Allergies/Acid Reflux

Skylar_

Yes! Or at least I think! But no doctor has been able to give me much clear direction. I never had allergies that I knew of, although just this week was told by an alternative health practioner that I have wheat & dairy allergies. My symptoms are sever post nasal drip, acid reflux that doesn't seem treatable with PPIs, sore throat, and the feeling of a tight throat, like something is stuck. I've also had every test imaginable and am very frustrated. I think it's LPR, a form of acid reflux, which affects the throat-I do not have heartburn. However, where in the world did it come from?? I think stress played a big role, but only began this week to wonder if underlying allergies play a part. This alternative health guy also told me I have a hiatal hernia (no other doc ever has) and he manually adjusted it-I could breathe better immediately and the reflux improved.

Alagaesia

Oh yeah I have both. I take zyrtec for my allergies and I used to take prevacid for my reflux. My reflux made me feel way worse than my allergies. For my reflux I now take something that I found at a health store and I feel great. They have plenty of stuff for acid reflux. If you don't feel much relief try a different acid reflux pill. I had that same feeling in my throat but not anymore. Ask your doc for some samples of other reflux pills. I'm someone who can take a pill and it will instantly work or not. I know within a couple of days if a pill is going to work or not. You can also try going to a health store and try a couple of different products. For your allergies you can also try a couple of things from the healthstore. Grape seed extract and astragalus. Astragalus will boost your immune system and grape seed extract helps with allergy symptoms. CHECK WITH YOUR DOCTOR before trying those, especially since you have allergies.

Skylar_

What are you taking from the health food store for your reflux-maybe that would help me too!

Alagaesia

I take a digestive enzyme. I don't know if I'm allowed to post the brand here or not. It has aloe vera in it, ginger, papaya, peppermint, and some other stuff. I can't remember the rest. Digestive enzymes help you to actually digest your food.

jenl2881

I told my doctor I mainly suffer from indigestion and not Acid Reflux (not acid in throat when sleeping, no acid in mouth, and no other symptoms) and she said to take Prilosec. I do, however, have the throat swelling. Sometimes it swells all the way up to my tonsils and makes my jaw and head hurt. Other times I don't realize it until I swallow something and it hurts or have fit of hiccups that won't go away.

I had the worst reaction after eating a Cajun style shrimp dish. I thought maybe it was a spice that had caused the reaction, but I don't know. I just learned about the other form of Acid Reflux but I also heard you can get a yeast infection in your upper respiratory system too. So who knows...

needaremedy

A couple things I've heard (the first from my naturopathic doctor)
A food allergy may not cause an extreme reaction (like, say, anaphylactic (sp?) shock or hives or itching, etc). Instead, it can come in the form of GI upset and repetitively introducing the allergen can increase the reaction...maybe reflux?? (For example, I didn't want to believe that chocolate could really cause GERD and yet every time I ate it, I would have this horrible feeling in my mouth and throat...I had allergy testing done and was highly allergic to chocolate (bummer for me ) ...so maybe it didn't cause GERD in the way it's typically thought to, but rather in the form of allergic reaction.

Also, I'm reading a book on stomach acid and read that the PPIs stop acid to the point that food may not get digested and broken down and then the proteins "may" get into the bloodstream where the body senses it as an invader so food allergies could develop...

I don't know much more about this as I'm still learning myself.

Sannah

Needaremedy, yes, I was exactly one of those people. I didn't have hives, eczema or anaphylaxis but I had reflux, stomach pain, and an inflamed outer end of my GI tract. An alternative doctor tested me and I was allergic to 80% of the foods that were tested. I got an LDA shot (low dose allergen), basically a food allergy shot, and all of my symptoms were gone. I get my next shot this week.

pugluver31902

I have found people like me!!!! Yippee!!! I have extreme acid reflux, and allergies. I am also on prevacid and zyrtec. I was diagnosed with Celiac disease, and started on the gluten free diet, but it didnt help my acid reflux or allergies.