Im going to reveal the only medical problem I have (at least that I know of) other than the propensity toward obesity when I eat too many carbs. Im going to explain how the direct response business works. Im going to talk about the problems direct marketers have in dealing with our servants in Washington. And Im going to tell you how you can get the best nutritional supplement Ive ever seen in action absolutely free. Hows that for a pleiotropic post?
First the medical problem. Ill reveal it in true AA fashion.
I am a GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disorder) sufferer.
I don’t get it often, but when I do, it’s a nightmare. As long as I stick with my own diet, I never ever have a problem. But sometimes, what with traveling and all, I’ll stray from the straight and narrow for a bit. The first day or two or even three after I’ve fallen off the wagon, I don’t have symptoms. But starting about day three or four, it turns brutal. And like most everyone else, once the lets-eat-carbs devil is on me, I want to keep on going. And I pay dearly. I actually become afraid to go to bed because I know what’s going to happen. Those of you who are fellow sufferers know what I mean.
I’ve taken to never going far without my team of GERD-preventative products, which, even though OTC, are really the only semi-sort of medicines I ever take. I always packed the duo shown below: Tums and Pepcid AC. Both are OTC, although Pepcid used to be prescription. I hated to take them, but I hated the symptoms of GERD even worse.
Now for the direct response business.
A direct response company (DR) is one that sells products direct to consumer through channels other than retail stores. Companies that sell through catalogs, online, direct mail, infomercials, Google ads, websites, etc are called DR companies. Anyone who sells this way is said to be in DR sales. Many companies have physical stores but still have a DR arm that sells through catalogs and online. The little product section of our website is a DR store.
As I’ve mentioned on this blog, or at least in the comments somewhere, MD and I are part owners of a couple of DR companies that produce and sell unique, patented nutritional products. I’ve avoided promoting any of those products on this blog because I didn’t want to contaminate it with commercial marketing. I want what I write to be accepted as my opinion based on my years of practice and my reading and understanding of the medical literature, not as an overt or even subtle effort to drive readers to buy products that I may have to sell. Any time I do post about a product, which I did once with Pentabosol, I am always clear that I am in the business of selling said product, and I expect anyone reading what I have to say about it as coming from someone who stands to gain financially by its sales.
I will never follow the loathsome practice used by a majority of the newsletters out there that recommend products in a seemingly unbiased fashion then offer a link for readers to purchase those products from what appears to be a third party, but which, in reality, is a company owned by the newsletter publisher. I believe such behavior is beneath contempt.
How does my GERD and my involvement in the DR business all come together in one post?
Because GERD is a problem that afflicts me, I do a fair amount of research on it. Through this research, I’ve discovered that I’m far from alone in suffering GERDs debilitating effects. There are estimated to be anywhere from 25 million to 40 million fellow GERD sufferers in the US alone, numbers that get the attention of the DR marketer in me. (Not to mention the pharmaceutical companies, which is why the commercials for the little purple pill are all over TV.) For several years, I’ve been on the lookout for a natural supplement that works for GERD. If you google GERD or heartburn, you’ll find plenty of nutritional supplements, but based on my experience, none of them really work – at least not for me. Below is a photo I took of a part of an entire section at Costco devoted to OTC reflux meds.
A few years ago I was doing my morning cruise through the medical literature when I came upon a paper by a Brazilian scientist about a natural supplement he had developed and used successfully to treat severe GERD. I read his paper his paper (pdf file) and found a follow-up paper and was intrigued. He had compared his supplement head to head with omeprazole, the generic for the drug Prilosec (and the precursor to Nexium, the little purple pill), and his supplement had won. Moreover, he had a large number of subjects – almost 300, which is a pretty huge number for trials with natural supplements. Usually it’s something in the range of 10-20. He found that within 40 days ALL the subjects on his supplement had achieved complete relief from their GERD symptoms whereas only 67 percent of those on the drug had done so. As you might imagine, this paper got my attention.
When I looked at the ingredients, it didn’t look to me as if they would particularly work to relieve GERD, but, according to his study, not only did they work, they were shown by endoscopy to actually heal ulcerations. The follow-up paper (pdf file) had photos of the healing progression. In doing further research on the product and the ingredients, it looked as if this product worked in a different way than all the others on the market.
Since the beginning, when people first starting treating GERD and acid reflux, theyve used a variation of the same treatment: reducing the amount of stomach acid. The theory is that acid from the stomach gets through a loosened lower esophageal sphincter (LES), the muscular ring that holds the bottom of the esophagus closed, and splashes onto the delicate tissues of the esophageal lining, burning them in the process. Although new theories are emerging as to what really causes GERD, the excess acid reflux theory has held sway for ages. According to the precepts of this theory, if you can reduce the degree of acidity of the stomach acid or cause the stomach to produce less of it, you can reduce the effects of the acid that makes its way through the LES to the vulnerable esophageal cells.
Antacids, the earliest approach developed, work by neutralizing stomach acid. The newer drugs such as Prilosec and Nexium work by making the stomach produce less acid. In both cases, the problem is solved by either getting rid of the acid or neutralizing it. Which, for the most part, works to reduce or eliminate the symptoms of GERD. But, and this is a big but, maybe isnt the best way to go. Stomach acid is there in the stomach for a reason.
Its the first line of defense against microbe invasion. If you swallow germs, the acid works to destroy them. When you breath in germs, they get stuck to the mucus in your respiratory tract, then the little hairs (that havent been burned off due to smoking) move this mucus, filled with germs and particulate matter you dont want in your lungs, upward and dumps it in the back of your throat (you never notice this happening, but it happens 24 hours per day) from where you swallow it. Those bugs then get killed when they hit the acid in the stomach.
When food reaches the stomach, the stomach acid acts upon it as the first phase of the digestive process. Protein starts to be broken down in the stomach. When the acidic stomach contents are released into the first part of the small intestine, their acidity stimulates the release of alkaline juices to neutralize them and do other work in the digestive process. Whenever stomach acid is gotten rid of or neutralized, the very first step in the digestive process is compromised and there is a domino effect from there on.
Studies are starting to demonstrate that those who take the newer anti-GERD drugs suffer a higher incidence of pneumonias and other infections (which makes sense since the first line of defense is knocked out) and more osteoporosis and hip fractures (which also makes sense since protein digestion and absorption is affected). As far as I know, antacids havent been implicated, but thats probably because people dont take them all the time as they do these other drugs. Most people only take antacids as they need them, so their acid isnt affected 24 hours per day, day in and day out.
This Brazilian product appeared to work by strengthening the LES so that the acid didnt get to where it wasnt supposed to be. But the acid itself wasnt effected, so the digestive process could perform unhindered.
I thought this could be a terrific product for DR, so I tracked the researcher down in Brazil. He told me he had used the supplement on many, many patients besides the ones in the study and that he was shipping it all over Brazil and to people in the US and Canada. Furthermore, he informed me that he had the worldwide patent rights on the product. I told him I would love to work an arrangement with him to get the exclusive license to make and sell his product. I (and my partners) flew him to the US where we put him up for a week and picked his brain on the product. Satisfied that it was legit and that his patents were in order, we executed a worldwide exclusive licensing agreement with him.
We began to formulate a strategy to sell the product, which we named Protexid. We decided to start with a radio infomercial because they are much less expensive to produce and can be used to work out the bugs in the presentation before jumping into the much more expensive television infomercial market. At the same time we were in the planning stages for the radio infomercial we were working to come up with a name for the product (the name he was using in Brazil wouldn’t make any sense to an American consumer), designing the labels and accompanying literature and all the rest of the creative stuff that has to be done to bring a product to market.
Our Brazilian doctor had sent us names of clients he had in the US who had been using his product. We got in contact with a number of these folks and found them to have been tremendously satisfied and several were willing to be testimonials for us. Once we had all the parts of the promotion together, MD and I went to a studio and recorded the radio infomercial. We stayed in the booth for two days making a number of iterations of the program. Once finished we got the shows transcribed and sent the scripts to the attorney whose job it is to keep us out of trouble with all the government regulatory agencies. MD and I are old hands at this, so we pretty much know how to do these things on the fly and stay in the clear. Consequently, we were expecting a few little cuts here and there, but nothing that would substantively alter what we were trying to say. We’re we ever in for an eye opener.
Here comes the part about our friends in Washington.
When we spoke with the lawyer, we found that our show had been cut to the bone. GERD is a disease, and if you make disease claims – as in, it relieves the symptoms of GERD – you are making a disease treatment claim, which runs you afoul of the FDA. The only way you can make a so-called disease claim is to go through the same kind of extensive FDA-approved studies as drugs have to go through. If you try to make a disease claim without doing this, you get hammered by the FDA. Then there are all the FTC regs. About half the time you can’t say one thing because the FDA won’t let you and the other half you can’t something else because the FTC won’t let you. After our lawyer – who really is reasonable – got through with our show, it turned out that the only claim we could actually make was the following: Protexid may offer relief from occasional heartburn. Nothing about GERD, nothing about acid reflux, nothing about the long term problems with untreated GERD, and nothing about how our product stacked up against a prescription drug. All in all, our program had been totally emasculated.
We had no way to explain how phenomenal Protexid really is without risking serious problems from our government watchdogs. Which is extremely frustrating when youve got a product that works as well as this one and that so many people could benefit from.
And it works extremely well.
As we were fiddling with all the work necessary to get this project moving, I was going about my business doing all the things I normally do including tending to this blog. Over the first couple of months or so that we had the product I had an episode or two of GERD, but dealt with them with Tums and Pepcid AC as usual. I didn’t use our own product for a couple of reasons. First, the samples we had gotten from the Brazilian doc had been made in China and I wasn’t about to take them. Second, when I got GERD, I got it bad (for some reason, I never have a slight case or a touch of it; I always have the full-blown version), and I wanted to take something I knew worked, not something I had never taken before. So even when we had our own US manufactured product, I didn’t take it myself.
I’ve had tons of experience with natural supplements, and they all pretty much work the same. You take them for several weeks or a few months and you build up levels that actually start to work. Krill oil had been the perfect example. I took a krill oil/fish oil/curcumin combination to relieve my aches and pains from playing too much golf so I could quit taking all the ibuprofen I was taking. After about a month and a half I was pretty much ache and pain free. Now I take only a single krill oil softgel and one curcumin daily to keep myself that way. But it initially took almost two months for the natural supplement combo I was using to kick in and do its thing. Which, in my experience, is pretty much the standard course with natural supplements: many work, and work well, but it takes time.
When I have an episode of GERD, I don’t have time to wait. I want relief now. I don’t want to lay awake all night in agony and do so for two months while I’m waiting for the natural supplement to kick in. Thus I never used our own product the couple of times I needed something.
Until one time MD and I went on a several-day-long trip, and I forgot to take my Tums and Pepcid. A couple of days into the trip, I could tell I was going to get GERD that night. (Most of the time I can tell when it’s going to happen; occasionally it sneaks up on me.) I was desperate. I was getting ready to head off to find a drug store and get the stuff I needed, but MD brow beat me into taking a Protexid. I took one capsule (the standard dose) at bedtime and experienced no GERD. I wrote it off as a fluke. But then I tried it again the next night and, again, no symptoms. I tried to test it by eating a bunch of junk that I knew would normally do me in. One capsule at bedtime and nothing. This is what the Brazilian doctor had told me, but I simply hadn’t believed him. Once I saw how well it worked for me, I became almost a religious convert. I knew a few guys I played golf with who had GERD. Most took prescription drugs daily for the condition. I got them to try the product. In every case, they got complete relief with one capsule at bedtime. I was stunned that it worked so well.
I have had probably 30 people that I now know first hand who have taken this product with success equal to mine. One guy – a surgeon – ditched drugs he had been taking for years and got total relief. He feared he was going to have GERD one night, and so took one of his prescription drugs that night in addition to the product. He didn’t have symptoms and we don’t know if he would have on the product alone or not. But that’s as close as we’ve come to a treatment failure with his product.
In fact, in all my years of medical practice, I have never seen a natural supplement that works like this one. It works quickly and it takes only one capsule at bedtime, not the large doses throughout the day that are associated with most natural supplements. It is the only supplement I’ve ever seen that has truly drug-like effects in terms of speed of action and efficacy.
So weve got this great product and we cant really tell people via paid advertising how it really works. We ran our emasculated radio infomercial, but, as expected, it didn’t do squat. The people who purchased the product were happy, but not nearly enough bought it to make continuing to run the show profitable. We cut our losses and shut down.
We were approached by another company that wanted to promote our product via television infomercial, so we negotiated a sub-licensing agreement with that company. This outfit went over the moon in making claims about Protexid (in our licensing agreement, of course, we made sure we were exempt from any liability for claims this company made), yet they, too, were unsuccessful in making the promotion a success. They spent even more money and tried again with even more aggressive claims and got very little return. They finally gave up and returned the rights back to us.
Why didnt these shows work? We knew ours didnt work because we couldnt really describe how effective the product really is. But how about the other show? The one that took it over the moon in terms of claims? Why didnt it sell there? Ive got my suspicions as to why that Ill talk about it a bit.
Right now were scratching our heads about what to do with this phenomenal product. I put it up on the catalog part of our website, but no one really knows what it is, so we havent really sold much Protexid that way.
Which brings me to the point of this meandering post. Weve worked on this project for going on three years now and the Protexid weve got left is going to expire soon. It really isnt going to expire in terms of efficacy, but its going to expire based on the dates the manufacturer printed on the bottles.
There are two versions. The first, pictured to the left, is the original that is the product used in the published study. Its in a blue bottle and is called Protexid. (In case you’re wondering, Triparadol is what the name is in Brazil) The other is in an orange bottle and is called Protexid ND. The Protexid ND has lower doses of a couple of ingredients and seems to work as well as the regular strength product. Ive used both – I use whichever I happen to have at hand when I need it – and havent seen a difference. The Brazilian doctor uses the lower dose all the time and in his follow-up paper he used the lower dose, but we made the higher dose so we thought we could use the first paper that compared Protexid to the prescription drug. Had we used the first published paper to support the claims for the product with the lesser dosage, we would have been hammered.
We have about 80 of so bottles of the blue, full-strength Protexid, but it expires at the end of November. We have more bottles of the Protexid ND, which expires at the end of December 2009. I don’t know off hand how many Protexid ND we have, but substantially more than the other. As I say, as far as I can tell, they both work the same.
NOTE: All the full-strength Protexid is gone. All that’s available now is the Protexid ND, which, as far as I can tell (from my own experience, anyway) works as well as the full-strength stuff.
Get it free!
Anyone who wants to try this product can get it absolutely free by ordering on our website. The price should be set at $0. All you will have to pay is the shipping and handling, which is minimal. Please, though, no more than two per person. That’s TWO per person. It can be one of each or two of one kind, but not two of both kinds. I want to make sure that everyone who wants to try Protexid gets a chance, and there really is a limited amount left. No obligations on your part. You dont have to sign up for more. Just grab it and run. So, if you or someone you know has the problem, give it a try.
NOTE: OUR SHOPPING CART DOESN’T ALLOW US TO LIMIT QUANTITIES OF ANYTHING PURCHASED. SOME CLEVER PEOPLE HAVE FIGURED OUT THAT THEY CAN ENTER 4, 10, 20 or even, as in one case, 100 INTO THE AMOUNT WINDOW. DOING THIS AUTOMATICALLY CALCULATES SHIPPING CHARGES ON THE LARGER AMOUNT, WHICH KRISTI HAS TO GO BACK AND CHANGE TO THE AMOUNT FOR TWO BOTTLES, THEN REFUND THE CREDIT CARD FOR THE DIFFERENCE IN SHIPPING. I’VE INSTRUCTED KRISTI TO HENCEFORTH CANCEL THE ORDER AND REFUND FULL SHIPPING FOR ANYONE WHO ORDERS MORE THAN TWO BOTTLES OF PROTEXID ON THIS FREE OFFER.
I dont think Protexid will ever be a good infomercial product because due to government regulations it cant be promoted in a way that explains what its real benefits are. And without the explanation no one really wants to purchase a product that may offer relief from occasional heartburn. And the obvious problem with GERD is that it hurts and that some people actually spit up acid and burn their throats. These problems can be solved with prescription medicines – or, as in my case, with OTC meds. But without the explanation as to why these arent the best solutions, why would anyone have the impetus to pay for Protexid when prescription drugs that relieve the symptoms can be had for the price of a co-pay.
So we are changing course to look at selling Protexid into the retail market and/or through health practitioner’s offices. I have a friend who is a naturopathic physician who works in an integrative pharmacy, which is one that does compounding and sells a lot of nutritional supplements along with prescription medicines. She tells me that almost 70 percent of people who come into the pharmacy (who arent coming in specifically to get a prescription filled) are looking for something for GI problems, and that most of those are having problems with GERD. The pharmacy in which she works is in an upscale part of Los Angeles, and she says most of the people coming in have a prescription for Nexium or one of the other similar drugs, but are looking for natural alternatives. This is the group we need to be marketing Protexid to, but our whole team are skilled only in the DR way of marketing. None of us have a clue as to how to get a product into a pharmacy. I’m constantly amazed at the collective wisdom of people who read this blog. Maybe someone out there is experienced in retail placement or other means of distribution that they could direct me to. If so, I would love to hear from you.
And if anyone has used this Protexid ( you know who you are) and wants to tell about the experience – good or bad – send it to the comments, and I’ll post for all to read.
Until we get our marketing strategy worked out, were probably not going to manufacture any more Protexid, so gets yours free while they last.
One last thing. Ive given Kristi, our long suffering assistant who works for slave wages, time off for good behavior, so she is leaving tomorrow for Thanksgiving with relatives. She may not be able to get some of these orders out until Monday. Thanks in advance for your patience.
Thanks so much for this Dr. Mike! I’m also a long time sufferer of GERD, and while I usually don’t have issues while sticking to low-carb, I do occasionally stray and I usually pay for it dearly. I have a RX for AciPhex but it’s so expensive and I have no insurance. So I try to make my bottle last as long as possible. (At $120 per 30 pills, I’ve gone without at times.) Usually I can take one when I feel an episode coming on and it stops it quickly. My Dr. says that’s not how it’s supposed to work, but that’s how it works for me so I don’t have to take it daily. Sadly, my 10 year old daughter also has GERD and has to take a liquid Zantac kind of RX daily and it makes me nervous to have her on it all the time. But it’s that or pain. I ordered two bottles. I hope these work as well for us as they have for you. Do you have a recommendation on how much to give my daughter? Or would that be on the bottle?
Thanks!
I have had this problem in the past and found it solved by sucking in vitamin c – a chewable orange flavoured with bioflavonoids 1g . Sometimes a half will do, other times I need to suck two in a row, but it has always worked. I discovered it accidentally but when I reflected on how vit c helps muscle it made sense that it works. Hope that helps others too.
NOT intending to slight your product and your efforts Dr Mike 🙂
It should read “sucking ON” not in
Thanks Doc! I ordered some for my Dad (along with some other stuff). Y’all are amazing.
Happy Thanksgiving!
I’d love to, my dear husband suffers as do you from GER (which is a Syndrome not a Disease, but who are we to argue with the FDA) but your products process and page (as your Contact process) does not allow a non-USA address.
I am not accustomed to being denied my cross border supplement purchases, am a long time lowcarber, newsletter/blog subscriber/PayPal International user. Sigh. Can you get this fixed by your “IT people”.
I’m restraining myself, I’m in IT-related work myself and nothing much frustrates me more than narrow design. Ran into it today after I hunted down Leucine at vitacost.com, where they got it 3/4 right, I can order internationally (Canada) but I can’t use my Canada-registered USD Paypal account…dang it.
Maybe everybody should sell on eBay; I’ve had few or no problems there using PayPal and my Canadian address. Even the USPS has reasonable shipping rates to Canada based on mutual agreement.
Damn it! 😀
… “Afraid to go to bed”… I can relate! And I know exactly what you mean when you know it’s coming. Except mine happens in my throat. Very, very nasty. Nothing but pain killers works for me.
I would love to try some Protexid, but I’m also in Canada, so after Jude’s comment I’m reluctant to try your online store, or I’ll have to enter Vancouver, Alaska, as so often happens on American sites.
By the way, I never did receive 6WC from Amazon. I gave up after 8 weeks and bought it from their competition. Great book (so far). 🙂
Hey, I can’t figure out how to order your SVS either. Am I missing something on your website? (like the” Buy Now” button, for example.)
Thanks a million!!! For the information AND the free try of Protexid. I just placed my order.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and MD!!!
p.s. My SousVide Supreme arrived today. So excited…
Yep, it’s true. Canada is a no-go.
“We’re sorry, but no valid shipping rates were
returned from our shipping providers.
Please make sure your shipping address is valid.”
@ Amy Dungan
Can’t say about your daughter without knowing a lot more. Does she respond to carb restriction? Ten years old is a little young to be experiencing serious GERD; has she been worked up for it? There is nothing I can see in the Protexid ND that would be problimatic for a normal 10 year old to take occasionally, but the product has been studied in adults only.
@ Jude vandenBroek
I share your frustration with IT systems that don’t work right. It always makes me wonder why people are in business if they can’t get their ordering act together, and now I’m guilty of it myself. The problem is that the shopping cart we have doesn’t work properly for out of the US orders. I’ll look into it to see what we can do, but it may be Monday before I have an answer
@ Todd
If you’ve got a trick that lets you order from Canada, go for it.
The ‘order’ button is functional on the SVS website now. Another IT glitch that is repaired.
Glad you’re doing well on the 6WC. With everything else going on, I have about forgotten that the book exists.
@ Ramona Denton
Have fun with the SVS. It’ll take a little experimentation to get stuff to come out exactly as you like it. But that’s been half the fun for MD and me. We’re going to start posting the results of some of our experimentation.
GERD is the reason I eat low carb. Like you, as long as I avoid carbs, especially flour and sugar, no GERD. Made the mistake of having ice cream a few days ago at lunch and ended up waking in the middle of night choking and coughing, my throat on fire. HATE that, I can totally relate. I’ve ordered my two bottles, and thanks!
Thank you for this post! I ordered two bottles for my dh. He doesn’t have GERD when he follows the low-carb way, but when we have an off-day, he pays for it, as you do. We have been doing great lately, though, because we have been on the 6WC plan for nearly two months, plus incorporating some Primal Blueprint as well. We also love our SVS, and I have found a way to get pictures up on the SVS Facebook page. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and happy belated birthday to MD. Next week we are due to give blood again!
I’m absolutely going to try it! I never had an issue with excessive acid until I was on high doses of prednisone for 4 years. I had to take 40 mg. of Pepcid (2 extra-strength tablets per day). I initially had a prescription, but the insurance company refused to cover it when the drug became available over-the-counter. I eventually had trouble digesting my food, which affected my entire digestive tract, and I also became concerned about the combination of taking bone-eating drugs while not absorbing calcium. I do think my hips have been damaged. I’m off the steroids, but the GERD hasn’t left completely despite my going low carb (which did help enormously).
“…why would anyone have the impetus to pay for Protexid when prescription drugs that relieve the symptoms can be had for the price of a co-pay.”
I have found that insurance doesn’t cover quite a number of expensive prescription antacids (such as Aciphex) if the patient hasn’t tried the less expensive ones or the over-the-counter equivalent first. Meeting the dose equivalent usually means lots of pills and thus less savings, so buying Protexid would probably come out about the same without the ill effects.
Hi Doc,
I have a US ship to address, but am unable to get my canadian credit card to work. Is there any way for me to find protexid in Canada?I believe you mentioned that the original supplement was available in Brazil and Canada. Otherwise, is it possible for me to send a US money order to you for the protexid?
whenever I overindulge myself into some carby stuff like e.g. pizza and beer , I get a PERD (see protoindoeuropean word roots for definition 🙂 desease
I’d love to try this product but from outside US (Denmark). Any chance I’ll be able to “buy” it from Denmark or should I try to get someone from USA to send it to me?
I had GERD for years. A low carb diet fixed it. However I wanted to know WHY I had it when I ate carbs.
I was tested by Entero Labs for food sensitivities, and I learned that I am gluten and casein intolerant. I have heard from MANY low carbers on this. Gluten Intolerance/Celiac disease causes GERD (Among other many symptoms)
If you stay away from wheat/oats/barley/rye – no GERD? You may be gluten intolerant. It is good to know the reason why before treating, don’t you think?
@Jeanie Campbell
Glad you’re enjoying the SVS. Thanks for being persistent in getting photos up on the SVS Facebook page. I’m glad you figured it out because I would be clueless.
@zbiggy
PERD? Hmmm.
@Michael Arnoldus
Your best bet would be to have someone get it for you here in the US and ship it to Denmark.
@Suzan
There are multiple reasons for GERD besides gluten intolerance and/or celiac disease. It could be from a bacterial overgrowth brought on by carbs or it could simply come from lack of muscle tone in the LES as a consequence of aging. Or even the other theory I linked to in the post.
I used to suffer from chronic heartburn and occasional nighttime reflux. I use CPAP, so I had to be very careful not to eat too much at supper, and nothing at all for at least 2 hours before bedtime. I also used to buy my Tums and Rolaids in the industrial size at the big-box store.
I have to say I’m a bit surprized to hear that the “protein power” doctor has a GERD problem, because my heartburn and reflux vanished overnight, completely, and permanently 10 years ago when I started my low carb diet. About 7 years ago, I moved, and in the process discovered half a tub of Tums that I had completely forgotten about, and tossed it in the trash. I have not taken a single Tums or Rolaids (one of the ingredients of that crap is sugar) since November of 1999. I’ve had (mild) indigestion about 3 times in the last 10 years, and each time it was due to eating too much carb — and was treated by a small amount of baking soda in water, or a tsp of milk of magnesia. I had drawn the conclusion that acid reflux was a high-carb-diet problem, but I am forced to conclude now that I may have been wrong about that. Or that there are at least some exceptions.
However, at least for *me*, heartburn (and extremely painful and panicking reflux attacks at night) was one of many health problems that I completely (and I hope, permanently) banished from my life by eliminating starch, grain, and sugar from my diet. I attribute some of those benefits from avoiding gluten, which I don’t do 100% (it’s incredibly difficult to stay away from ALL gluten, but I make a conscious effort to avoid the obviously gluten-adulterated ‘foods’).
(off topic) I bought a PID controller, and have been experimenting with sous vide cooking. So far, the results have been mixed, but I’m learning about various tricks to get better results (such as brining). It does a good job of pasteurizing eggs in the shell, but I think the ribeye didn’t turn out as well as I hoped because I left it in too long. Next experiment will be a large pork tenderloin. I can see that I may want a second unit, and that your SVS might be a little more convenient, but a 2nd PID controller would cost less than half as much, and I’m still trying to recover from the 3 years I was unemployed (2001-2003) and burned through most of what was supposed to be my retirement. I do thank you for introducing me to sous vide.
I only get heartburn once a year, or less. But it’s really bad when it happens. Not even sure if carbs set it off. One time it seemed to be beef, beef fat, tomato, and chocolate. Alcohol probably helped. I’ve tried various home-remedies. Finally, the only thing that worked was drinking maybe a half cup of juice from natural, home-made sauerkraut. I don’t know why it works. I think it has to be natural, salt/cabbage, unpasteurized sauerkraut. A friend told me that when she was younger, a doctor in France cured her chronic heartburn with a short course of drinking sauerkraut juice. Cured it permanently. So I tried it and got pretty rapid relief. I will try the Protexid next time.
Hi Dr Mike,
I used to get GERD because I have a haitus hernia. I always used to get problems with it when I drank wine on a too empty stomach or ate carbs. I remember you wrote that you drink Jamesons whisky so I imagine that that could irritate your stomach even more than wine if you’ve not got enough food to buffer it – I’m sure you know this but wanted to say just in case 🙂
Anne
Intriguing. I’ve had good luck relieving GERD with Raw, Unfiltered, Apple Cider Vinegar. Thoughts?
Plain old Betaine HCl usually works for me. Take it with every meal if you are going through a bad spell. Just a piece of bread will set me off sometimes.
The compounding pharmacies, naturopaths and functional med docs may be the route to go for promotion and will have a clientele willing to take such a product. What about http://www.iherb.com? I get most of my supplements through them. A good little book aimed at patients/lay persons is: “Why Stomach Acid Is Good For You” by Wright and Lenard.
@txchlinstructor
I’m glad to hear your heartburn is a thing of the past. Mine pretty much is, but I still get it from time to time when I eat like I shouldn’t. You must be more diligent than I am.
The sous vide technique takes some fiddling with to get it right. Tough meats do well with longer cooking times. Flank steak, for example, is great if cooked all day at 134 degrees. Comes out medium rare and tender. Better cuts of meat – a ribeye, for instance – that are already tender, do better when cooked at 134 degrees for a shorter time. For an inch thick ribeye, we cook it for about an hour. Some people may like their meat cooked at 133 degrees or even 135 or 136 degrees rather than the 134 we like. That’s the neat thing about sous vide: you can precisely control the temperature to get a perfect result every time. You’ve just got do play with it until you figure out what that perfect temperature is for you.
@Hilary
I’ve never heard of the sauerkraut therapy, but I have successfully used ginger juice for myself and for patients. Problem is, it’s not often readily available right when needed. Protexid works much better – for me, at least.
@Anne
Jameson has never, ever given me GERD. And if it did, I would blame it on something else. 🙂
As you’re interested in this topic, sometime when the SousVide promotions are under control, it would be great if you could write about the chemistry of the PPIs. You could add discussion of the mechanism of Protexid with it.
As I understand it, there are R and S forms of omeprazole (Prilosec), and when you make the molecule chemically, you produce 50% of each. Only one of them, the S form, is active. Nexium is simply the S form of omeprazole, hence the name esomeprazole. Thus it should be twice as effective at the same dosage. But the FDA-approved dosage is twice the FDA-approved dosage of omeprazole. Hence one Nexium would be four times the dose of one omeprazole. But the drug company (the same as that producing Prilosec) can claim that it’s more effective. It’s certainly more expensive!
And I think Nexium came out when the patent on Prilosec was about to expire.
When I tried to discuss this with my gastroenterologist, he didn’t know what I was talking about. Very discouraging. But I insisted on the generic omeprazole, which is so much cheaper.
When I was much younger and on the Great American diet I would sometimes eat sloppy joes with added totatoes late in the evening. This resulting GERD problems cured me of such eating behavior but it was a year before I removed a 4*4 post from under the head of our bed. Currently, as long as I stick with low carb I have no trouble. I can even eat immediately before I go to bed and have no problems.
all I have to say on this subject is…
…I’ve got two fine Berkshire pork chops in the Sous Vide Supreme, the thing is holding magnificently at 140, and we are gonna eat well tonight! Thanks!
Oh yeah, you should go visit your doctor in Brazil if you get a chance, it’s a beautiful country (I lived there for a few years in high school and a bit beyond).
But Dr. Eades, with all due respect, why not just stop eating carbs?
Dr.Eades,
I’ve had one bout of GERD (whilst lecturing to PharmD candidates on GERD and PUD)… ironic. (too much coffee!!)
All my patients w/GERD benefit from Digestive Enzymes. I dunno why. The product they like (I have no affiliation whatsoever) is the NOW brand SUPER ENZYMES — found at Whole Foods or online (like iherb.com).
I suspect that those with longstanding insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia, have calcified their liver, pancreas, gallbladder and entire biliary tree over time (as they probably all have positive coronary or peripheral vasc calcfications as well). I’ve had patients with every organ on u/s ‘fatty, calcified and echogenic’. These patients are also the ones that I notice do NOT absorb fat-delivered vitamin D supplements. No changes in serum 25(OH)D. (Powerered or tablets might be better until the bile acids/enzymes have optimal activity in the gut.)
Good luck. Thank you for sharing your story.
-G
@Gretchen
As I understand it, you are correct in your description. And Nexium did indeed come out just as the patent for Prilosec expired.
@mrfreddy–
Pork chops sound great. They require a little experimentation to get them to one’s taste. We like ours cooked at 136 degrees. We cook one-inch-thick ones for about an hour, but two-inch-thick ones need to be cooked substantially longer, as in about four hours. When we take them out of the machine, we sear them quickly in a hot, hot skillet with some clarified butter. Heat the empty skillet on the stove set for as hot as you can get it for 5-10 minutes. Throw in a little clarified butter, which will sizzle and smoke like crazy. Flop the chop around from side to side for about a minute overall, and your ready to go.
@Amber–
Great idea. Why didn’t I think of that?
Sometimes the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.
As a naturopathic doctor, I recommend a classic naturopathic treatment for GERD/heartburn/reflux of all sorts:the herbs gentian and skullcap. In combination, they enhance the parasympathetic response of “rest and digest.” The gentian stimulates the secretion of HCl, pancreatic enzymes, and bile, allowing food to be digested fully and to continue down the GI tract. Many times, GERD is the result of food that isn’t properly digested and which sits in the stomach for too long. Gentian eliminates this. Skullcap is the mild nervine that helps relax the body, thus increasing the parasympathetic response, further enhancing digestion. (The combo is also excellent for after meals, if you have that “brick in the stomach” feeling.)
I dose either with capsules or a tincture. I’ve seen excellent results from this. Once people try the gentian/skullcap combination, they never go back to their H2 blockers or PPIs.
This might be a project for a business school graduate student. I used to write about technology developed at the University of Michigan and used to attend various entrepreneurial events, often connected to the business school. These products would invariably meet with some kind of resistance in the market, but it always seemed like there were plenty of smart people around who knew what to do. I would suggest contacting one of the business schools with an entrepreneurial bent and see if someone would like to tackle the project. Since you have some Michigan blood, maybe you should try to give U-M a shot.
There was also a guy I ran into in AA, not connected to the University, who was trying to market a product developed at Michigan State, some kind of orange peel extract if I recall, to cure toenail fungus. I have no clue what happened but I’ll bet he ran into a lot of the same problems. If you email me at obeejuanknobee@gmail.com I might be able to track down his contact info from one of my back stories.
Aw man, I goofed up my order and accidentally ordered two of each. Can yo please adjust it so that there is just two and not four? I seriously apologize, I did not mean to try to take advantage, it was anhonest error. I’d also like to add to my order the Circumin, but don’t know how to edit.
I’m getting it for my dad. Nothing in the natural world has been able to help his reflux, and he’s had to take scripts.
PP “cured” my gerd, and my doc was surprised that I was able to discontinue my daily use of Prilosec. But I still get it occasionally when I eat carbs, or overeat at night. So I ordered a couple of bottles.
My grandson is barely two years old, and has severe reflux problems (failure to thrive, etc.) My daughter’s blog has the results of a pH probe used to diagnose it (see http://saywhatmunchkins.blogspot.com/2009/08/so-thats-why-he-wont-eat.html). Poor little guy refluxed 86 times in 24 hours, with one episode lasting 36 minutes … and the lowest pH of the acid at 2.1. There doesn’t seem to be a physical issue, although he has other physical problems that we think might be related somehow (deafness, perhaps the two are part of some syndrome or other). Treatment is with prescription Nexium … the only option as it comes in a powder, and doesn’t present choking problems as a pill does for a 2 year old. Protexid isn’t appropriate for an infant if it hasn’t been tested, but it holds out hope that later he can find a natural alternative to life on an acid-reducing drug.
@Scott Isaacs, ND, DC–
Interesting. Thanks for the tip. I’ve never tried either or the combination.
@Obee
Good idea. I’ll try to follow up after the holidays and after the sous vide tsunami.
@Dave Bryant–
No problem. I’ll intercede for you with Kristi and add the curcumin if that’s okay.
@Frank Hagan–
I feel for your grandson. He must be absolutely miserable. An acid with a pH of 2.1 in your throat is horrible irrespective of what your age is. Poor little guy, indeed.
I’m hoping this is the answer to the life sentence of Protonix I’ve been relegated to. Look forward to testing it.
Doc,
I had seen those papers before and tried melatonin as a result (though without the other stuff). By the way, the L-tryptophan may upregulate GABA which can, in turn, down-regulate transient LES relaxations — but I didn’t see that in his papers. Maybe I missed it…
Anyway, melatonin would be great except for the fact that it prevents me from falling back to sleep when I wake up during the night. Since I wake up naturally a few times per night, melatonin seems to result in less sleep for me. I’ve tried extended release but it’s not much better. This problem is not at all uncommon with melatonin – so I was wondering if people been reporting anything similar with this combo?
Thanks for this!
Whoa – just notice the folic acid contnt – 10mg!!!
That’s 25X the RDA!! And, this ain’t vitamin D where the RDA is too low. That much folic acid over a long period of time is almost certainly carcinogenic.
Thanks, Dr. Mike, for your generosity. I ordered two, one for each of my carb-heavy sisters. Because of Protein Power, and 6-Week Cure, I don’t need any.
Thank you, I can’t wait to try this. I’ve been on Prevacid or Prilosec for a long time. Low carb helped a lot but I’ve never been able to go without the drug for more than 3 days and that’s only if I’ve taken it faithfully every day for several months, if not I can tell by noon that I forgot to take it. Before low carb I was having the reflux every night even with the drug.
I have occasional problems with heartburn, but my significant other has major problems with GERD–he’s forever chomping famotidine and/or antacids. I’ll order some for him. I hope you get your marketing off the ground… it sounds like a great product. Thanks for making this offer.
Would this mean that the sphincter is weak because of vitamin and tryptophan deficiencies? Do you have any theory of how the vitamins, tryptophan and melatonin actually may result in a stronger sphincter?
My grandma has gerd, insomnia and a little depression added to that. It strikes me that the ingredients in Protexid might get rid of all three.
Did you notice if you slept longer the nights you took Protexid? Just thinking wildly about a possible connection between your gerd and not sleeping too many hours during the night.
This is a most timely post. I never had any problems with heartburn or reflux until I was in my late 40’s. Low-carb made it go away, until recently. For the last few months I’ve been having daily episodes, and I hardly ever eat anything that’s not low-carb legal. Question, if you can take a moment to answer and I hope this doesn’t come across as asking for a diagnosis. Can heartburn or reflux manifest as a burning sensation in the throat? I don’t have the pain in the chest feeling I used to have, but it’s always up in the throat, yet not usually accompanied by actual reflux. Anyway, I hope the Protexid will help when I am uncomfortable at night. But what are we to do if the product works as well as you claim and we can’t get any more? We can get relief sixty times and that’s it? Please let us know if you find some market for it that will ship.
Yes, add the curcumin. Thanks for adjusting the order. My dad has suffered for so long with his GERD. Thanks for all you do. IF it works, I hope there’s a place I can get it from.
Interesting NYTimes article today addressing the higher rates of bone fracture among Western countries despite high rates of dairy consumption and calcium from supplements. The researchers note that these countries also consume higher rates of meat than, say, Japan, where there is very little calcium in the diet, and that meat may damage bone health by leeching calcium from the bones.
suggesting “excessive” protein, specifically from animal products, is associated with higher bone fracture rates, noting “…those at the high end of protein consumption may be better off eating less protein in general and less animal protein in particular and replacing it with more fruits and vegetables.” The article suggests people should calculate the grams of protein they should eat daily by multiplying their ideal body weight by 0.36. It also notes that older people typically eat too little protein.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/24/health/24brod.html?em
Would be interested to hear your on this research Dr. Eades. Cheers….
I suffer from heartburn occasionally. It was pretty bad in my senior year of high school, and was on omeprazole for a few months before it got better. I haven’t been on any medication since, except for the occasional antacid. I try and avoid things like alcohol which seem to exacerbate it, but I still get it from time to time.
So this “Protexid” has piqued my interest.
You write, “This Brazilian product appeared to work by strengthening the LES so that the acid didnÂt get to where it wasnÂt supposed to be. But the acid itself wasnÂt effected, so the digestive process could perform unhindered.”
How exactly does this concoction strengthen the lower esophageal sphincter? It seems quite remarkable that a pill could do this overnight, if that is indeed how it is supposed to work.
In fact, I’m reading the paper published by Dr. Pereira, and it expressly states that the product is supposed to work by inhibiting gastric acid secretion via melatonin. But there are no specific references to any previous research indicating that melatonin affects gastric acid secretion. He references research previously done by his group, but from reading the abstracts none of them seem relevant (see refs 13-19).
But the study methodology itself raises some concerns about the results:
(i) the study was only single-blinded, which increases the likelihood of observer bias
(ii) the inclusion criteria do not seem very stringent (just one episode of heartburn in the past week), leaving the possibility that patients with very mild or severe GERD were included; yet this baseline characteristic does not seem to have been adequately measured at the start of the study, and there’s no indication that both arms of the study would have been balanced
(iii) there are other differences between both treatment arms e.g. slightly higher proportion of smokers and fewer previously treated patients in the omeprazole arm
Even if these potential biases did not influence the study outcome, it would be important to have these results replicated by a separate study. A search on Pubmed does not reveal any other RCTs looking at melatonin alone and GERD.
I understand why you would prefer to go the “nutritional supplement” route and market this without going the expensive FDA approval process that requires evidence of efficacy and safety. Nonetheless, it would still be good for the sake of science to have this supplement tested more rigorously.
I had GERD so bad I had to sleep upright in a recliner at nights. Mayo wanted me on drugs. I knew I didn’t have drug deficiency. I started reading about DGL (deglycyrrhizinated licorice) in alternative medical newsletters and tried it. In 2 weeks, my GERD was GONE. And I learned not to be so stupid about what I ate so I only needed it occasionally when I slipped after that. I found your low carb Protein Power program totally eliminates any GERD problem. Most people produce too little stomach acid, not too much. You MUST have sufficient acid to get proper digestion or you get even more serious problems. Dr. Jonathan V. Wright out of Tahoma Clinic, Washington is but one doctor that can give you all the information you need. I am not saying your product might not be better, just DGL has saved many of us.
I am grateful retirement allows me to have better control of my food choices than many of you might have in the real world. Your PP program allowed me to lower my blood sugar AND my weight successfully with surprisingly ease. From day one, the cravings disappeared. You, two, totally rescued me! THANK YOU. (I am also a bookaholic so enjoy your reviews and off topic remarks.)
@ Barb G: “Mayo wanted me on drugs. I knew I didnÂt have drug deficiency. I started reading about DGL (deglycyrrhizinated licorice) in alternative medical newsletters and tried it. In 2 weeks, my GERD was GONE”
Should we surmise that you had deglycrrhizinated licorice deficiency? ; )
Our chops were 1.5 inches, I did them for about 8 hours at 140, with some Smith and Wollenksy steak sauce mixed with some habanero sauce. The taste and texture were out of this world, tho I think they might have been better for less time and at a lower temp. Good thing I’ve got a lot chops in the freezer and I’ve got a big appetite! Next up is a grass fed ribeye.
I like to keep the smoke out of the apt. so I finished them off on a granite slab on our electric grill on the balcony. Get it to over 500 degrees, toss on some butter (grass fed, dont know about clarified), and let them sizzle for a minute or so on each side. I shoulda taken pictures, they were beautiful.
Even my wife is starting admit that sous-vide isnt just one of my nutty ideas. Helps that she saw it mentioned a bunch on Top Chef. She still doesn’t believe you guys are real doctors, tho….
I only have an occasional problem like you, so 2 bottles could last me a long time. How long is it safe to use the products after the expiraiton? Also, should one take the product everyday for a period of time to ‘heal’ any ulcerations? …thanks…
Dr. Eades,
First, I want to say thank you for your books, blog, your generosity (and patience!)
Next, I would highly suggest anyone with GERD or heartburn be checked for a Hiatal Hernia by a good Chiropractor (or some other practitioner). I was on prescriptions for GERD 2 years ago and taking over the counter products in-between, it was a horrible way to “live” I was in constant pain. I decided to take control, I went to my Chiropractor to get an adjustment, told her what was going on, she checked my stomach and said it was a (Sliding) Hiatal Hernia and she manipulated it back down! She taught me how to push it back down myself, at first I had to do it constantly, then slowly over months it started staying down on its own. I still check it everyday, especially if I’m stressed. In addition, I went extremely low carb, this stopped the heartburn immediately (within 3 days I was off all medication!) but because of the Hernia food still came up the back of my throat. At first when I ate, after almost every bite I would have to push it down, after a while it stayed down on its own. I now have no problems at all. However, I must say I have continued to eat low carb, (under 80grams a day) REAL FOOD! I love feeling great, I would never go back to the SAD! I would also suggest keeping things like coffee and alcohol as very occasional treats, if at all – they put a lot of stress on the body. Also, these supplements have made a big difference to my and my families quality of life -Digestive Enzymes, Probiotics, Vitamin D3, Magnesium Citramate, Fermented Cod Liver Oil, EPA/DHA, Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, I sleep elevated by a wedge pillow, -really now that I think about it we do so many good things I could be here all day writing so I’ll just end here ; )
I wish everyone vibrant health and a Happy Thanksgiving! I have so much to be grateful for!!
Dr. Mike,
My comment is in regard to your FDA/FTC woes. Right now I, along with the bloggers in our blog network, are facing some important decisions. Did you read about the latest with Dr. Weil? (http://www.naturalnews.com/027303_the_FTC_America_vaccines.html) And also the story of the nightmare that Wilderness Family Naturals went through? (http://wholefoodusa.wordpress.com/2009/08/05/fda-busts-small-family-food-firm-linking-to-health-research/)
It is issues like these that may force bloggers to remove anything remotely like a health claim from our sites if we are receiving any profit fom the sale of whatever we’re talking about, even if we’re totally honest about the fact that we will be paid a small amount if they buy. So basically, we won’t be able to tell our readers the truth about why coconut oil or cod liver oil are so beneficial, for example, if we’re getting paid via affiliate sales or paid per click by the sponsor.
Well, we could, as long as we receive no profit from it at all. But there’s no way I can continue blogging w/o earning at least something. It’s a sad mess. It all makes me wonder if I should continue. My choices are: A. Work 50 hours a week for nothing (when my family needs my income, little as it is so far), B. risk being sued by telling my readers the truth, C. remove all health claims (I don’t even know how I could go back and be sure I caught them all) and water down everything I write. I’m not sure I could keep writing if I couldn’t tell the truth.
Why does everything have to be so difficult?! Unless I’m a drug company and earning billions of dollars on something that doesn’t even work well, and is even harmful at times… No problems for them!
Heavy sigh………
Do you have any suggestions for where or who we could ask about this? I see magazine ads all the time with health claims and they’re selling something – they put that blurb on the bottom (“This has not been evaluated by the FDA”). How is that different than the above situations that I linked to?
Most of all, we want to be able to confidently run ads for our sponsors without putting their companies in jeopardy of being sued because of something we said about their product, why it’s so beneficial, etc.
Sorry this is so long. If I could find your email address, I’d have sent it that way. Feel free to not approve this comment and email me if you are willing.
Thanks for any suggestions you might have,
Kelly
Suzan,
You are so right! When I was in college I carried a bottle of Maalox in my backpack. I thought the frequent indigestion and heartburn was due to eating all the spaghetti sauce I ate on my meager student food budget. No, it was the pasta! I never made the connection though.
My husband used to go through Costco (warehouse) sized boxes of Alka-Seltzer very frequently in oru early years of marriage. When we began our low carb lifestyle in 2004, the last box of Alka-Selter I bought passed the expiration date an it wasn’t even half used up.
During the 5+ years we’ve been eating low carb, on the rare occasions one or both of us get heartburn and indigestion (and the resulting agony trying to sleep), it is when we’ve eaten out at someone’s home or at a restaurant. It baffled me for a long time, because I know I was still eating relatively low carb at those meals and didn’t run a high post meal blood sugar, though sometimes had I “treated” myself to half a roll or half a slice of bread (with lots of butter), or half a serving of a not-so-high-carb dessert.
Last year I was also tested through Enterolab.com and bingo! I finally understood it wasn’t simply extra carbs, it was the gluten, which is ironic considering all the baking I used to do. I have two copies of genes that predispose to gluten sensitivity. My son had one of those copies, plus a gene that predisposes to celiac, so that must have come from my husband. Not surprising, as one of my husband’s Scandinavian cousins was diagnosed with celiac sprue in infancy, so it is definitely in the family.
It’s interesting that your symptoms start 3-4 days after diverging from low-carb. My wife and I eat low-carb, but not perfectly. My wife has GERD and in trying to find trigger foods only goes back to what she ate right before the attack, or at most to what she had earlier in the day. Do you have any theory on why the symptoms take a few days to come on? If you only eat poorly for a day, do you get GERD 3-4 days later anyway, or is it always a result of several days of poor eating?
I’ve ordered a bottle of Protexid for my wife to try. Thanks!
Dan: “Whoa  just notice the folic acid contnt  10mg!!!
ThatÂs 25X the RDA!! And, this ainÂt vitamin D where the RDA is too low. That much folic acid over a long period of time is almost certainly carcinogenic.”
How so?
http://www.drlam.com/opinion/foli_acid.asp
Dr. Eades, and everyone else reading this blog,
Has anyone tried just taking Betaine HCl plus Pepsin? The only person that mentioned it was “Rita”, and she also mentioned the book I was going to: Why Stomach Acid Is Good For You, as seen here: http://www.amazon.com/Why-Stomach-Acid-Good-You/dp/0871319314. That doctor claims to have treated thousands of patients with GERD successfully. There’s a reportedly inexpensive test you can have done to measure stomach acid, involving swallowing a sensor device and having it pulled back up with a string. The doctor says 9 times out of 10, what is found with GERD patients is too little acid, not too much. The reason it still burns you is because even “low” stomach acid is enough to burn your esophagus (and throat), which unlike the stomach has no protective lining. I think the carb foods dilute the stomach acid further, causing the whole mess, as someone here said, to stay in the stomach too long. Eventually the LES malfunctions and it comes back up.
But you don’t have to have the test. I don’t have GERD, but I tried taking HCl for about 4 months straight. I figured it couldn’t hurt me, and it didn’t seem to, though I sometimes did get a “warming” sensation. Unless you have a real ulcer, I don’t think trying a pill is going to hurt you. I took up to 3 pills per meal, which was about 1500 mg HCl. I only stopped because there were no apparent effects either way. And I gave it a try because a few other doctors recommended it, like Nora Gedgaudas, author of “Primal Body, Primal Mind”, in order to restore proper digestion (although she recommends licorice or raw cabbage juice to heal the esophogus first, if you have GERD). Also, your own stomach acid production is supposed to be restored eventually.
The real reason I became interested in HCl in the first place is because it is a cornerstone of Natasha Campbell-McBride’s method of treating (curing?) autism and similar disorders. She claims that, almost without exception, autistic kids have low stomach acid (and severly abnormal gut flora), and the entire process of digestion is impeded by this. If true, this goes to show that low stomach acid can have profoundly bad effects. As far as I can tell, the low stomach acid is caused by bacteria that have gotten hold in the stomach and are suppressing secretions, causing a vicious cycle. Her book “Gut and Psychology Syndrome” is fascinating and fits in with the low carb theory, though she is not outrightly low carb herself– her regimine involves cutting out double-sugars and starches, which unwittingly accounts for most carbs.
This Protexid sounds like a very handy tool, but if GERD is an indication that your stomach acid is too low, I’d be worried about that.
I ordered two bottles of the ND formula. Thank you! I do appreciate your generosity in this and other offers you’ve made in the past.
I’m wondering, though, how long after the November or December 2009 expiration dates will these products hold their potency? There’s no way even both my husband and I can go through 2 bottles by December 31.
PS: I have to disagree on the “minimal” shipping costs. At $12.95, it’s quite high. This is why I don’t very often order from your site. I love the products you offer, but the shipping is way too high. I typically order from Netrition or Vitacost because their shipping is below $5 per order. It’s only when I can’t find what I’m looking for elsewhere that I order from your site. Sorry, but I’m being honest.
***********
I’d also like to ask *Dan* if he can substantiate his claim that too much folic acid is carcinogenic. Has there been research and studies on this? Dr. Mike, please chime in if you would.
***********
I’ve been reading the blog and book of Dr. Steven Y. Park lately, after reading his comment to a NYTimes online article on sleep breathing. Dr Park is an ENT (ear, nose and throat) doc in NYC. He writes quite a bit about sleep breathing and how it connects to various health issues and overall health (and poor health). I’ve learned I sleep more soundly and awaken far more refreshed when I sleep with a nasal strip than without, even without allergies or a cold interfering with nighttime breathing.
And while middle aged and older people are the most often identified with sleep breathing related health problems, the situation can begin in infancy and childhood.
Reflux is often mentioned in Park’s blog posts, articles, audio/video interviews, and book, especially the issue of reflux due to a vacuum situation created by very common sleep breathing conditions (due to narrow airways, allergies, malocclusion, improper resting oral posture, snoring, obstructive sleep apnea, and so on). In other words, many of us have underlying sleep breathing issues (ranging from very mild to very serious Obstructive Sleep Apnea) that literally cause us to suck up stomach juices into our esophagus and nasopharynx when we sleep. GERD and Laryngopharyngeal reflux disease (LPRD) sufferers could find relief from improvements in sleep breathing.
Has anyone else read Dr. Park’s blog or book?
http://doctorstevenpark.com/how-sleep-apnea-causes-pepsin-reflux
http://doctorstevenpark.com/the-truth-about-acid-reflux-medications
http://doctorstevenpark.com/when-your-cold-is-not-a-cold-2
I find the issue of gut bacteria and dsybiosis interesting, as our “inner garden” is such an important and overlooked part of our health and well-being. I wonder if the delayed GERD symptoms when straying from a good diet are due to a change or shift in gut bacteria balance.
Dr Eades:
Received the SVS and have made chicken so far. WOW amazing. So good, so tender and moist.
I did have a question, why do the spice rubs you provided with the oven all contain fructose? I have seen you go on and on about HFCS many times and about how bad any fructose is, so why would you send along something that contains this dreaded substance?
Thank you so much for developing he machine. I have already ordered another unit as a gift.
Erich
@Kathy form Maine: I think the shipping is high to cover the pay for the woman who packs and ships those items, not just shipping but shipping AND handling.
@Jared Bond: I tried something natural before, it was either bromelain or betaine or something similar, I don’t recall which. It was recommended that most people with stomach acid problems really didn’t have enough acid. I don’t recall who was recommending it, not an MD, but I do remember it was a guy that was really down on vegetable oils, grains and sugar, which was a good sign in my book. One dose of the supplement, gave me worse symptoms for a couple of days afterward so I thought that meant I really did have too much stomach acid.
I am curious about this chiropractor-hiatal hernia deal. Is hiatal hernia inherited? My dad had that and had surgery for it but is still on the PPI, anyway. I’ve been to a chiropractor that thought he could get me off the Prilosec with the adjustments for my back and hip pain but it didn’t work, didn’t improve my acid symptoms at all. He never mentioned anything about a hernia, though. How do you find one that knows about hiatal hernia?
Kathy,
Here’s a write-up of a very recent study showing 0.8 mg of folic acid (and B-12) result in a 21% increase in cancer: http://www.webmd.com/cancer/news/20091117/folic-acid-b12-may-increase-cancer-risk
This was a placebo controlled study of 7000 people in Norway and NOT an epidemiological study (which are less reliable). Also, in Norway, they do not fortify bread with folic acid so many Americans start off with a baseline higher than Norwegians. Lastly, nobody believes the result relates to B-12 since there is little mechanistic reason to believe B-12 can cause cancer while it is well-known than folic acid can lead to methylation. I also would like to hear Dr. Eade’s POV on this because I am not an expert either.
If 0.8 mg results in a 21% increase in cancer, I can only imagine what 10mg does.
Hi Dr. Eades,
I could write a book about my experiences with GERD, my husband’s and my own. I blame GERD for starting the cascade of events that led to my husband’s early death. When I had my first attack of GERD, two years after he died, I called his doctor for relief. He told me to go out and buy Prilosec which was OTC by then. Once started on that stuff, I couldn’t get off! You recently twittered about a study that showed that 14 days after stopping PPIs, people would have a rebound reaction, and that was what was happening to me. I got the gastro guy to switch me to Zantac, but it was your Protexid that finally got me off of all these meds.
I have read Wright’s book and have even had the stomach acid monitor test myself when I was desparately looking for help for my husband. The results of the test were inconclusive as far as I am concerned. The little device didn’t stay in my stomach more than two seconds before it was shoved out to my intestines. (There was no string. It was intended to go all the way through.) They told me I needed to take potassium pills when I ate so that food would stay in my stomach longer.
I should mention that I have been low-carb since 2004, again in an effort to help my husband. I stuck with the diet because I felt so good. Unfortunately, my husband couldn’t give up his sweets and didn’t believe that a simple thing like diet could help. I still don’t know why I suddenly was having such a problem with reflux after he died and after I had been low-carb for several years. When trying to get off the Prilosec, I tried the licorice, the enzymes, and HCL plus pepsin (but I was afraid to take too much of that). I tried bitters and L-glutamine. All of these helped to some degree, but Protexid worked best.
Since this true confessions time, I have to say that I stopped buying the Protexid, not because it didn’t work, but because I was having such a frustrating time with Eades Nutritionals. Several times they charged me twice, once when I placed the order online and again when they shipped. Twice the order was lost entirely. Whenever I would call to get a credit, they insisted that I had to send them a copy of my credit card statement to show that I had been charged twice for the same order. I refused to do this and instead each time I called my credit card company directly to have the extra charge removed. The last order I placed was never filled and I was truly embarrassed to call my credit card company yet again to have the charge removed. Since then I have concoted my own version of Protexid by taking the ingredients, which you can get at any health food store, separately. I probably don’t have the right dosage, especially of the melatonin, but the combo works. I do thank you for the offer for some free Protexid.
I am also grateful to all the commentors to this blog post. It looks like there is still more for me to learn on this subject.
Michael–Pick up a copy of a bodybuilding rag like Muscular Development and skim the ads (it’s 90% ads anyway). You telling me you can’t advertise like any of those carnies do?
@Mike,
Re: Osteoporosis/excessive protein consumption/”Would be interested to hear your [sic] on this research Dr. Eades. Cheers .”
Here’s one of Dr. Eades’ previous post from May 2009 for starters:
http://www.mreades.wpengine.com/drmike/cardiovascular-disease/rebuttal-to-the-pcrm/
Another from 2006:
http://www.mreades.wpengine.com/drmike/uncategorized/vampire-myths/
And a little snippet from 2005:
http://www.mreades.wpengine.com/drmike/uncategorized/we-all-need-more-protein/
I had chronic GERD and my GI doc told me it was because of a large hiatal hernia. So I took his advice and raised the head of my bed and took Pepcid every day. I would still have to sleep sitting up at times. Then I found out I have gluten sensitivity by testing through Enterolab. I gave up gluten 100% and what a difference! For the past 6 years I have been able to sleep flat and I don’t need antacids. If food is a trigger, it has to be eliminated completely for the best result.
Hi,
I wanted to know if you deliver to Mauritius , since i did not find mauritius in your country list
Hello Dr. Eades and friends: I have a little question about the fat intake in the diet. Is it really necessary for people following low carb diets to eat a moderate high amount of fat in the diet?
So my basic question is, what would be the result of a low-carb diet, low-in fat, and high in protein? i ask this because in one of your books, you mentioned that at the end of the day, we should also take into consideration the total amount of calories we eat. And that’s why i would like to know if i could follow a diet high in protein, low in carbs but also low in fats. Thank you.
@Dan re: folic acid/cancer study,
The article states that there was a 21% increase in risk for cancer, not a “21% increase in cancer.”
The participants took the folic acid for 3 1/2 years and then “[t]he patients were followed for an average of three years after supplementation ended, during which time 341 patients who took folic acid and B12 (10%) and 288 patients who did not (8.4%) were diagnosed with cancer.”
And then, “Roughly 70% of all the patients in the study were either current or former smokers, including more than 90% of those who developed lung cancer.”
What kind of shape were these participants in prior to the study? The researchers wouldn’t know if the participants already had cancerous cells prior to the supplementation. How do we know the folic acid caused the cancer? Maybe the supplementation followed by the withdrawal was the problem.
And then I’d want to know how much sugar/carbs the participants were eating.
@ David re folic acid
You wrote: The article states that there was a 21% increase in risk for cancer, not a Â21% increase in cancer.Â
Me: What do you think increase in risk means? It means increase in cancer.
You wrote: The participants took the folic acid for 3 1/2 years and then Â[t]he patients were followed for an average of three years after supplementation ended, during which time 341 patients who took folic acid and B12 (10%) and 288 patients who did not (8.4%) were diagnosed with cancer.Â
Me:
Folic acid levels linger in the body and cancer takes time to form, so it doesn’t strike me as senseless. Either way, that was the study design. I think the reasonable inference is that folic acid supplements result in more cancers. By the way, one could argue that the results would be worse if they continued supplementing.
You wrote: And then, ÂRoughly 70% of all the patients in the study were either current or former smokers, including more than 90% of those who developed lung cancer.Â
Me: They wanted to study higher risk people so that their study population wasn’t underpowered. Seems reasonable. If you know of any mechanistic reason why folic acid supplementation should only be bad for smokers, please share. If not, I think the results one should consider the results as having more general applicability.
You: What kind of shape were these participants in prior to the study? The researchers wouldnÂt know if the participants already had cancerous cells prior to the supplementation. How do we know the folic acid caused the cancer? Maybe the supplementation followed by the withdrawal was the problem.
And then IÂd want to know how much sugar/carbs the participants were eating.
Me: Dude, you’re grasping at straws.
Me: 10 milligrams of folic acid is in my opinion a dangerously high dose in light of a RANDOMIZED PLACEBO CONTROLLED STUDY showing 0.8 milligrams results in 21% more cancer.
I think this is the best article on what the ideal amount of protein should be in a low carb diet.
http://tinyurl.com/yf2z8sk
Hi,
Dr Eades, is it possible to shipped/deliver Protexid ND to overseas customers
Dan wrote,
“If you know of any mechanistic reason why folic acid supplementation should only be bad for smokers, please share. If not, I think the results one should consider the results as having more general applicability.”
Yeah, people with cancer or cell division issues probably shouldn’t regularly take folic acid supplements:
http://www.physorg.com/news163913919.html
“The vitamin can help prevent development of certain cancers, particularly in the colon, where cells replicate especially fast. Studies show that people who get plenty of folic acid reduce their risk of developing colorectal cancer and precancerous polyps by 40 percent to 60 percent. But folic acid helps cancerous cells grow too. Animal studies show that once cells are on the path to becoming cancers, the vitamin makes things worse.” [Norwegian study/smokers/lung cancer?]
To be fair, both this article and yours state that the increase is slight. And no, risk is not the same as more. I can be at risk for a lot of diseases, but that doesn’t mean that I’ll be afflicted. Furthermore, the subject GERD remedy isn’t intended for daily supplementation, to be taken indefinitely.
Lowcarber,
“I have a little question about the fat intake in the diet. Is it really necessary for people following low carb diets to eat a moderate high amount of fat in the diet?”
Yes! See the link provided by Richard Tamesis, M.D.
“One concern with higher levels of protein intake is the suppression of ketogenesis relative to an equi-caloric amount of fat (assuming that ketones are a beneficial adaptation to whole body fuel homeostasis). In addition, Stefansson describes a malady known by the Inuit as rabbit malaise [8]. This problem would occur in the early spring when very lean rabbits were the only available game, when people might be tempted to eat too much protein in the absence of an alternative source of dietary fat. The symptoms were reported to occur within a week, and included headache and lassitude. Such symptoms are not uncommon among people who casually undertake a “low carbohydrate, high protein” diet.”
Hmmmm… Looking at the ingredients for the full strength Protexid (blue bottle) and Protexid ND (orange bottle), most of the ingredients are only slightly lower for the “reduced dose” Protexid ND version (orange bottle). The exception being for Folic acid which is listed at “950mcg” or in other words 0.95mg vs 10- mg.
Why would the full strength version (blue bottle) have only slightly higher amounts of the ingredients except for an 10x increase for the folic acid???? I suspect either a bad typo (1mg would have seemed more in line) or a potentially dangerous mistake in the formulation. Could you clear this up Dr. Mike?
@Low-Carber Many people lose weight on a diet low in carb and fat BUT it is not a great idea in the long term. Google “rabbit starvation”
You need a source of energy in the long term, if you’re low carb, that leaves fat.
@ Dan re: 21% increase in cancer
Dan, either your wording is disingenuous or your logic foo has had better days. A 21% increase in the risk of something is not equal to a 21% increase in the occurrence something; you cannot use the phrases interchangeably. If a segment of the population is at a 3% risk of a developing a given cancer and they increase their risk by 21%, they are now at a 3.09% risk of developing that cancer. This is not the same as saying that folic acid supplementation causes a 21% increase in cancer.
(Whoops. That should have been 3.63%, not 3.09%.)
Hello Katy and Nonegiven: Well i have an opinion about following a diet low in carbohydrates, low in fat, and high protein. Well, how about if i have a high protein intake in order to make up for the calories i need for my daily energies. Because i’ve read that at the end of the day we also have to take into consideration the amount of calories we eat. The problem is that i am a bit scare of fat, because i would think that if i increase my fat intake, i would not lose weight, because of the double amount of calories of fats versus protein. And remember that the amount of calories we eat should also be taken into consideration when following a low-carbohydrate, weight-loss plan. So that’s really why i am so scared of adding butter, oil, bacon and high fat foods in my diet.
I would eat oil, butter, cashews, peanuts and nuts provided that i am really sure that by adding a bit of butter, oil, cashews, peanuts, bacon and foods high in fat without carbohydrates won’t make me gain weight. So i just really want to make sure that i wont get fat and bloated from adding calories of fat in my meals.
Thanks for your answers !!
.
.
.
Wow I hope this helps the GERD sufferers. I developed terrible GERD when I was in my mid-40s, and the gastrotenterologist never found any obvious cause, but I was living on Tums and Zantac (which was then prescription-only).
It took the Protein Power diet to totally eliminate my GERD! Started the diet and one week last GERD was a thing of the past (though it had been laying me low daily for a long time). I’ve since essentially traced it to wheat and gluten grains. No gluten=no GERD. So I totally avoid all gluten grains since no cheat is worth those GERD symptoms. In the meantime my most recent bottles of Tums and Zantac have long since expired since I never needed to use them.
Hi,
Dr Eades, is it possible to shipped/deliver Protexid ND to overseas customers
About 15 years ago, I figured out that wheat was causing my acid reflux. Everyone laughed at me. “It’s not the bread, it’s the butter” said my low-fat friends. I discovered that when I gave up wheat 99% of the time, I could have the occasional bit of bread with no problems. But if I had more, say for 3 days in a row, it came back.
Then about 4 or 5 years ago, the reflux returned, even without the gluten, although I suppose I’m getting some in my vitamin pills. So either I’m so gluten sensitive that pills cause problems, there’s gluten in other foods that aren’t supposed to contain it (I eat hardly any processed foods), or there are multiple triggers, some stronger than others.
@ Katy,
You wrote: And no, risk is not the same as more. I can be at risk for a lot of diseases, but that doesnÂt mean that IÂll be afflicted. Furthermore, the subject GERD remedy isnÂt intended for daily supplementation, to be taken indefinitely.
Me: When a study finds a 21% increase in risk, it means 21% more people actually get cancer. It does not mean that 21% more people are at risk for cancer. How can you or anyone else interpret it this way? It doesn’t even mean anything.
The only theory I’ve seen that makes any sense is that there is a typo and what is reported to be 10mg of folic acid is 1 mg. That said, I wouldn’t take a supplement hoping that the manufacturer mistyped the dosage. That’s crazy. Moreover, 1mg is too much according to the study I posted.
Guys – take something else before you take the pill that, at best, causes a 21% increase in cancer rates. You might not like PPIs (and neither do I) but I guarantee there is no data that sows they increase the rates of cancer, let alone by 21%.
To Low-Carber: I have been stalled on weeks #1-2, and I suspect that one of the problems is that the fat content is too low, so I’m experimenting with reducing the protein, and increasing the fat, and getting the total calorie count for the day around 1500.
@Dan,
Go back to your study and show where there’s a 21% increase in the number of participants who developed cancer. What number of participants who took folic acid supplements out of the total number of participants got cancer? Not 21%.
You think that PPIs have no side effects?
@Low-Carber,
“I would eat oil, butter, cashews, peanuts and nuts provided that i am really sure that by adding a bit of butter, oil, cashews, peanuts, bacon and foods high in fat without carbohydrates wonÂt make me gain weight. So i just really want to make sure that i wont get fat and bloated from adding calories of fat in my meals.”
If you are reducing carbs, the calories should be replaced with fat, not more protein. Too much protein will convert to sugar. Of course, you want to make sure that you are getting the correct amount of protein. Surprisingly, despite the appearance that The Biggest Loser show gives about being lowfat, the plan that was published in Prevention magazine actually includes about 1T. of fat per meal, and a tsp./snack. About 400 calories of fat! They tout carbs, but those from grain sources are minimal too, something like 1/4 of brown rice, etc. So yes, calories do matter, but adding fat will keep you satiated while keeping blood sugar stable.
@Dan
You wrote, “When a study finds a 21% increase in risk, it means 21% more people actually get cancer.”
When a study finds a 21% increase in risk, it means that ~your risk~ of getting the cancer would be increased by 21%. That information on its own is all but meaningless. You need to have some idea of your existing risk of getting those cancers in the first place before you could determine how much of a risk you’re facing. Say you have a very low risk to begin with–maybe 1%. A 21% increase in your risk brings you to a whopping 1.21% (according to this study at least). If you’re at a really high risk of getting them–say 40%–then the information is a little more ominous–you’d be at a 48.4% risk (if the study is accurate). Even this isn’t enough information on which to base a decision about taking the supplements–you’d want to weigh the increase in your risk against whatever benefits folic acid has been found to convey. Let’s say you’re at a low risk for these cancers, but you’re in a high risk group for stroke. Folic acid may reduce stroke risk by 18% or more.
Nothing’s as simple as the headlines would have you believe. Critical thinking is a really good skill to nurture.
Hello Katy: thanks for your answer about fat intake. Right now for my dinner i eat a high protein pancake, made with 2 1/2 scoops of whey protein powder, and 12 oz. of egg-whites. Which is pretty low in fat and high in protein. What i will do is that i will eat 100 calories less of protein in that pancake an d replace with with 100 calories of fat. Maybe 1 tablespoon of butter or 2 tablespoons of whip-cream in the mix of the protein-pancake. to see how it works. I just hope i won’t get fat by doing that. Because you know there has been a scaremongering against fats in the society we live in and that’s why many people who don’t want to gain weight are scare of eating fats, because that’s what they have been taught that we get fat from the fat we eat.
.
@Low-Carber
Why not egg yolk in your pancake? Yolks are packed with vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids that egg whites lack. If you can get eggs from pastured chickens, the nutritional content will be even more appreciable.
Ok, hopefully you all finally get that a 21% increase in cancer means that you are 1.2 X as likely to get cancer as you were before. They found that out because in their study 21% more more actually got cancer. By the way, the focli acid risk of 10mg may be much much greater than a 21% increase.
You guys really want to take on such an extra risk just to avoid conventional meds? If so, that’s just religion.
Dan said:
“The only theory IÂve seen that makes any sense is that there is a typo and what is reported to be 10mg of folic acid is 1 mg. That said, I wouldnÂt take a supplement hoping that the manufacturer mistyped the dosage. ThatÂs crazy. Moreover, 1mg is too much according to the study I posted.”
The two papers that Dr Eades linked to early in the thread both state that the dosage of folic acid in their studies was 10mg. They cite a reference which claims that folic acid reduces gastroenterologic cancers. Also, they claim that PPIs may be carcinogenic in their effects (based on animal models).
No position myself, just thought it might be worthwhile clarifiying what was actually being claimed.
Sackot, thanks for clearing that up. But, why no position? There is 12.5 times as much folic in this protexid stuff than was just showed to cause 21% more cancer in a placebo controlled trial? By comparison, cigarette smoking causes about a 30% increase in cancer rates. Would you smoke 200 cigarettes per day if somebody told you it could eliminate your heartburn? I just can’t believe the opposition on this. You low-carbers are supposed to be smart!
I used to suffer terribly, until I made one small change in my sleep habits:
I stopped sleeping on my right side. It turned out that it was just a problem of the way the upper stomach opening was aligned.
Try it.. If that doesn’t work, sleep only on your back. I’ve had no problems in years.
@Dan,
“There is 12.5 times as much folic in this protexid stuff than was just showed to cause 21% more cancer in a placebo controlled trial.”
Noooooo, it claimed a 21% increase in RISK. And 90% were SMOKERS. And it was LUNG cancer.
Katy, I simply can’t believe you’re still hung up on this silly RISK thing. Let’s be clear — the folic acid arm of the study had 21% more real-life cancers than the placebo arm. That is more cancer, not more “RISK.” What would it mean to say that folic acid increases RISK of cancer but doesn’t increase the rate of cancer. Nothing. That’s right – it’s nonsense. If you want to take 10mg of folic acid to cure your heartburn, that’s your choice. I would strongly advise against it.
I too am worried about the folic acid content; here is latest study. (Although most studies on supplements are flawed in one way or another I do take high levels of folate which I have now stopped):
last week in Belgrade, Serbia, the European Society Of Gynaecological Oncology was told women who take large amounts of folate, vitamin B2, B6 or B12 supplements increased their risk of womb cancer. A study of 23,000 women over 20 years showed that heavy consumers were twice as likely to develop the disease.
Dr. Stefano Uccella, an expert in gynaecological surgery from the Mayo Clinic, in Rochester, Minnesota, found that while a folate intake of 200-600 micrograms a day did have a protective effect, levels nearer 1,000 micrograms increased the risk of uterine cancer.
This research has implications for womenÂs health if a U.K. government proposal to fortify bread flour with folic acid is adopted in an attempt to reduce birth deformities.
Yinka Ebo, health information officer at Cancer Research UK, said, “This study of womb cancer in older women adds to the evidence that taking high doses of vitamin supplements can increase the risk of some types of cancer. “The best way to get the vitamins and minerals that you need is through a balanced diet and for most healthy people there should be no need to take supplements. “Some people are advised to take supplements and they should follow medical guidance and talk to their doctor if they are worried.”
A spokesman for the Health Supplements Information Service said, “Folic acid at the recommended daily amount of 400 micrograms is vital for pregnant women in protecting against abnormalities such as spina bifida which has been on the increase.”
the journal Cell Metabolism, Oct. 2009
Dan,
I’m hardly “hung up on this silly RISK thing.” The very study that you cited is “Folic Acid, B12 May Increase Cancer Risk; Study Shows Slight Increase in Cancer Risk From Large Doses of Supplements.” It is not Folic Acid, B12 Increases Cancer in Study Participants; Study Shows Increase in Cancer Dianoses From Large Doses of Supplements.”
Notice the real title has ‘May’ and ‘Slight.’ The study also states, “The patients were followed for an average of three years after supplementation ended, during which time 341 patients who took folic acid and B12 (10%) and 288 patients who did not (8.4%) were diagnosed with cancer.” So the folic acid arm of the study did NOT have 21% more real-life cancers than the placebo arm. The study actually states, “Folic acid and B12 supplementation was associated with a 21% increased risk for cancer, a 38% increased risk for dying from the disease, and an 18% increase in deaths from all causes.” Again, note the word ‘associated.’
Yes, there WAS an increase in lung cancer incidence in the folic acid group, but as was pointed out before, “Roughly 70% of all the patients in the study were either current or former smokers, including more than 90% of those who developed lung cancer.”
Dan said:
“Sackot, thanks for clearing that up. But, why no position? There is 12.5 times as much folic in this protexid stuff than was just showed to cause 21% more cancer in a placebo controlled trial? By comparison, cigarette smoking causes about a 30% increase in cancer rates. Would you smoke 200 cigarettes per day if somebody told you it could eliminate your heartburn? I just can’t believe the opposition on this. You low-carbers are supposed to be smart!”
I can comment from my perspective, but wouldn’t claim to represent low-carbers, smart or not.
The study you referred to is certainly relevant and I’ve taken note of it (thanks), but it doesn’t lead me to a hard-and-fast conclusion in the way you think it should.
The participants were given folic acid on the basis that it might be a healthful and beneficial supplement. It turned out otherwise, and I think we can infer that folic acid killed some of the subjects.
I get periods, lasting from days to several weeks, of dyspepsia causing reflux, constant nausea, total lack of appetite and general malaise. I self-medicate with OTC Zantac, which helps somewhat. I’m not taking Zantac in the belief that it’s a healthful vitamin, which is perhaps deficient in my diet! I have no doubt that there is a cost/benefit balance.
For me there are these options, none of which is cost-free:
1) Do nothing. Barrett’s esophagus was a major factor in the final decline and death of my father, who had lifelong, mostly untreated, GERD. For the last year of his life, he was unable to swallow any solid food. Barrett’s itself causes a manifold increase in risk of squamous cell carcinoma.
2) Take the omeprazole that my doctor would cheerfully give me a lifetime prescription for, or the H2 blocker that I can get OTC. I wean myself off it as quickly as possible, because I’m in no doubt that it will have systemic adverse effects. All pharmacological interventions are likely to, otherwise we would just have evolved an innate Zantac pathway.
3) Try alternative medications, like the proposed Protexid. Same comments as #2, with the addition that they will not have been subjected to such extensive trials (not that I have faith that long-term side-effects will have been properly examined by the pharma industry even where there have been extensive trials on money-spinners like PPIs).
I can’t try Protexid because I’m not in the US and gather that I could probably not order it. Suppose I did, and found that a week of the stuff cured my problem as effectively as three weeks of ranitidine? Even if there were a long-term trial comparing all-cause death rates of subjects with significant GERD who took short bursts of Zantac or Protexid or placebo, it would come in too late for me.
I have no position because I believe the information is not available to make a relative risk assessment for those options, and probably never will be. I have to make a decision based on personal hunch, after scanning the inconclusive data available.
Hiya.
“@ Jude vandenBroek
I share your frustration with IT systems that donÂt work right. It always makes me wonder why people are in business if they canÂt get their ordering act together, and now IÂm guilty of it myself. The problem is that the shopping cart we have doesnÂt work properly for out of the US orders. IÂll look into it to see what we can do, but it may be Monday before I have an answer”.
That would have been Monday the 30th…I know you’re busy but I really would like some of this to try and am willing to pay the ship to Canada, assuming it’s still available.
Has the ordering system been fixed? Is it possible someone could email me and give me a status update? Ta very much.
Hello Dr. Eades,
I’m a naturopathic physician in Washington and am interested in receiving some of the samples of this Protexid to test. Please send me some if you have any available. Thank you.
We still have some of the Protexid left, so just go to the products section of this site and order them. They are free. You pay shipping and handling only.
Katy,
8.4 X 1.21 = 10.164. As I keep saying, folic acid produced 21% more real-life cancers. Katy, you are misinterpreting the study and your misinterpretations may confuse people. This was a randomized placebo controlled study — the gold standard – and it found that folic acid increased the rate of cancer by 21%. even the study authors wrote in the paper that they do NOT attribute the results to B-12, only to folic acid. At this point, I have to doubt your honest intentions. The study is clear. Please stop posting your confused nonsense.
Sackot,
Barrett’s esophagus is associated with adenocarcinoma, not squamous cell carcinoma. Also, there is no reason to believe that acid suppression reduces the risk of developing Barrett’s esophagus. BE incidence has exploded in the during the last 20 years, the period in which H2 blockers and PPI were introduced. Other things happened also during this time — more sugar, more obesity, less sunshine… However, until proven otherwise, I suspect acid suppression may be involved. Indeed, even among people with BE, there is scant evidence that acid suppression is chemopreventative (though, IMO, the balance of evidence suggests it is). If you don’t already have BE, I would better your dietary hygiene — i.e., don’t eat 3 hours before bed, don’t eat any sugar, eat ample fats (especially saturated), chew very well, don’t drink lots of water with your meals (lowers acid content of stomach, resulting in poorer digestion, and the bloating also causes reflux), take vitamin D3, take turmeric, drink green tea, eat lots of (organic) berries, take an occasional aspirin, take an occasional multimineral (zinc, selenium, magnesium being the most important to get in sufficient (but NOT excessive) quantities.
Lastly, the folic acid was added to protexid to (IRONICALLY) prevent cancer. If you are looking for a natural remedy, buy the ingredients separately. Melatonin and typhtophan alter the neurotransmitters that innervate the Vagus nerve and thus control reflex. Betain HCL betters digestion. Those are the most important active ingredients – so just skip the folic acid.
Hi,
Dr Eades, i wanted to Know if you ship protexid nd to overseas customers ?
rgds
kevin
Unfortunately, we don’t. It’s a real hassle to send ingestibles to other countries. Your best bet is to have a friend here in the US order them then ship them to you.
Got my 2 bottles of the ND with no problem and they took care of heartburn in 15 minutes twice already. I wish they were not usually so expensive, though.
I’m willing to be that many of you that have GERD and have commented on this post snore, and prefer not to sleep on your back. It’s been shown that many people stop breathing intermittently at night, even if the episodes are not long enough to be called apneas. Whether or not you have official obstructive sleep apnea, it’s a moot point, since pressure readings in your lower and upper esophagus will show reflux.
One thing to note is that even if you neutralize acid in the stomach, you still have bile, digestive enzymes, and bacteria that have been found to travel into the throat and then into the ears, sinuses and lungs. Continuous microscopic exposure of normal stomach juices in your lungs and nose can wreak havoc. This is why PPIs and other acid suppressing medications work to various degrees.
However, if you give a medication that either empties the stomach faster, or tightens the lower esophageal sphincter (thanks, Dr. Isaacs), then you’ll get better relief. In the old days, we used to have Propulsid, which emptied the stomach by causing more peristalsis. It was taken off the market due to cardiac complications. Now, we’re unknowingly given million of pro-motility agents without even knowing it. The macrolide antibiotics (particularly azithromycin and clarithromycin) have pro-motility properties, where the smooth muscles in the stomach are stimulated, emptying the stomach faster. In general surgery, we used to give IV erythromycin to stimulate bowel movement after abdominal surgery. This is why when you give a Z-Pak to a patient to throat pain, and clearly no bacterial infection, they feel better. This “anti-inflammatory effect” works in many people, but not in everyone. After repeated uses, the effect wears off.
Lastly, I wanted to point out that there’s no officially FDA approved study showing that water cures dehydration, which is a medical diagnosis. In theory, all the water distributers, as well as millions of mothers using water off-label for their sick children should be fined heavily.
I’m back to shamelessly promote my own comment, posted 27 November 2009, 2:34, which got lost in the sea. It appears most people who have posted have not simply tried Betaine HCl with pepsin.
Few people noticed my comment. One person, “nonegiven”, said that he had tried “something natural before, it was either bromelain or betaine or something”, so maybe I didn’t make one thing clear to begin with. HCl means Hydrochloric acid, which is what is supposed to be in your stomach to begin with. That’s why it makes sense to put it there, as opposed to just “something natural”. (The “Betaine” part just means it was derived from beets, which is said to be most effective, and pepsin is an enzyme which is normally produced by the stomach, unless a bacterial infection is suppressing it, which as I understand is also the cause of the low stomach acid.)
Only a few other people have mentioned something to resolve their LOW stomach acid. “Sandy Sommer” said that she relieves GERD with apple cider vinegar. “Rita” is the only person here who said she takes HCl to relieve GERD. “Grandma Ann” said she tried HCl, but was afraid to take too much. I’d like to know how much she tried. I can attest from my own experience that taking 2-3 pills per meal, which was about 1000-1500 mg of HCl, for at least a month, is not harmful. I have never been hurt by HCl, though I did get a “warming” sensation sometimes. Your stomach is tough and is built to withstand HCl. I can almost guarantee, unless you have a full blown ulcer, that a single pill (500mg) is not going to hurt you.
Scott Isaacs didn’t recommend HCl, but recommended gentian and skullcap, with the function of the gentian being to stimulate HCl, along with the rest of the digestive tract. This seems to be on the right track. Also, it appears from certain comments that HCl is an ingredient in Eades’ Protexid. I would venture to say that this is a primary reason why it works.
Aside from that, nobody has made any mention of LOW stomach acid being the problem with GERD. The theory fits nicely with the fact that carbs cause GERD episodes, as carbs (and fiber) soak up stomach acid, and also promote overeating; and also, fiber expands, which could fill the stomach too full and cause back-up. The stomach will not release its contents to the intestines unless the pH is acidic enough, so the contents stay in the stomach far too long, eventually refluxing (especially while lying down) and causing GERD. Carbs and fiber also feed pathenogenic bacteria, and over time they can infect the stomach and suppress stomach acid. I’ll remind you again, according to the doctor Jonathan Wright which I mentioned in my last post, he has tested the stomach acid levels of hundreds (thousands?) of GERD sufferers, and 9 times out of 10 their stomach acid is TOO LOW, not too high.
I’ll also remind you that I’m not a doctor, and I’ve never had GERD myself. I’m simply writing because this theory seems to be rather unknown, including to Dr. Eades, and it would be very easy to test it. HCl is common and cheap in any vitamin shop.
And I’m also writing because, even you manage to stop your refluxes, this will not solve the problem of low stomach acid!!! Low stomach acid can result in nutritional deficiencies, as it fails to initiate other digestive processes, and leaves room open for further bacterial infestations, which common medicine now recognizes is the cause of ulcers. I’m only repeating the things which I have read in the books I mentioned in my previous post, but the theory makes sense to me. I’m curious as to whether HCl will really work, so please give it a try.
Jared:
Some people don’t have enough stomach acid. For them, adding acid would help. Others have plenty of stomach acid but the LES is letting it into the esophagus. For them, adding acid would make it worse.
There’s betaine and betaine-HCL. According to the ingredients, the Protexid contains the betaine without the HCl.
I’m happy to see Dr. Steven Y. Park’s comment here on Dr. Eades’ blog. I highly recommend Dr. Park’s blog, too (his name on his comment links to his blog), as he writes often about how much our sleep breathing (or lack of it) is demonstrably or potentially connected to our overall health (and reflux is often an issue with sleep disturbances). I’ve been reading Dr. Park’s blog for a few months, after reading a thoughtful comment of his on an online NYTimes article and following his link. He has written a good book, too, on sleep breathing, which was very informative and which “connected a lot of dots” for me.
Some of what I learned about sleep breathing conditions and airway spaces from Dr. Park was key in my recent decision to seek out an orthodontist with an unconventional treatment approach for my son that didn’t require pulling healthy teeth to eliminate crowding (which reduces space for the tongue, potentially creating breathing problems) or retracting the upper front teeth. Rather, we went with an approach that works with my son’s growth potential to guide his arches the way they should have grown, thereby creating adequate space and width for the secondary teeth and tongue, thereby allowing proper oral posture throughout the day and night for the rest of his life and for better health.
http://www.facefocused.com/jrcmp.html (an article about the orthotropic approach to orthodontics that leads to better oral posture and greater airway space)
I don’t have any affiliation with Dr. Park other than as an a reader. I simply think many of the readers here would find Dr. Park’s view of breathing issues and health interesting, thought-provoking, and informative.
Ah, you’re right about the “betaine”. Sorry, I should have looked that up.
I still believe the majority of GERD sufferers have low stomach acid. You’re right that the immediate reason for GERD is a malfunction of the LES, but this would probably not happen if the contents of the stomach 1. did not get over-stuffed and 2. moved on after a few hours as they normally should. I’m not an expert, but that sounds sensible. And as I’ve stated in my first post, even low amounts of acid are enough to burn the esophagus and the throat, which have no protective lining.
If the problem were merely with the LES, and not the stomach contents, then why would eating carbs (presumably with fiber as well) notoriously cause a GERD episode, as stated by Dr. Eades and others, whereas they don’t get it otherwise?
Another indication that low stomach acid is the cause of GERD is that stomach acid production on average decreases (–drastically: from 175mg/hr to 50mg/hr) as people get older, and yet this is the time that most people start to get heartburn. I know Eades is big on “correlation does not mean causation”, but this well-known fact sure does fit the theory.
That’s not to say that the LES is not a part of the problem. Jonathan Wright also says that certain things can damage or irritate the LES, like food allergens (dairy), alcohol, nicotine, caffeine, mint, onions, medications such as NSAIDs, and so on. (I’m not so sure of the validity of these though- he also condemns fats, which as we should know, was the primary source of calories for primitive humans). His protocol is to stop offending foods, test stomach acid levels (which, to account for the rare cases where HCl might actually do harm, he recommends everyone do first), and then start supplements, usually including HCl.
But if GERD is an indication not just of an irritated LES, but of low stomach acid, this is a serious concern. The stomach makes HCl for many reasons. Vitamin B12, for example, requires a complex series of steps in order to be absorbable through the intestines, and this is why B12 has been shown to be poorly absorbed by both people who take Prilosec and people with atrophic gastritis. You will improve your total digestion and health, not just GERD, by correcting low stomach acid.
If I were a GERD sufferer, and were afraid to try HCl or vinegar (even though Kevin Trudeau has publicly recommended vinegar for heartburn on his infomercial- probably because it works), I would find a place that tests stomach acid using the “capsule” test, which has been around since the 60s. Jonathan Wright says his patients were usually astounded by the results.
Dr. Eades,
I ordered and received a free bottle of Protexid and Protexid ND – thanks. I have problems swallowing pills of almost any size – can the Protexid capsule be opened and mixed with water or some other liquid?
I’ve been suffering with GERD for around 15 years and taking Prevacid most of that time. It eliminates all symptoms and I practically never have heartburn, even if I eat something really spicy. Without medication I had heartburn almost every time I ate something. Still, a natural solution that doesn’t alter stomach acid would be nice. When you radically alter the acid production in the stomach, that has to affect other things.
The Protexid should work okay if you mix it with water – I don’t know how it would taste, though. Let me know.
Dear Dr. Eades,
I purchased several bottles of your Protexid and Protexid ND. I was so excited when I read about your offer that I ran to the computer and ordered it before I read that you (understandably) requested only one order per person. I apologize for my hastiness. I am just very desperate for cure–I am maxed out on PPI’s and zantac and nothing’s working. I have severe scolioisis and hiatal hernia which are complicating factors.
Please don’t cancel my order–please just ship me one of each.
Thank you for your kind consideration.
No problem. When this happens, we just ship two anyway.
I like trying new things, and I have bad GERD that is controlled only with 2 PPI a day, so I got some of the regular Protexid, figuring I needed maximum strength. I couldn’t see that it made much difference. When I tried taking only 1 PPI, I started feeling that slight acid feeling that usually precedes more severe symptoms. Maybe it only works on people with mild disease.
But then I realized that the sort-of-constant chest pain that I’d been having (a nuclear stress test came out normal) had disappeared. When I was ‘scoped a few years ago, they found an esophageal ulcer. So maybe the Protexid did do something. Difficult to know.
While I was taking it, I seemed to be sleepy all the time, and that’s the main reason I stopped when I still had a few left. Then I realized the ND meant “nondrowsy.” The main difference between the two is that the regular contains more folic acid. That implies that high levels of folic acid make one drowsy. Is that true?
Along with a lower dose of folic acid (which doesn’t affect somnolence), there is significantly less melatonin in the Protexid ND, which is why it is non-drowsy. We recommend that both the regular and ND be taken at bedtime so that the sleepiness doesn’t matter. For me, they both seem to work about the same.
GERD – is sometimes not what we think it is. When I get it it hurts terribly – *but* I discovered a way to prevent it by simply lying on the floor and pushing myself up while relaxing all the muscles in my back and hips to achieve maximum (slowly and holding it there) arching (curving back and up) of the spine and neck, pushing up and back as much with *just* my arms and not using other muscles. It will hurt a bit and you should ease into it but hold it for a few minutes if you can…
I dont have heartburn anymore because of this – turned out for me to just be a pinched nerve / mechanical issue and not actually anything else.
Next time you get a bad case of heartburn try the cobra-like position I described above and see what happens! YMMV of course but its worth a try…
I think there are a lot of things that can ameliorate GERD when you have a mild case. I have a hiatal hernia and my gut doc said I have no LES at all.
This may be why the Protexid didn’t seem to work. If it strengthens the LES, it couldn’t do that if I don’t have one.
Thanks Dr. Eades for the info. and product. I will be ordering ASAP. I WAS a chonic GERD sufferer for years and took PPI’s. By complete coincidence, I began an LC diet back in Nov. 2009 because my older brother was diagnosed with T2 diabetes. I didn’t want to go that route so I changed my diet. Within just a couple of weeks, I began to notice that I wasn’t experiencing reflux as usual (even with meds). I decided to taper off but after a week, found I could stop cold turkey. I didn’t lose a single pound on LC, but the other benefits have been worth it! Quite honestly, the only carb that seems to give me bad reflux are grains. As long as I avoid ALL grains, I have NO reflux. But as you know….ocassionally I faulter or ingest and within 30 minutes feel that familiar, nasty burning and pressure coming back. So the only thing I do is take 1 or 2 alka seltzer Heartburn Relief tabs in water and that does it. However, I’m very excited to try this new product!
I am new to this topic, but a long time sufferer of GERD. All tests including scoping my esophagus and stomach show nothing out of the ordinary.
My question is this: is Protexid available anywhere in any form? Is it available from Brazil under the original manufacturer?
When I attempted to order some of the free samples on your website (probably way too late…) I got a message from my browser saying your site did not have a valid certificate and that I was taking a risk putting my credit card info into it.
What are my options here?
Thanks so much.
Hello, I am in Australia and wonder if there is anyway I can get my hands on some Protexid?
Thanks
Peter
I took the Protexid for 4 days and my stomach pain was gone. I finished out the 30 days anyway.It is now about 10 months later and this is the first time since 1985 that my stomach hasn’t hurt.
I had just had another endoscopy & was prescribed, I think it was Prevacid, for GERD. (I told the doctor all of that stuff makes me sleepy, he told me to take it at night.) Then I found your blog and it works! THANK YOU!!! A friend of mine in his 70s was complaining about his stomach, I told him. He tried to for 3 days and his stomach quit hurting too. He told me he was very skeptical, but tried it any way.
Thanks again!!!
Randy
Glad to learn that the Protexid helped you. Thanks for writing.
Of course I find this a year too late. I have been in horrible pain for weeks now and am getting sick and tired of taking pepcid and prilosic. What’s the status of this product? I NEED it and so does hubby.
I ordered some Protexid ND a few months ago. It has helped me tremendously. I am about to run out and see I cannot get it anymore from this site. Is there anywhere else I can order it from? You mention that the scientist in Brazil ships to the US. Is this an option?
Thanks for the great info.
Rosanne
I’ll have my assistant, Kristi, contact you and give you some options.
Hi Michael
I also wanted to order some for my Dad and I.
Could you also pass on the options to me?
Thanks for all the great book, has been the single most important change in my life
Thanks
Peter
You should be hearing from Kristi shortly.
Hi –
I too would like to order some Protexid. Would you be so kind as to add me to Kristi’s list?
Will do.
I hope you’re still reading these…
Please add me to the list – I’d like to order some Protexid for my hubby – it helps him quite a lot!
Hello Dr. Eases,
I received an email from my sister about your blog. She knows I’ve been suffering from GERD symptoms for the last 5 years. I actually suffered from 4 minor ulcerations after contracting the Hpylori bacteria (cause unknown) and completed the antibiotic pack that healed the ulcers. The ulcers have not returned but I’ve been unable to run on the soccer field, up stairs or even to catch a trainfor work without experience a severe heartburn episode. As you mentioned in you blog, I dread going to sleep some nights. I am dependent on Omeprazole- 40mg daily and an occasional prescribed Zantac -300mg. It’s very depressing and frustrating but if I don’t take the pills, I’m unable to function. Just forget it if I leave my meds at home while away. I’m desperate for an alternative and concerned for the future of my digestive system and my ability to fight off infection. How can I access your product as I’m not interested in making another visit to my Gastrologist for a renewed prescription. 5 years on Nexium, Omeprazole and Zantac is enough and I’m only 29. What’s my future going to be if I keep up this pace? Anyway, your blog is inspirational thanks!
I’ve forwarded your info. Someone should contact you via email shortly.
I have been trying to cut down my Omeprozole but waver between 10 and 20mg and can’t quite do without. I have been told about Protexid and would like to try it but it seems very expensive on the web sites I’ve looked at i.e. $79.99 for 30 days supply and I expect shipping costs would add to this. Have I been looking at the wrong sites?
I have been cutting down on my carbs but temptation sometimes gets the better of my good intentions!
Dr. Eades,
I think it’s great that you’re offering an alternative form of treatment for GERD. It sounds like Protexid helps to tighten the lower esophageal sphincter. I’ve sent a number of patients to this page.
If you remember from a few decades ago we used to have Propulsid, which did a great job by emptying the stomach contents down faster into the intestines. Unfortunately, it was taken off the market due to heart complications. Interestingly, there’s a similar, but safe medication called domperidone, that’s sold in Canada and Europe. It’s been around for decades and has been found safe.
Another indirect way of treating reflux is when doctors give one of the macrolide antibiotics, such as azithromycin or clarithromycin, especially for a throat infection or bronchitis. We used IV erythromycin in general surgery to help stimulate the bowels after abdominal surgery. In the same way, when patients are given a Z-Pak for throat pain or a chronic cough, by helping to empty the stomach faster, you’re indirectly treating the reflux that reaches the throat. This is why many patients feel better, even if there was not infection.
As you may be aware, all the PPIs and H2 blockers do absolutely nothing for reflux. All they do is to lower acid production. This is why your product makes more sense.
My suspicion about many of the commenters on this blog who are suffering from GERD may also have major sleep-breathing issues. It’s been shown that obstruction during breathing (which happens more often than you think, even in normal people) can create a vacuum effect in the chest and throat which can suction up your stomach juices into your throat. If you consider that at least 1/4 of American have obstructive sleep apnea, it’s not surprising that so many people have reflux issues. This number goes up even higher as you get older.You don’l even have to have apneas to have multiple obstructions. Many of my patients with similar issues are young, thin, and don’t snore. Also, what comes up includes not only acid, but bile, enzymes, and bacteria. It’s also been shown that it can reach your sinuses, ears, and lungs.
It’s important to treat the symptoms of reflux properly, but you also have to treat what’s causing the reflux. Many people who are successful at treating their chronic reflux conditions will later go on to develop obstructive sleep apnea, especially if they gain weight. They also typically can’t sleep on their backs, and in most cases, one or both parents will snore heavily, with undiagnosed obstructive sleep apnea.
Anyone with chronic acid reflux should seriously look into sleep-breathing problems, especially if you can’t get deep, refreshing sleep, have anxiety or depression issues, or have a family history of heart disease, heart attack, or stroke.
If you’re interested, I can send you a PDF version of my book, Sleep, Interrupted, which explains my sleep-breathing paradigm.
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Steven Park, MD
Another comment that got hung up in my spam filter. Sorry.
Dr. Eades, I would also like to be on this list to get information on how to order Protexid in the future. I have a small stash from the first time I ordered, and have found it works just as you said. If I have any sign of heartburn at bedtime, I take one capsule, and within 15 minutes, all symptoms are alleviated. I am a total believer in this product, and because it’s all natural, I feel safe taking it. Thanks again for letting us know about it. I recommend it every chance I get to all the heartburn sufferers I know.
I’m glad you’ve had such success. I’ll forward your info on, and someone will contact you.
Please add my name to the list to receive information regarding ordering Protexid. Thank-you!
Done! You should be hearing from someone via email soon.
Please add me to your Protexid list too. Thanks!
Done.
5 years of meds, lifestyle changes, and Nissen Fundoplication surgery didn’t work for me, please add me to your Protexid list too. (I’m only 20 , haha!)
Thanks!
5 weeks into strict protein power diet. Except for GERD and tendonitis, I’m feeling great.
If you’ve been through all that without relief, I don’t know if Protexid will do it, but you’re on the list. Hope it helps.
I have had heartburn for may years and have never found a solution.
Please let me know how to get some.
thanks
Done
Please add me to the list for Protexid. My husband had been suffering with GERD for several years. Thanks for the info about low carb diet helping. I will endeavor to change our diet accordingly.
Added
Please add me to your Protexid list. Thanks.
You’re there
My son has atypical GERD and is taking Prevacid every day as a means of protecting his esophagus from damage. Even though he doesn’t feel it, tests confirm his his acid levels are high. Please let me know when Protexid is again available as I’d like for him to try this alternative. I worry about him being on PPIs every day for the last 5 years even though his doctor tells me it is perfectly safe He is 19.
Please add me to the list of people interested in Protexid.
/Ramble:
I’m currently on Nexium, and wouldn’t mind getting off of it, especially since it fails more regularly than I’d like. (Though sometimes it’s SPECTACULARLY successful in that I don’t have enough acid and get many of the same symptoms!) I’ve also been prescribed domperidone (Motillium) for GERD and a (now intermittent, thankfully, and rarely problematic anymore) case of gastroparesis (which has been demonstrated to become aggravated by continual PPIs).
/Rant:
Fact is, weight loss alone won’t cure my GERD, I don’t think. I didn’t have GERD when I was 324lbs, but I got it when I was 284. My docs told me “just lose some weight and you’ll be fine!” Here I am at 227lbs–a weight I haven’t been since I was 12 years old, 19 years ago!–and I’m still getting it. My doctors’ reply? “Just lose some more weight, take this medicine, and hope you don’t get Barrett’s esophagus.”
//Ramble and rant over.
Will do
Please send me information as to where I can get protexid. Sounds like a fabulous product and GD the FDA!
Dr. Eades, I would also like to be on this list to get information on how to order Protexid or Protexid ND as soon as possible.
My husband and I are just starting the 6 Week Cure( he’s out at our healthy food store pickipng up some supplies) and are really excited about this.
I am scheduled for a medical appointment abou the acid reflux and would appreciate a way to receive the Protexid soon.
thank you .
Kate Rivera
I’ll put you on the list.
hello, what is the dosage of protexid for healing esophagus ulcer or stomach ulcer
I capsule at bedtime.
Please add me to the list. thanks.
OK
Please put me on a list to receive info on Protexid. For some reason, low carb is not clearing up my symptoms and I refuse to go back on PPIs–they’re nasty little buggers. Thanks!
You’re on the list
I’m looking for info on Protexid as well – thanks!
Please send me info on how to order Protexid. Thank you and God bless you.
Hi,
please add me to the list on how to get Protexid..
Thanks for your blog!
Hi, I’d really like to try Protexid is there any way I can order this?
Please add me to the list to receive information about Protexid.
Thanks much!
Please put me on the list for Protexid. Thank you.
I’m looking for Protexid as well. Please add me to your list. Thanks!
Yes, add me to the list. Is something similar available in Mexico? In Baja?
Please send info on ordering Protexid.
I would like to know when Protexid is offered again.
Dr. Eades, are you familiar with the Vitamin Research Products company? I bet VRP can figure out how to market Protexid.
Looking forward to seeing Protexid available again.
How do I go about ordering Protexid? The only info I can find is that it isn’t avaiable at this time! Huh??
I saw this product in a book “The Encylopedia of Medical Breakthrouges & Forbidden Treatments” Is it still available? Please direct me or add me to your list. Thanks, Nancy
I would also like to know how to order more Protexid. Thanks very much!
I’m looking for Protexid. Please add me to your list. I’m desperate in searching for a solution to my heartburn. Thanks.
Please add me to your list on how to get Protexid. I’ve tried many products for my GERD and I’m hoping Protexid will help solve my GERD symptoms. Thank you.
Hi Dr please put me on the list. I have gotten off Nexium 2 weeks ago cold turkey and having nightmare throat burn almost always with eating and sometimes even without eating. I am afraid of eating nowadays. I need to get this help . Thanks. Malaika
Please send me info on how to order Protexid
Thanks,
Bill
Hi Dr Eades
If I can be added to the list i will really appreciate it. My mum has had just about enough of GERD. Im in the UK so unsure of the logistics but if it works then by all means im willing to pay the necessary costs.
Thanks
Mitesh – ur blogs proving useful beyond belief, ur a true scientist
Hi Dr Eades
If you could kindly put me on the list that will be be greatly appreciated. Thanks
Mitesh
I am very interested in finding out how to order Protexid. Thanks!
Is it still possible to get info on obtaining Protexid? If so, please put me on the list. Thanks!
Hi, I am very interested by protexid, since I take PPI’s everyday and I know it’s just a “patch” and it doesn’t resolve the problem. Worst than that, it’s making me weak due to poor digestion and craving of B12 and calcium. I live in Quebec, Canada and I would like to try your product. Please put me on the list and give me info on how I can get protexid.
P.S. : I have a friend who’s a manager in a supplement shop named “Naturally Fit” who may help you with the promotion of your product.
I have been taking prescription drugs for GERD for 23 years and have been on Losec and Gaviscon Extra Strength for over 10 years. I am desperate to get off as I have ended up with major infections following recent surgeries.
Could you please tell me how I can order Protexid? I want to order some as soon as possible!
I would also very much like to be on the Protexid list. Thanks!
I just read about protexid in a Breakthroughs in Health & Medicine newsletter today. I am so in need of this product. Please put me on the list to be notified of availability. Thank you so much.
Hi Michael,
Are you still giving some of the Protexid away? I’ve had gerd for 10 years and have tried every kind of doctor imaginable. I have never wanted to take prescription meds, but have taken them off and on. This product sounds like a dream come true. i wrote to the guy who invented it and he sent me to a website where I could order some, but it seemed awfully spendy for just one bottle to try and see if it would help, especially with the $15.00 shipping. So please let me know if I can get some for less money.
Ok so how do I get some Protexid?
Can I still order Protexid? Thanks!
Hi,
I am very interested in ordering your product! Please let me know how to go about ordering. Thank you!
Sandra
Is it still possible to order this product? Please let me know if so. Thanks
Please add me to your expanding Protexid list. Thank you. Susan
Please add me to your list. Also is the Protexid being sold at the following site your formulation and in fact, your product? http://www.heranswer.com/Protexid.asp
Bob
I’ll add you to the list. No, the product on that site is not Protexid. These people are in trademark violation.
Please add me to the List for Protexid please?
Jo-Anne
If this product is available now I would also like to be added to the list of folks who would like to order
Thanks
Steve
Dr. Eades,
Can you please comment on the availability of Protexid? I have had Gerd for years, and lately have been kept up at night searching the internet for solutions, which is how I found this page. I was so excited to find a product that might work that I hadn’t tried before, only to find it’s all sold out. Ain’t that a thing!
Please add me to your list of people to notify about availability.
Thank you!
Will do. Should be available again before long.
Please add me to your Protexid list. Thanks.
please add me to your list of Protexid users. please …. badly needed. thank you very much. bless your work.
very interested to order protexid immediately. thank you.
I would be very interested in trying this product, if still available. I have been taking Omeprazole 40 mg for the past 8 years, perhaps longer, and have experienced extremely dry skin along with alopecia. Not sure if there is a connection, but would love to try an alternative, nonetheless. Read the entire thread with much interest. Very informative. Thanks to all who posted!
Is it still possible to get the products? (I am in Europe…)
The product should be available soon, but, unfortunately, we can’t ship it outside the US. Perhaps you could have a friend order it and ship to you.
How can I get this product?
Should be available before long.
Please also add me to the Protexid list.
Thank you.
I would love to be added to the list! What a lifesaver.
Quero ser adicionada a lista Protexid
Obrigada
Quero ser adicionada a lista Protexid
Obrigada
Hello, Please add me to your list as soon as you get some in.
Many thanks and best regards.
ADD ME TOO. Totally looking for solution to trying 4 different precriptions. Based on reviews this is what I’m looking for. Thanks.
Hi Dr, is the protexid available? My wife is suffering from heart burn and we’d like to purchase some immediately. Is this possible? Thank you
Not available yet, but should be soon.
heranswer.com is selling it in the US. They have a link off the brazil.com.br site. Are they selling a legitimate product?
I don’t have any idea. I think it’s made in Brazil, and the company selling it here is in trademark violation.
I have already sent an e-mail to you relating to my question on how and where can Protexid be ordered. Dr Pereira’s website does not give clear instructions on how to order the product. It says to fill our an order form, but there is no order form present on the website. Please e-mail me back with any information you may have on how to connect with Dr. Pereira.
Thank You
We should have Protexid available on this website within the next 60 days. I have no idea as to how to contact Dr. Pereira.
Can protexid be taken together with antidepressant
It is probably fine, but this is a question you should ask your prescribing physician.
Did the protexid nd ever become available? I am very interested. I currently take a couple of betaine hci caps with each meal and it has helped some, but this combination sounds like it could be better.
Also, with melatonin in it, I assume people should obstain from alcohol?
It should become available soon. I’ve been saying this and saying this. I’ve just got to get it done. Keep watching the site.
It is a nightmare this FDA. Seriously, this industry is evil, and I hope they burn in hell, all those that kill innocent lives in the name of the profit.
Please get me on the list to receive your Protexid. I ordered one bottle from heranswer.com – a link provided when you go to protexid.com which mentions all of the developing doctor and his studies.
Will do.
Hello Dr. Eades. I have a question about Protexid. The website heranswer.com sells Protexid that it claims it gets directly from Dr. Ricardo de Souza Pereira in Brazil. My question is in regards to Melatonin. The Protexid for sale on heranswer.com does not contain Melatonin according to the label. It contains “Tripiradol” – a proprietary blend of Tryptophan, Methionine, and Betaine. My understanding based on the literature I read regarding the studies that were performed was that melatonin was not only a ingredient in the formula, but the main ingredient.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16948779
http://www.alternative-therapies.com/resources/web_pdfs/popular/0708_werbach.pdf
http://www.heranswer.com/Protexid.asp
Am I missing something, or has the formula changed? Thanks for your time.
Sam
Dr. Pereira and I parted ways a few years ago. I have no idea what’s in the formula now as it seems to be perpetually changing. The original formula did contain melatonin, but it looks like this latest iteration does not. The original formula worked great – I can’t speak to the new formulation because I have no experience with it. I still have the original formula, but with all I have going on, have not gotten around to having it manufactured.
The original formula from Dr. Eades worked great for me and I still tell people about it and his books! I ate something that tore my stomach up again a few years later and brought all the old symptoms back. So I ordered the Protexid from heranswer.com. It took longer but it worked too. I can sleep on my stomach again.
I also took more folic acid, since it is quite a bit lower in the new formula. I think the melatonin was taken out so it could be used in Europe . You can find the original formula’s ingredients and amounts in the published research paper and maybe get close on your own.
One again, thank you Dr. Eades for changing my life!
I’m glad it has worked for you. Sooner or later, whenever I can get the time, I’ll bring the other formula back.
I’m not sure if you’re still accepting comments on this blog, but I have a question and thought I’d give it a shot.
I’ve had this persistent cough for years and years, with phlegm in the morning and then a dry cough later in the day (this dry cough has only been around for several months). One Benedryl in the morning takes care of the phlegmy cough, but not the other. I’ve also noticed I get reflux fairly often these days, but only several hours after I’ve eaten something (even when no carbs were eaten), and never at night.
My doctor ordered a chest X-ray last week and found I have a hiatal hernia (not sure if it’s the “sliding” kind or not). I remembered this and other blog posts of yours and how a persistent cough can be a sign of reflux … and my reflux is no doubt caused by the hernia (I cough and the acid irritates the throat, so I cough more, making a vicious cycle).
I don’t take antacids (instead, I have a glug of cream or eat something small), but was wondering if Protexid would work for me or if there’s another remedy you might know about. My doctor was not very helpful.
The only way to know is to give it a try. But, unfortunately, it isn’t available right now. I’ve got to get on the stick and get some more manufactured.
On another note, however, I’m not a radiologist, but I’m not sure a hiatal hernial can be diagnosed from a chest x-ray unless there was some kind of contrast used. (Any radiologists out there willing to chime in on this?)
You might want to give someting OTC, Pepcid AC, for example, a shot to see if it helps.
You also might consider getting your thyroid checked as thyroid problems can cause a cough and raspy voice. As well as some drugs. And, make sure the doc looks in your ears. Often something in the ear canal – a hair turned sideways or other foreign body pressing on the wall of the canal can stimulate the cough reflex.
I sent a response via email, but realized I probably should have posted it here. Here’s what I wrote in the email:
Wow! Thanks for the quick response. Pepcid AC does work, but I hate to be popping OTC meds all the time. I mean, you need that stomach acid to digest your foods, right?
My doc checked my thyroid, too. The TSH is always around 3.5, which he says is normal (my NP might have a different thought after seeing the results, as she says most people feel better between 1 and 2). I don’t have the results back from the thyroid test this past Wednesday (other than the nurse calling to say “it’s ok”), so I don’t know exactly what it was. He did say my reflexes were ok at first, but then the return to normal position was slow, which he said could be a sign of hypothyroid.
The only drugs I’m taking now are the antibiotics from my 4-day hospital stay with diverticulitis. This was my first real bout of it, and already they’re talking about a resection! Not a chance. I might never have another bout, or at least not one that ends up in the ER.
Again, thanks for the response!
PS: My mistake. It wasn’t an X-ray that showed the hiatal hernia, it was a CT scan of the abdomen and pelvis without IV contrast (because of the emergency situation). The test results read, in part: “The lower lungs demonstrate a hiatal hernia. There is no nodule, infiltrate or effusion.”
I just recently stumbled upon the Protexid product while looking for a better treatment for acid reflux. I ordered three bottles and received them yesterday and took my first dose last night and had absolutley no reflux during the night. For me it’s a nightly occurence, sometimes waking me up choking.
Before I got the Protexid I did start taking a sublingual B12 (methylcobalamin) and I could tell some benefit from it in regards to reflux but especially energy levels.
I hope this product is the answer I’ve been searching for. I took PPI’s for a number of years after being diagnosed with a duodenal ulcer but I was still experiencing reflux even while on them and other unpleasant side effects so I started weaning myself from them. I’ve also had to sleep on a wedge pillow for the last seven years. I did well for a while but would still have a bout every once in a while and I tried every home remedy I could find on the internet from vinegar fizzes to raw almonds. They would help a bit but it would come back with a vengenance so I started taking a Prilosec every once in a while to keep it in check but then I found I was having to take them more often and my reflux was getting progressively worse. Then I stumbled upon Protexid.
Hoping it works.
How is this working for you now? Still benefiting after a month?
Where did you order from please?
Paminky, Is it working for you?
Please tell me where to order it.
Every link I find, is a dead end. Thanks.
http://www.heranswer.com/protexid.asp
It’s a little pricey and it did nothing for me, FYI. Good luck.
Dr Eades ,
I would like to order Protexid from her answer.com Is the melatonin included in the product ? or do I have to purchase Melatonin separately ?
Thank you .
Reply: As we answered previously, if you did not purchase our product, we couldn’t say what is in it or what to add to it. Our previous Protexid product is now called Gastritonin and sold exclusively on our own site.
I purchase Protexid . Which melatonin is best with the product ?
– slow- release capsule or sublingual ? Thank you .
Reply: Where did you purchase the Protexid? If it was on some other website (there is a product called Protexid that is NOT the original formula) we couldn’t say. If it is the new formulation Gastritonin, then there is sufficient melatonin in the product that you wouldn’t need to take some other form along with it.
Is this product available? I have suffered for years and taken gobs of Prilosec, Nexium ..you name it. Not happy about the side effects.
Yes, it is now available again. Due to some trademark issues, we can’t call it Protexid any longer, so we’ve had it made under the trade name Gastritonin. It is the very same formula we used when we distributed it as Protexid.
Still hoping the Doctor will manufacture some of his version of Protexid. I bought the version Chris listed above and noticed it has a grape like smell and taste, and is manufactured in Brazil. I cannot help but be suspicious that there is nothing in this pill but hopes and dreams to scam people out of money.
So Doc, do us all a favor and make your version again. Time is ripe for this less toxic alternative to GERD and SR.
It is now available in the original formulation. It’s now called Gastritonin because of some trademark issues, but it is the same formulation we made before when we called it Protexid. As you’ve noted, the Protexid now available online is made in Brazil and IS NOT the same formulation as the Protexid we made and distributed several years ago.
Hello. I know I’m a little late here, but I really am hoping some folks are still hanging around. I have silent acid reflux that won’t quit. I want to try this but don’t understand why there is so much deviation from the original formula on the original study that I saw in the Pineal journal. No melatonin… apparently because some countries don’t allow it…and the addition of other items as well. I really wanted to try the original formula. I wanted the right measurements, etc. Why? because in the original formula, ALL PEOPLE WHO TOOK IT RECEIVED 100% IMPROVEMENT/RELIEF. Why fix it if it isn’t broken?????? Now I read reviews that it simply doesn’t work. ugh!@