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How to Cure Acid Reflux with Simple Exercise: An Anecdotal Study

pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

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Re: How to Cure Acid Reflux with Simple Exercise: An Anecdotal Study

#2
> Eventually, I devised the following regimen with the intent of providing the LES with some resistance training. The resistance was provided by positioning my head below my stomach in a kneeling posture. This required food being swallowed to be pushed up an incline. I began eating part of each breakfast (oatmeal) and sometimes lunch (a sandwich) in the exercise position. I would kneel on a platform (which happened to be 6 ½” high), take a normal mouthful, chew it as needed, and prepare to swallow. I would then lay my forearms and the backs of my hands on the floor, rest my head on my hands, and complete the swallowing process. With a little practice, I was soon able to initiate and complete the swallowing process with my head resting on my hands on the floor. I did not attempt to determine what the optimal height of the platform might be or if, indeed, any was necessary.

This is interesting, as a GERD sufferer I really wish an image or video of the exercise was provided.

Is it basically kneeling, touching your head to the floor to get it below the stomach (like someone doing a prayer), and swallowing food?

I'm fascinated and confused. It also seems like an easy way to choke tbh.

Re: How to Cure Acid Reflux with Simple Exercise: An Anecdotal Study

#3
Simple and it makes sense. I wouldn’t call it scientific proof, but as a reflux sufferer interested in non pharmaceutical solutions, I’ll give it a try.

TLDR- - Position: Kneel on something raised (like a 6.5" platform), put your head lower than your stomach by resting it on your hands on the floor

- Exercise: Eat some food (like oatmeal or a sandwich) in this position, making your esophageal muscle work against gravity

- Results: improvement after ~2 months, complete relief after ~6 months, and stayed fixed even after stopping the exercise

Re: How to Cure Acid Reflux with Simple Exercise: An Anecdotal Study

#4
I read this last year after going through some pretty weird oesophageal stuff, and I think if it did work it's almost certainly not because they provided the LES with "resistance training".

A sphincter doesn't provide motility along the oesophagus, it tightens and contracts. The angle at which it does this is irrelevant.

If this was indeed successful, a far more likely explanation is that doing this slowed down their eating and put less pressure on the smooth muscle function of the oesophagus during peristalsis and less pressure on the LES, allowing it some time to rest and perhaps get better at sphinctering.

Re: How to Cure Acid Reflux with Simple Exercise: An Anecdotal Study

#8

How I eliminated GERD: - Walking after every meal - Reducing my body weight - Avoiding food in the hours before bed YMMV

This worked for me, too. Additionally, I reduced my intake of fatty foods, such as fried and buttery foods. I did not completely stop them, but I reduced them greatly. It made a huge difference.

Re: How to Cure Acid Reflux with Simple Exercise: An Anecdotal Study

#9
post #2

> Eventually, I devised the following regimen with the intent of providing the LES with some resistance training. The resistance was provided by positioning my head below my stomach in a kneeling posture. This required food being swallowed to be pushed up an incline. I began eating part of each breakfast (oatmeal) and sometimes lunch (a sandwich) in the exercise position. I would kneel on a platform (which happened t…

As for how to do it, based on my reading, imagine a mattress on the floor. And then, to follow your comparison, imagine a prayer, particularly an Islamic prayer pose (knees on the floor, hips in the air, head and hands touching the floor). Except as the author describes it, your knees would be up on the mattress, and your head and hands would touch the floor, rendering your torso largely inverted.

Also, I realize that there's a lot more to the Adhan than just this pose, but it's the only easily searchable thing I can think of at the moment.

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