I have reflux that acts up a lot at night.

Digestion & Gut Health

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Q. Dear Terry, “I have reflux that acts up a lot at night. I try to avoid the foods that trigger the reflux. Is there anything else I can do?” – Gerrie P., Ontario, Canada

A. Dear Gerrie, Two of my favorite ingredients for acid reflux are d-limonene and sea buckthorn oil. Both of these natural medicines can greatly improve digestive function. Sea buckthorn has been clinically studied for healing ulcers and other gastric lining inflammation that can also cause heartburn or reflux. D-limonene has been studied for its beneficial effects on gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Both are also very soothing to the mucosa of the digestive tract. I would take 600 mg of these two ingredients twice daily. Make sure the sea buckthorn you choose features both the seed and pulp oil to receive the full benefits of this plant. Be patient, as it may take a month or two to see improvements.

You may also want to consider adding in deglycyrrhizinated licorice (DGL). DGL is a powerful antioxidant, works as an antimicrobial agent, and helps reduce inflammation. The DGL I recommend is standardized to at least 3.5% glabridin and greater than 10% flavonoids. I would take 75 mg of this DGL once or twice per day.

Lastly, I think human strain probiotics would be very beneficial. I prefer probiotics that have a long history of human use, like Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, and Bifidobacterium bifidum. Having a “big number” of probiotics is less important than making sure you get the right probiotics. I would take 20 billion colony forming units (CFUs) that is a combination of L. plantarum, L. rhamnosus, and B. bifidum once per day, or with food.  

Healthy Regards!

Terry . . . Naturally