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PEOPLE’S PHARMACY: Can almonds prevent heartburn?

4:55 pm July 14, 2009, by JG

BY JOE GRAEDON

Q: I have been suffering from gastroesophageal reflux disease for a number of years now. I took Zantac for it. But two weeks ago, I went to a dinner party. When we were all finished with eating, even coffee, the hostess passed around a dish of raw almonds. I asked her what these were for, and she said, “To prevent heartburn.” Almonds after every meal seem to be working for me. I haven’t taken Zantac for the past two weeks, and I haven’t even needed much antacid. Do you know why this works? Has anyone else tried it? In the meantime, I will continue eating almonds after every meal.

A: This remedy is new to us, but it sounds safe. Another reader says that a bit of apple after a meal can prevent heartburn: “I have had this problem for years and recently stopped taking omeprazole so I could try to deal with this ailment in a better way. I noticed one day that food that usually gave me heartburn hadn’t and realized I had eaten an apple that day.”

Joe Graedon is a pharmacologist and Teresa Graedon is an expert in medical anthropology and nutrition. They can be reached at peoplespharmacy@gmail.com.

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11 comments Add your comment

JM

July 17th, 2009
10:51 am

Well almonds are considered to be good for your heart, so it makes sense to me.

Farm Dee

July 17th, 2009
11:29 pm

Nothing like a scientific answer, Joe.

I hear those double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled studies are overrated anyway.

John

July 17th, 2009
11:56 pm

Wow. Another genius speaks up. You really think heartburn has anything to do with your heart?

SC

July 18th, 2009
9:55 am

I am pretty sure heartburn has nothing to do with your heart.

cg

July 18th, 2009
10:09 am

Apples and almond really do not help with heartburn, or help very little. A more reliable remedy is fresh ginger, which has been used for this purpose for centuries in China. I’ve verified its effect many times on myself and for family and friends, and I’m no freaky alternative medicine type. When you wake up in the morning, an hour before you drink any solid food, chew on a piece of ginger (about half of a square inch or so; no need to peel it), discarding the pulp it only after all the juice is sucked out. The juice is quite strong, so it’s not the most pleasant thing to drink, although you get used to it after several times. The ginger juice will coat your esophagus and calm the stomach. Do this every day until the symptoms of heartburn go away. Ginger also helps in getting rid of heartburn symptoms whenever they occur, so you can take it at other times as well, but make sure to do so at least once a day for several weeks. Ginger not only alleviates the symptoms of heartburn but also builds up the body’s natural defenses thereafter. Do NOT take those anti-heartburn medications prescribed by doctors, because they only weaken your body’s own defenses against these intestinal problems and put you in a permanent state of dependency on medications that ultimately only damage your digestive system. The story of heartburn medications is one of the saddest dimensions of the pharmaceutical obsession of our current medical system. Also, solving heartburn over the long term should involve a change of diet as well. You need to reduce over-consumption of sugar and carbohydrates if you’re really serious about regaining a healthy digestive tract. You also need to find good stress management techniques (exercise, some form of meditation, relaxing, breathing exercises, and just taking time off without TV), since heartburn is both a result of diet as well as a result of stress. But if you take ginger, even if you /don’t/ do these stress management techniques you should be able to keep heartburn reasonably under control.

cg

July 18th, 2009
10:15 am

I should have added a link to an expert to gives this advice. It’s from Dr. Stoll. He’s a retired physician who gives good advice on non-traditional cures. He’s not an eco-freak, but a responsible source of advice. I don’t follow everything he says, but he’s dead right about heartburn. Note: he tells you to run the ginger through a juicer and then drink a teaspoonfull; but since not all of us have electric juicers, it’s much easier just to chew whole ginger in the mouth; same effect, much less hassle. Here’s the link:

http://askwaltstollmd.com/articles/hiatus.php

Freaky Alternative Medicine Type

July 18th, 2009
3:28 pm

Yes a handful of almonds will relieve heartburn.

But…a teaspoon of apple cider vinager works faster, better, and cheaper.

The cause of heartburn is not enough acid in the stomach. Not Too Much
acid

Nuff Said

tfraz

July 19th, 2009
11:33 am

I think my first time reading Joe Graedon. Man I hope you didn’t hurt yourself researching your answer. What a dip. A new low for the AJC, a paper that has set records.
What do you call a college grad at the AJC? King.

tfraz

July 19th, 2009
11:36 am

And thanks to all readers who offered thought out ideas on this. Still any expects as to what in an almond would affect stomach acid, or body PH?

tfraz

July 19th, 2009
11:38 am

Sorry upside down and backwards, you know what I mean. This Joe guy got me this AM. How sorry can a Newspaper get? I have my answer.

nick

August 7th, 2009
5:35 pm

Almonds are basic (pH) and thereby neutralize the gastric acids.

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