Coughing Caused by ... Acid Reflux!

[msieweke]

re: low carb diet cured reflux

Correlation does not necessarily equate to causation.

Insulin resistance has been linked to reflux: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/751340

A low carb diet lowers insulin and can reverse insulin resistance. There's a plausible mechanism.

 

[Meadbh]

Did you self-diagnose this? Does your doctor concur? A lot of things cause chronic coughing; perhaps the reason some of your (self-prescribed?) attempts to treat acid reflux didn't work is because you don't have it?

+1

 

[Meadbh]

Lots of "this worked for me" stories on this thread. First of all, we don't know for sure whether Al has reflux. He thinks he has reflux. Second, the plural of anecdote is not data. Reflux affects ~20% of the population at least once a month. It comes and goes. Therefore anything that people do that is followed by an improvement in symptoms can be mistaken for a remedy, when it may be coincidence. And reflux occurs frequently in people with other common problems.

"In God we trust. All others bring data."
----W. Edwards Deming

 

[donheff]

And here we were thinking we believed in evidence based medicine. Got us Meadbh

 

[Beldar]

Did you self-diagnose this? Does your doctor concur? A lot of things cause chronic coughing; perhaps the reason some of your (self-prescribed?) attempts to treat acid reflux didn't work is because you don't have it?

Perhaps the responses / observations in this thread may help Al ask more pertinent and detailed questions of his physician if he decides to go that route.

_B

 

[audreyh1]

Al, I had a constant cough/throat clearing affliction that went on for years. I had a friend who used to mock me because it was so annoying. I eventually tried an old wife's remedy (mentioned above by Graybeard) that stopped it in it's tracks. For several years now, every morning I slug down about a tsp of Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar (with the mother) followed by a chaser of water. I don't know whether it is a placebo or not but it works fine for me and a lot of people who discuss it online. If it works for you it would be a lot better than using proton pump inhibitors.

Increases stomach acidity, no?

 

[Carpediem]

One thing that helps me is raw apple cider vinegar -- a tablespoon in a cup of water in the morning and as needed later in the day. Sounds odd to fight acid reflux with another acid, I know.

I was going to post the same thing. I started experiencing acid reflux at night and fortunately, my wife read an article in a health magazine that talked about the benefits of taking ACV for reflux. I started taking a 'shot' of ACV each morning and my reflux subsided almost immediately.

As they say, YMMV.

P.S. ACV has other benefits beyond helping with acid reflux.

 

[Carpediem]

The old wives tales all say the mother is an essential component. Also, I said I used 1 tsp each morning but it is more like 1 tablespoon. I just splash the stuff in a glass, slug it down and chase it with water. Others dilute it, mix it with OJ, etc., but I find it easier to slam it down.

I take my ACV straight from a shot glass while holding my nose so I can't taste it. I also chase it with chocolate milk.

 

[Another Reader]

First dose down. Will report back the anecdotal evidence in a few days. Cinnamon is supposed to help with inflammation and diabetes. That's up next, once this trial is over. Anything to stay out of the doctor's office.

 

[Carpediem]

First dose down. Will report back the anecdotal evidence in a few days. Cinnamon is supposed to help with inflammation and diabetes. That's up next, once this trial is over. Anything to stay out of the doctor's office.

Did you make sure the ACV you trief was the kind that says "with mother"?

 

[TromboneAl]

Thanks for all the tips. It's good to know that I'm not the only one who has this.

I've been very low carb for over six years now--don't think I can go any lower.

Yes, I've communicated about this with my doctor. She offered to have me come in, but thinks I'm on the right track. I'll be going in for a checkup soon, so we can discuss it more.

I tried ACV a bit (with the mother). The proponents of this on youtube and elsewhere sound so convincing, but other sites have convinced me it's a placebo response. But you never know.

One problem is that there is a good amount of variability in my symptoms. You can eat pretty much the same thing on two different days, and get the same amount of coughing. But I think my experiments will find out what works for me (just added ice to the set of variables, based on W2R's input).

Yes, I've tried omeprezole, and it did improve things somewhat.

Some things I don't get:

1. The esophagus is long, and it's not a big, wide-open tube like the trachea.

So I don't get how stomach acid can splash all the way up to the epiglottis area. OTOH, one can burp and taste food, so ...

2. If I eat at 4:30, how could I still have problems at 10 PM?

3. It seems that after a period of coughing/throat clearing, the problem is gone. So, sometimes after 20 minutes, I'm fine. But the conditions haven't changed much, so why is it better?

 

[marko]

Al, I had a constant cough/throat clearing affliction that went on for years. I had a friend who used to mock me because it was so annoying. I eventually tried an old wife's remedy (mentioned above by Graybeard) that stopped it in it's tracks. For several years now, every morning I slug down about a tsp of Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar (with the mother) followed by a chaser of water. I don't know whether it is a placebo or not but it works fine for me and a lot of people who discuss it online. If it works for you it would be a lot better than using proton pump inhibitors.

+1 Me too. I found this to be a tremendous help. I still need Omeprazole, but I take a tbs of ACV with a cup of hot water and it works wonders for me.

 

[marko]

Increases stomach acidity, no?

I've read that it starts out as an acid but metabolizes as an alkali. I've found that when my stomach needs acid it behaves like that, but if I need an alkali it acts that way...I know because sometimes I get a burp (like from an alkali) and sometimes I don't.

 

[marko]

I tried apple cider vinegar and it didn't work for me. But.. I don't think it had the mother. I may try to get off PPI's and the mother will be one of my options to try if the cough comes back.

The mother provides a digestive enzyme; sort of a probiotic that over time increases digestive bacteria in the gut.

I've had extensive "gut" and digestive issues--a major, 2 year journey for me after gall bladder surgery-- and ACV has been a huge component in my recovery.

 

[Hermit]

First dose down. Will report back the anecdotal evidence in a few days. Cinnamon is supposed to help with inflammation and diabetes. That's up next, once this trial is over. Anything to stay out of the doctor's office.

I have to stay away from cinnamon. It has the same effect as chocolate and coffee.

 

[Ian S]

I fiddled around for too long with reflux but eventually I had my esophagus scoped at the same time as my colonoscopy. I was diagnosed with Barret's esophagus which makes me far more likely to develop esophageal cancer. I'm on 80 mg a day of pantoprazole which hasn't entirely eliminated the reflux but at least the Barret's hasn't progressed. My doc says that's because any reflux has a far less damaging amount of acid due to the ppi. I'd like to reduce my dosage if I can so I might try the cider vinegar.

 

[Elbata]

When I went lower carb my reflux went away.

My $.02:

It's precisely a low carb diet, the diet that almost 100% believe is the healthiest diet on the planet, that is the cause.

Our diets are so low in fiber, that we strain to have a BM. With a low fiber/low carbohydrate diet, peristalsis doesn't happen, and constipation the result. By straining, some of the contents in the stomach bypasses the one way valve and the acid travels to the esophagus.

Take a guess on the highest used over the counter medication.

Eat a plant based high fiber diet. Check out Dr McDougall's website. Remember, there is zero fiber in meat, dairy, cheese and eggs.

 

[msieweke]

If you're interested in an alternate explanation of the cause of reflux, check out Chris Kresser's 3 article series: https://chriskresser.com/what-everybody-ought-to-know-but-doesnt-about-heartburn-gerd/ It makes a lot of sense to me.

 

[audreyh1]

I've read that it starts out as an acid but metabolizes as an alkali. I've found that when my stomach needs acid it behaves like that, but if I need an alkali it acts that way...I know because sometimes I get a burp (like from an alkali) and sometimes I don't.

I've just read that GERD can also be caused by low stomach acidity. Which means some of the anti-acid remedies don't help, and some acid enhancing remedies do.

Fortunately I don't have GERD - any heartburn I experience is very infrequent and mild- I just occasionally have slow emptying of the stomach so I try not to eat too much at night or too late. So I was reading about low stomach acidity.

 

[donheff]

Increases stomach acidity, no?

stomach acid is some potent stuff. Vinegar pales in comparison. I suspect it would be a drop in the bucket.

 

[Chris7]

I also had coughing and GERD like symptoms for over 15-years. No medicines helped and tests like wearing a pH monitor always came back neutral. After multiple endoscopies, dilations, and biopsies, I was finally diagnosed with eosinophilic esophagitis which is basically white blood cells hanging out in my throat attacking certain foods like they are a virus. It is considered an allergy. A chemical is secreted that eats away at the throat.

I became a Vegan and most of the pain has gone away except when I eat too many processed foods or what I ate had dairy in it that I wasn't aware of. But different foods can be the trigger. I just started with the most popular triggers which was meat, dairy, and soy and got lucky those were it.

Do see a Dr. and get a proper diagnosis. Both GERD and what I have can lead to Barret's disease and cancer. Better to be safe than sorry.

cd :O)

 

[TromboneAl]

If you're interested in an alternate explanation of the cause of reflux, check out Chris Kresser's 3 article series: https://chriskresser.com/what-everybody-ought-to-know-but-doesnt-about-heartburn-gerd/ It makes a lot of sense to me.

Right:

To summarize, low stomach acid contributes to bacterial overgrowth in the bowel which in turn can lead to carbohydrate malabsorption (due to decreased pancreatic enzyme secretion). Malabsorption of carbohydrates, as Dr. Robillard has pointed out, increases intra-abdominal pressure and causes GERD. Reducing bacteria loads and limiting carbohydrate intake have both been shown to greatly improve, and in some cases completely cure, acid reflux and GERD.​

That could be right.

OTOH, my meals are always very low-carb (e.g. steak with small salad).

 

[REWahoo]

OTOH, my meals are always very low-carb (e.g. steak with small salad).

Steak? Wow Al, you must really be making a mint off those books!

 

[NW-Bound]

stomach acid is some potent stuff. Vinegar pales in comparison. I suspect it would be a drop in the bucket.

I have to look it up.

Pure gastric juice is extremely strong with a pH of 1, but that is undiluted.

The pH inside the stomach is as low as 3 while digesting. This is about the same as lemon juice and vinegar. At rest, it is about 4 to 5, which is mild.

 

[mpeirce]

Eat a plant based high fiber diet. Check out Dr McDougall's website. Remember, there is zero fiber in meat, dairy, cheese and eggs.

Low carb doesn't necessarily mean low fiber.

There are plenty of high fiber low carb veggies and even fruits to go along with all that delicious meat, cheese, and eggs.

I eat lots of cauliflower, broccoli, squash, and big piles of salad with a nice steak or chop. Berries are great with cream or low carb yogurt. Even eating a small apple a few times a week fits in fine.

Tonight was skin on oven crisped chicken thighs with a nice pile of Brussels sprouts - sauted in bacon.

Then there is a daily dose of no sugar Metamucil to assist as well if one needs it.