Reply To: Herbal Therapeutics
Hi Debbie-lee,
Yes this is a sticky point I have had experience with often in clinical work. As you say, it is not possible to compete with a medicine that is reducing the appropriate creation of stomach acid. Marshmallow root and licorice cold extraction is a great place to start with soothing and providing symptom relief. The main thing to keep in mind is that, as with any case, how you might help someone would be different from person to person.
Starting with working to understand their history, why and when they began ant-acids, what type of ant-acid medication they are taking and how that works, discovering and discussing root causes and sustaining factors with this person and ultimately working alongside their prescribing doctor/health practitioner to begin reducing their ant-acids if this is something the client wants. It needs to be with clear and open communication as you cannot and do not want to suggest any dose adjustments to pharmaceuticals.
By supporting people with information on how ant-acids work and root causes of acid reflux- is it actually low acidity? liver or gall bladder concerns? diet? exercise? clothing? genetics? etc. etc.
This can help a client to consider how they want to proceed with you, their doctor and their medication (and then herbs).
It’s also important to be cautious around licorice if someone is likely to take it over a long time they need to keep an eye on their blood pressure and heart rate. Licorice should be avoided or only taken very short term if the person already has blood pressure concerns.
If someone is off their medication and looking to restore good acid cycles, this is a multifaceted approach. Really they are looking to restore function to the overall system. This starts with eating well (and avoiding acid producing food and drink), chewing their food properly, it could include bitters, reducing stress while eating and paying attention to what they are eating, include some liver and gall bladder support herbs, working with herbs to regulate and heal stomach lining such as meadowsweet, marshmallow, calendula, chamomile, raspberry, eating fermented foods, preparing as much of their own food from scratch as possible, making sure that they get appropriate exercise, that they aren’t wearing tight clothing, that they have well functioning bowel movements and that they have good sleep cycles, healthy weight loss can also improve this process-depending on the person (not for everyone!).
I hope this helps!
Benna