experiment

I've decided to chronicle my new experiment on this blog.

Here's the basis: It's no secret that most ailments and diseases can be cured or prevented by a simple healthy diet and exercise. I mean, as Celiacs we especially know that.

Personally, I have problems with overactive hydrogen pumps in my stomach, resulting in a condition with symptoms similar to acid reflux. The doctors call it dyspepsia. Basically it leaves me with a constant severe sour & upset stomach which is not good if you want to have any sort of life at all. I know if you're reading this you're probably no stranger to that.

For over 5 years, I have taken two over-the-counter Prilosec OTC tablets daily. They have worked fabulously, and have literally given me my life back. The only thing is, the long-term effects and higher-than-normal dose are starting to kinda make me nervous.

My experiment: Now that I am gluten free, I have wondered just how much of my discomfort was a result of the Celiac symptoms, and not just the dyspepsia. I am going to see if I can lower, drastically reduce, or eliminate the dosage of Prilosec and manage my symptoms solely through diet and exercising.

So far, I have reduced the dose to 1 pill a day for a little over a week with few problems.
I had a particularly bad day today. I didn't eat anything out of the ordinary, but I felt like I did in my pre-Prilosec days. Even my trusty pepto bismol pills did little to settle my stomach. I wound up taking another Prilosec, and within 30 minutes I felt like a new woman.

I was going to call it quits and go back to the regular dosage, but then I decided that I can't just give up. I really am tired of taking drugs every time I don't feel well.

I did some research, and come across some home remedies and foods that will naturally raise the pH in the stomach. Here are a few:

• Fruits and veggies- they're part of a healthy diet anyway, I eat tons of fruit but I should be eating more veggies. Some fruits and veggies are more alkaline than others, like apples, brocolli, cucumbers, green beans, and celery.

• Apple cider vinegar- surprisingly I've heard a lot about this stuff. You mix it in water and drink it. I think it smells terrible. I don't know if I'll be able to choke it down on an already upset stomach, but what have I got to lose?

• Baking soda came up a lot in my research, naturally.

• Activia- I hate yogurt, but if I'm going to really be serious about this, I'll try it. I'll take suggestions on how to jazz up yogurt!
  

• I need to learn to EAT SLOWER. When I sit down to a meal, I admit I am guilty of wolfing it down. That can't be helping my digestion.

Anyway, these are just a few things I saw, and I don't know if they'll all work for me, but we'll see how it goes.

If you're reading this and you have similiar problems, let me know what you did that works!