LPR Update: how I'm doing, what worked

A reader contacted me for some advice recently, which woke me up to the fact that it's been months since I've posted anything here. I feel guilty! When I began my research into LPR when I first had problems, I'd visit forum after forum, and in each case someone would discuss what they were using to control their symptoms, then they'd just disappear. One can only assume they finally healed, had no further need for the forum, then just got on with their lives.

There's certainly nothing wrong with that. That's what we all want to do anyway, right? Just move on. But I don't want to leave people hanging. There is light at the end of the tunnel- I feel pretty well healed now. My life is not completely normal again, though- certain foods and drinks will set it off. Nothing severe, mainly it's just a little difficult to swallow once or twice. For some reason, cold iced tea gives me problems, for instance.

Here are some things I used to treat myself- and how effective I think they were.

DGL Licorice- I prefer the chewable tabs made by Nature's Life. They had the most bearable taste and seemed to help the most.

Slippery Elm lozenges- honestly I didn't think they helped much other than for temporary relief, but for that they did the trick. I liked Thayer's the best.

Gaviscon chewables- I'm pretty sure this got me over the biggest hump: keeping your throat acid-free while giving your throat time to heal, which can take months. They form a barrier in your stomach, which prevents the acid from splashing up.

Alkaline water- I'm just really not sure about this, though it does make sense that it would help keep the acid level in your esophagus under control. Nevertheless, I did chug Iceland Spring throughout my ordeal.

Celery. I ate it constantly. Definitely my favorite low-acid snack.

Jamie Koufman's Dropping Acid: The Reflux diet cookbook and cure. I didn't try every recipe, in fact I don't think I used many at all, but I think the principles are sound and there are references I used in the book to determine the acidity of meals. For at least a couple of months I stuck to a low-acid diet religiously. Interesting side-effect, I also lost weight on that diet. Which brings me to:

Losing weight- that might have been the thing that helped the most. I was overweight when I had this problem. Being at your natural, or regular, weight is probably the most effective preventative for acid reflux in general.

I hope you find this useful. Please feel free to ask questions! I'd love to help.