Low-carb diet eased reader’s GERD

Q. I once suffered from gastroesophageal reflux disease and took Prilosec daily. Even so, I had severe heartburn, and often food got lodged in my esophagus, even after it was surgically stretched. I had a few other minor health problems, and I was a bit overweight, so I was ready to make some changes in hope of improving my life.

A friend suggested a low-carb diet. Though I expected little, I opted to try it. After three days, I realized that I had no heartburn, so I discontinued the Prilosec without ill effects. I’d tried to quit the drug before, but the heartburn had gotten worse after stopping it.

A short time later, I found I could swallow without choking. After years of suffering, my life was normal once again. It has now been a year, and I have lost 45 pounds. I’m still fine.

My message is simple: If you’re having heartburn, GERD or swallowing difficulties, ask your doctor if it would be OK for you to try a temporary low-carb diet. I strongly believe it will help many people.

A. Thanks for sharing your story. In one study, people on a carbohydrate-restricted diet had significantly less heartburn (Digestive Diseases and Sciences, August 2006).

We discuss other nondrug approaches to heartburn in our Guide to Digestive Disorders. Anyone who would like a copy, please send $2 in check or money order with a long (No. 10), stamped (63 cents), self-addressed envelope to: Graedons’ People’s Pharmacy, No. G-3, P.O. Box 52027, Durham, NC 27717-2027. It also can be downloaded for $2 from our Web site: www.peoplespharmacy.com.

Q. Can you confirm that drinking 3 quarts of lemonade daily may help prevent kidney stones?

A. Kidney stones form when calcium and oxalate in urine combine and make crystals. Making the urine less acidic can help cut this risk, and doctors may prescribe potassium citrate to lower urinary acidity.

People sometimes object, however, to taking a lot of potassium citrate pills. Investigators have reported that drinking 2 liters (just over 2 quarts) of lemonade daily worked nearly as well as potassium citrate tablets in changing urinary composition (Journal of Urology, September 1996).

Q. I just read your column in which a person with sinus problems advocates using a saline solution twice a day. I have been doing this for years when my sinuses start to act up. The only difference is I make my own saline with water and table salt.

A. One recipe for saline solution to wash nasal passages calls for 1/4 teaspoon salt to 8 ounces of water.

Q. I saw part of a news story on TV that said people who take Nexium (and similar drugs) for a year or more are at greater risk of bone-density loss and have more bone fractures.

I have been taking Nexium for heartburn for almost a year and a half. I have had a knee replacement and a total hip replacement. I did not get the details of who did the study and how. I want to ask my gastroenterologist if I can stop taking Nexium, but I would like to be able to give him some details. Can you supply them?

A. The research was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (Dec. 27, 2006). The scientists compared more than 13,000 cases of hip fracture to some 135,000 matched control patients in the United Kingdom.

They found that long-term use of drugs such as Aciphex (rabeprazole), Nexium (esomeprazole) or Prilosec (omeprazole) for more than a year increased the likelihood of hip fracture by more than 40 percent. Patients on high-dose heartburn medication were more than twice as likely to break a hip as those not taking such drugs. The investigators hypothesize that reducing stomach acid decreases calcium absorption and increases bone loss.