Kicking the coffee habit

[dotpoom]

What is LPR ?

[Beats56]

The reson you get acid reflux especially after eating spice food like pepperoni pizza is because you don't have enough acid in the gut to digest the food. That is why apple cider vinegar works. The beer and pizza or other spicy food doesn’t

Help especially if you go to bed to early

[snowgard]

Heartburning start for me when I was 14years old. I used a lot of medicals to controll it but .... never something helped really.

Antacil was my favor tablets in thailand but now I use only OMEPRAXOL!!!

In 2007 I made my last endoscopy and my Doc said later that I had a unrepairable hiatus hernia. They can try to fix it but this never want really close again.

Him suggested me to use Omepraxol and now NO HEARTBURNING anymore. I take only 1-2 capsules weekly. Mostly before I eat heavy or spicy food.

You can buy Omepraxol in every pharmacy. Price for 14 capsule is 65-120 THB.

[theguyfromanotherforum]

It's Omeprazole and I get it at my pharmacy for 50 baht.

I take it twice a day lately, but it only helps 50%.

LPR is actually more difficult to treat than heartburn. I don't get any heartburn symptoms at all.

[Bill Miller]

What is LPR ?

This is one of the things that annoys the crap out of me.

This was answered no less than five times in two pages of this thread. Granted three of them were repeats by mistake I think, but still, the answer was given, and only three messages back from this particular post.

How bout reading the thread before posting questions or comments that are already dealt with?

[ignis]

Have taken Omeprazole [in white pack], but found they did not work well, little option if the Pharmacy runs out of what I normally take .. [same ? but different]

take 1 tablet every other day, and have done for passed 10 years.. cost 48 baht per strip [14 so 28 day supply]

the ones I took in UK [PARIET-20mg] cost over 1,000 baht here for 14 tablets, imported from Switzerland, so tried the Thai types to see what worked.

Edited January 6, 2016 by ignis

[Globalist]

Coffee is nowdays regarded as having health benefits overall, provided that it's quality coffee (a good espresso variant), and that it's taken in moderation.

I've had gastritis-type problems too, but quality espresso works just fine. So I'd suggest to first try drinking ONLY good espresso, ONLY one a day, and ONLY after food.

If that doesn't work, Matcha (Japanese "tea ceremony" tea), as some suggested, may be an option.

[Fairynuff]

Spicy food like pepperoni pizza?????? LOL

[Dan5]

I doubt that coffee has anything to do with it and it's definitely not a poison. Many studies have shown that in less than really excessive amounts it's good for your health. People who drink coffee live longer and are less likely to suffer depression. Other benefits, but those are the only benefits I can think of off hand.

[theguyfromanotherforum]

I doubt that coffee has anything to do with it and it's definitely not a poison. Many studies have shown that in less than really excessive amounts it's good for your health. People who drink coffee live longer and are less likely to suffer depression. Other benefits, but those are the only benefits I can think of off hand.

This is really sad.

Can you imagine someone who has the same condition in Thailand looks up this thread and reads nonsense like this?

I would ask Sheryl to delete irrelevant and simply wrong posts.

[bark]

Im no expert but I like it. It taste a bit more heavy than the expensive one I had. It is 100% green tea powder with no additives. The GF makes lattes with it and adds sugar. I wouldnt let her do that with the DoMatcha I had.........

You need to drink real green tea. Same way as the Chinese people. This means tea leafs( no powder).

Just go to supermarket, and buy the green tea leaves. Use microwavable cup filled with water. Cold water and microwave it; take out and add the tea leafs. Leave for 5 minutes then use a spoon to remove the leaves. Very very good for you.

[Bill Miller]

I doubt that coffee has anything to do with it and it's definitely not a poison. Many studies have shown that in less than really excessive amounts it's good for your health. People who drink coffee live longer and are less likely to suffer depression. Other benefits, but those are the only benefits I can think of off hand.

This is really sad.

Can you imagine someone who has the same condition in Thailand looks up this thread and reads nonsense like this?

I would ask Sheryl to delete irrelevant and simply wrong posts.

Hmm, I am a "freedom of speech" sort, but that applies to "edumaficating" those who err and stray as well. As I posted in another thread it would be well to read through previous posts before commenting.

Sheryl, who has chops as a medical sort, has already posted about the effects of caffeine on the condition, so full caff coffee very much does have an affect.

Otherwise I concur about coffee having benefits and not being (I hope) a poison. It is I think my only vegetable alkaloid indulgence anymore.

[connda]

Quit cold turkey, endure two days of headache, realize the craving is addiction, after about a week the craving will subside. Be glad you didn't pick up smoking. Nicotine is more addictive than heroin.

And if you need to get away from caffeine, don't replace your coffee with real tea. Is has caffeine. Drink herbal teas if you need to drink anything. Ginger tea is good.

Edited January 6, 2016 by connda

[theguyfromanotherforum]

Yeah.... Thanks. I drink chamomile and sometimes ginger although I am not sure if ginger is causing me problems too. I know that licorice is also supposed to be very good, but I have trouble finding it here. I was reading TV old threads where someone suggested mbk, but they don't stock it there anymore.

[smotherb]

Doesn't work and most teas are bad for lpr

And, tea is a poor substitute for coffee--not instant coffee, real coffee.

[rws85]

I'm not sure if will help your situation but I used to use Nexium when I had problem with stomach acid and it was great for me.

[Shaunduhpostman]

If coffee creates complications for your acid reflux, maybe it's not the best thing for you, but coffee is increasingly turing out to have many health benefits. I wouldn't just dismiss it is as some kind of addictive poison, though it is mildly addictive and probably mildly toxic if used all day long, 5-8 cups, like many do. There is one or more more studies I recently read that shows coffee increases performance on IQ tests. It has also been shown to help prevent alzheimer's and help with depression as well as help alleviate constipation. Like you, I really like how coffee makes me feel, more alert, less sluggish mentally, and more upbeat in my attitude. I have found that black or green Tea is really no substitute, there is more than just caffeine in coffee that affects the mind and body.

Acid reflux, if I am not mistaken, and I have some problems with it myself, though only on the average of about once a week (much worse in the past) is complex and related to one's diet as a whole as I have understood it, not just the result of a coffee habit. Eating 8 servings of fruit and vegetables, the recommended amount by the health authorities of most countries, if I am not mistaken, is a big challenge for most and is at least part of the reason I would guess many suffer from acid reflux: not enough alkaline fruits and veggies and too much acidifying dairy, grains and meats. In Thailand for example, outside of Bangkok, if you don't grow your own, you face poisonously chemicalized produce from the farmers and the retailers. I find it a challenge to find any acceptable fruits and vegetables at all out in Isaan on some shopping trips to town that I take. I have to have days where i don't eat any vegetables or fruits. Arsenic, something banned for decades in the west, is a staple weed killer and or bug killer here and everywhere in Asia. So the fact that much produce is from China doesn't help. God knows what gets into the produce via fertilizers which even Prayuth has complained farmers use excessively and indiscriminately. Toxic levels of arsenic in rice is a problem in every country on earth and it has many negative consquences to the point that some researchers in the US are recommending that people avoid eating rice more than three servings per week. Though there are some vegetables and fruits that don't require much if any pesticides such as guava, pineapple, mango, kiwi, cantaloupe and there are others, the info is out there on the net. Among the bad ones are tomatoes, apples, nectarines, potatoes, watermelon for which it is highly recommended you eat organic, not something available outside of a few major population centers in Thailand and even so, there is no credible regulation of what is called organic in Thai markets. There are many helpful sites on internet to help you avoid poisoning yourself in the process of trying to eat healthier.

I can only get down about about a pound of greens and a couple of fruit servings a day, but that has helped me to knock my reflux condition way down and feel better generally. I am glad that has helped so that I don't have to quit coffee which for me, in moderation, 1-2 cups a day, is actually a tonic that enhances health and life, not a poison.

[nemrut]

Start drinking watered down black tea, progress to green tea then ginger tea which great for the throat, stomach and digestion.

Despite industry paid studies proclaiming benefits of coffee, it contains high concentration of caffeine which is a drug many have become addicted to despite their denials.

May take a while to kick the habit but it can be done.

[ukrules]

Just stop drinking it and drink water instead, it's hardly a physical dependence if you're only drinking one cup a day.

You're choosing to make your problem worse.

[mankondang]

Thee are tests out that are saying coffee is actually good for you.I've been hearing good things about green tea.Do what you feel

Like.But your not going to,be living forever.I say enjoy life.Do what you want.

With due respect, the OP has and is following your advise. He has conducted the best test out there for him self, and on himself..he has been diagnosed LPR and found for himself that coffee increase this. Therefore, for him he has found that coffee is accually bad for him. His quality of life is being disrupted by all this, and whilst we all know that we won't live forever, he is doing his best to enhance the quality of life.

I had a sports injury 30 years ago, which left me with a hiatus hernia and LPR. Over the years I have found for myself tha what helps me, ist taking a PPI ( Omeprazol) at night, and in the morning as well when needed, along with limiting my intake of alcohol, caffien (coke inc), spicy foods, and by self descovery foods such as onions. It's been hard sometimes, as I like all of these, but they don't like me. I have found that observing and listening to my own body is the best test and remedy for what I consider to be a better quality of life.

Edited January 6, 2016 by mankondang

[MaeJoMTB]

Acid reflux, if I am not mistaken, and I have some problems with it myself, though only on the average of about once a week (much worse in the past) is complex and related to one's diet as a whole as I have understood it,

I would say it's a symptom of a generally unhealthy lifestyle.

Affecting people who are overweight, eat badly and never exercise.

I suffered for years as a victim of all three choices.

Eating bread, cheese or Coca cola (especially late at night) would invariably bring on an attack.

Now I exercise a lot, am the correct weight and no longer suffer at all.

I still eat badly.

Edited January 6, 2016 by MaeJoMTB

[mankondang]

Caffeine weakens the esophageal sphincter so will indeed make reflux worse. Tea (including matcha) will do the same, the problem is the caffeine.

I would start by mixing the coffee you usually drink with decaf, and gradually increase the ratio of decaf bit by bit until it is all decaf. If you take milk in your coffee, increasing the milk to coffee ratio would also help.

Sheryl, I agree with what you say in this and your other replies on this topic.

May I add that as we get older the esophageal sphincer gets weaker, (its the valve in your gullet that stops the food and acid in your stomach from coming back up and causing severe heartburn). Also as we age, hiatus hernia (a spit in the diaphragm), which is associated with this sphincer and heartburn, is more likely.

With respect to milk, that you mention, I have found using non-fat and soya milk helpful.

Age is not all gloom and doom, because as we get older, hopefully, we also get wiser and look after ourselves better.

[mankondang]

Caffeine weakens the esophageal sphincter so will indeed make reflux worse. Tea (including matcha) will do the same, the problem is the caffeine.

I would start by mixing the coffee you usually drink with decaf, and gradually increase the ratio of decaf bit by bit until it is all decaf. If you take milk in your coffee, increasing the milk to coffee ratio would also help.

Sheryl, I agree with what you say in this and your other replies on this topic.

May I add that as we get older the esophageal sphincer gets weaker, (its the valve in your gullet that stops the food and acid in your stomach from coming back up and causing severe heartburn). Also as we age, hiatus hernia (a spit in the diaphragm), which is associated with this sphincer and heartburn, is more likely.

With respect to milk, that you mention, I have found using non-fat and soya milk helpful.

Age is not all gloom and doom, because as we get older, hopefully, we also get wiser and look after ourselves better.

[theguyfromanotherforum]

Acid reflux, if I am not mistaken, and I have some problems with it myself, though only on the average of about once a week (much worse in the past) is complex and related to one's diet as a whole as I have understood it,

I would say it's a symptom of a generally unhealthy lifestyle.

Affecting people who are overweight, eat badly and never exercise.

I suffered for years as a victim of all three choices.

Eating bread, cheese or Coca cola (especially late at night) would invariably bring on an attack.

Now I exercise a lot, am the correct weight and no longer suffer at all.

I still eat badly.

You know.... I just love it when know it all blames everything on a bad diet

I am not unhealthy nor I eat bad stuff. Never drowned myself in alcohol or cigarettes. I am 87 kilos and 192cm.

I actually used to laugh at Thumbs commercial.... that's ok.... because I was arrogant like many posters here.

I actually got this problem after a flu in Japan. I was coughing for 2 months straight. After that I developed breathing problems. Doctors thought it was Asthma, but asthma meds were not helping. Someone suggested I get checked for reflux, but I have no heartburn. Finally went for an endoscopy which somewhat confirmed reflux. Anyway I have 90% of LPR symptoms.

Not drunk coffee yesterday and today. Feeling better. That is a fact. Now, I agree that pills are not a very good idea. Even my body is starting to act strange with digestion when taking acid stoppers for a few days. Have read that it has to do something with delayed gastric emptying. Not to mention the fact it may give me osteoporosis.

Anyway, I have to say I have read a lot of nonsense today and I am pretty irritated. I usually don't get like this on forums, but this is a health section.

[Sheryl]

..... Acid reflux, if I am not mistaken, and I have some problems with it myself, though only on the average of about once a week (much worse in the past) is complex and related to one's diet as a whole ...

Reflux is due to a weakening of the sphincter which tends to happen with age (and is worsened by caffeine intake) and also often to increased pressure on the stomach contents, which can be caused by hiatus hernia and/or obesity.

OP has a hiatal hernia.

Eating too large an amount at once, and especiallly before lying down, will worsen it/trigger reflux in susceptible people.

[lemonjelly]

Stay away from oily/fatty foods too, you probably know already that your stomach produces acid to emulsify the oil. Having less stomach acid in your belly is important for you

[humqdpf]

You really need to manage your stomach acids better. If you are allowed to take your PPI twice a day, take it up to an hour before each meal.

Coffee may not be the culprit. You might want to drink a better quality version or with milk - I find that a caffe late or cappuccino is best for me. Drinking the sludge that has been lying around for most of the day on the bottom of a heated pot would probably do anyone's stomach in.

There are benefits for drinking good quality coffee. It may improve your mood, your concentration and help to reduce your uric acid levels and your risk of a gout attack.

[kingstonkid]

theguyfromanotherforum

I know2 what you are saying. I love to sit and have a coffee and watch the world, I love coke and used to drink a couple a day.

I have stomach problems again from too much acid.

I have switched to water only diet. Yeah it sucks!

Once I have removed the desire for coffee I might buy a coffee a week but GF has been told not to give me coffee or buy coke.

That has solved my problem at home and with anywhere she knows I go.

Best of luck and hope that it gets better as it should once you stop hurting it.

[snowgard]

A friend of mine fixed his acid reflux problem with 3x daily a big cup of Kefir. But I don't know where you can buy it in Thailand.

His first drink in the morning is kefir and before eating.

Not my taste.

More infos: https://www.google.co.th/search?q=kefir+acid+reflux

Him still drink some cups of coffee every day.

Edited January 7, 2016 by snowgard

[KC 71]

I feel for you - coffee is my legal high

Tea just gives you a dry throat!