalence of esophageal cancer has increased 850 percent since 1975… (Banish Acid Reflux: Eating Alkaline Can Cure the Burn)”

The articles basic premise that acidic foods are a leading contributor, if not the primary cause, of acid reflux disorders is correct and has been a point of emphasis for thousands of years in Taoism, in particular the Tao of Balanced Diet. The recommended foods, however, which the article lists as alkaline are in fact acidic and will further contribute to the problem.

With this in mind the National Taoism Examiner is going to share some Taoist tips and general principles to help prevent or correct this problem. The secret to preventing and correcting this problem is maintaining a proper balance between alkaline and acidic foods aka pH balance.

1) Most foods are acidic so to make things simple it is easier to remember which foods are alkaline:

• sprouts
• green vegetables (cooked)
• grains (cooked)
• cooked vegetables
• cooked potatoes/baked or boiled (white or sweet)
• white rice (cooked)

2) Safe to assume that all other food types are acidic

3) Make sure each meal contains some of the above alkaline foods. For example: if you are eating chicken (or any other meat) then make sure you also have white rice or potatoes and cooked vegetables.

4) Do not drink during the meal as this dilutes and washes away the valuable saliva and prevents proper digestion.

5) Make sure the food is cooked, no raw food.

6) Eat until you are satisfied not full and definitely not stuffed.

7) Avoid antacid tablets (whether over the counter or prescription) as they neutralize the stomach acid which causes the body to produce more acid in order to digest food, causing a vicious cycle of always needing more antacids. The body will be stuck in the cycle of heartburn and indigestion.

Alkaline foods naturally balance the acid levels in the stomach so the body can digest food properly and in a timely manner. The next time you go to a restaurant, notice the pleasant aroma upon entering notice how great the food smells and appears when it is brought to the table…after eating walk around to the back of the restaurant and notice how terrible the trash smells and observe the rotting food, this is the waste or leftover food that was used the same day in the restaurant….only a few hours separating a wonderful meal and trash in the alley.

The same occurs in our bodies when food is not able to digest properly, fully and in a timely manner. This results in our body not only producing too much acid but also in gas, bloating and other symptoms of indigestion or in Taoist terms Self Poisoning.

With these general tips in mind you can rest assured that you are on your way to having meals that are more acid-alkaline balanced and will begin to see an improvement in acid reflux problems, or preventing the problem all together. Some people may, in addition to the above tips, find it beneficial to use Taoist teas/Forgotten Foods to assist the digestive system with recovery. In this case there are two formulas that have helped people for over 3,000 years called BD-216 Vital Combination or FP-604 Acidity Tea.

A few Taoist Internal Exercises have also helped many people, especially: Stomach rubbing exercise, liver/stomach massage, throat massage and the turtle exercise.

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