Considering GERD Surgery? Better Read This…
Pharmaceutical companies and surgeons have one big thing in common. They don’t get paid unless they can convince you that you need what they’re selling:
Drugs and surgery.
And they’ve done a bang-up job of convincing the millions of people with acid reflux that these are their only solutions.
First, they sell you the lie that stomach acid is to blame for acid reflux, and then sell you drugs to reduce the acid.
And then when those drugs don’t work, they sell you the idea that surgery is the only way to fix the problem.
Both are flat out lies.
A study published in JAMA found that nearly one-fifth of the surgeries for gastro esophageal reflux disease (GERD) are a complete failure.
This procedure, called laparoscopic anti-reflux surgery, involves creating an artificial valve mechanism between your esophagus and your stomach.
But when it’s all said and done, nearly 20 percent of patients who get this surgery end up right back on their acid reflux drugs – or they end up needing a second surgery.
This isn’t the first study to show these high recurrence rates—and some of the others showed that the rates could be even higher.
The one good thing I will say about this surgery is that it shows that the mainstream recognizes the true underlying cause of acid reflux: a loose esophageal sphincter.
This valve is the door that separates the stomach from the esophagus. It opens to allow food to pass through, but then it should stay shut. If that door doesn’t shut as tightly as it should, it allows stomach acid to flow up into the esophagus.
Those cells aren’t made to withstand acid, so it burns when they come in contact with stomach acid.
That is the true cause of heartburn and acid reflux – NOT too much stomach acid.
So the surgeons are on the right track: Fixing the sphincter IS the key to fixing heartburn. But you don’t need surgery to do it.
One of the main causes of a loose esophageal sphincter is a deficiency in magnesium. This mineral plays an important role in maintaining healthy muscles, and a magnesium deficiency can cause some or all of your muscles to be too tight or to spasm—including your lower esophageal sphincter.
Making matters worse, proton pump inhibitors are known for causing magnesium deficiency, which means they’re exacerbating one of the underlying causes of the condition.
If you’re suffering from GERD, and you’re thinking about surgery, talk to your doctor and try supplementing with magnesium first. Just be sure to use a chelated magnesium like magnesium glycinate, and take between 200 and 800 mg per day.
