Sonia is a lovely 49 year old lady who came to see me because she was fed up with her long standing digestive problems. Reflux was something she’d suffered with for as long as she could remember. More recently she had also developed a gallbladder problem. Her digestive problems made Sonia feel uncomfortable after most meals, and sometimes they made it hard to fall asleep at night. She was also terrified that she would develop gallstones and end up in hospital. Sonia’s mother had a long list of serious medical ailments and Sonia was determined not to go down the same path.

Sonia had been taking the proton pump inhibitor medication Nexium for 6 years. Nexium is a drug that blocks the production of stomach acid. Sonia tries not to take it every day because she realises it can cause nutritional deficiencies, particularly of magnesium. Sonia experiences abdominal bloating after she eats, and she suffers with a lot of gas in the evenings. Recently she noticed a dull ache in the right upper part of her abdomen. Her doctor sent her off for an ultrasound scan which detected both a fatty liver and gallbladder sludge. These conditions often occur together.

Sitting all day at work makes the abdominal bloating worse. Sonia joked that she missed working from home because she could spend all day in pants with an elastic waistband. However, working from home during COVID caused Sonia to develop some unhealthy snacking habits. She found it impossible to stay out of the kitchen and had several snacks each day when she felt overwhelmed with work. She carried on snacking frequently now that she’s back in the office. She said everyone in the office ate pretty much ate all day.

My recommendations for my patient

It was important for Sonia to remove grains and dairy products from her diet for the time being. Grains can be very difficult to digest and their carbohydrate content fuels the growth of harmful gut bugs that create bloating, gas and reflux. I gave Sonia Bactoclear capsules to help reduce the levels of harmful bacteria, Candida and parasites in her intestines. These capsules are wonderful for easing bloating and preventing gas. A high carbohydrate diet increases the amount of fat in the bile. This makes the bile thicker. Over time this can lead to sludge in the gallbladder. In some people, stones will eventually form. Reducing carbohydrate in the diet and taking ox bile capsules helps to make the bile thinner and can break up sludge or stones.

I asked Sonia to base her diet on meat, seafood, poultry, eggs and low FODMAP vegetables. These are all satiating foods that reduce carbohydrate cravings. Eating in this manner reduces fermentation in the gut. That means less gas, less reflux and less bloating.

Glutamine is healing and soothing to the lining of the entire digestive tract. It helps to protect the lining of the esophagus and stomach from acid and gives great symptom relief. I asked Sonia to keep taking Nexium for the time being, but glutamine will be especially helpful for reducing reflux symptoms when she slowly comes off it in the future. Glutamine can be taken between meals and also after meals. It’s especially helpful taken after the evening meal to prevent reflux during the night that interferes with sleep.

The majority of people with reflux have a deficiency of stomach acid and digestive enzymes. Taking a Betaine Hydrochloride and Digestive Enzymes supplement helps you to digest your food more thoroughly, thereby leaving less waste behind that feeds harmful gut bugs that cause bloating. I asked Sonia to take 1 capsule with each meal.

If the liver is fatty, it will produce poor quality bile that is overly thick. This is why people with a fatty liver are more at risk of developing a gallbladder problem. I asked Sonia to follow the eating plan in my book Fatty Liver: You Can Reverse It as well as take 2 capsules twice daily of my liver tonic Livatone capsules.

I plan to see Sonia again in another four weeks. Please do not discontinue taking any medication if your doctor has prescribed it, unless you have the supervision of a healthcare practitioner. Long term reflux can be very harmful to the delicate lining of the esophagus.

The above statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any disease.