Alkaline Water Acid Reflux Cure
Find Out How Alkaline Water can Treat Acid Reflux
Acid reflux occurs when food and acid from the stomach flows up the oesophagus (the tube that carries food, liquids and saliva from your mouth to the stomach). The symptoms can cause considerable discomfort. If left unattended over long-term exposure, stomach acids can contribute to deterioration of the oesophageal lining.
During acute symptoms, one can drink a few swallows of water to wash the acids down the oesophagus back into the stomach. But be careful not to drink too much water. Increasing the volume of content in the stomach may cause further reflux.
For chronic acid reflux, doctors will prescribe antacids but this often comes with side effects. As such, some doctors may recommend alkaline water to neutralize stomach acids and maintain a balance between acidity and alkalinity.
Below is a study (Potential Benefits of pH 8.8 Alkaline Drinking Water as an Adjunct in the Treatment of Reflux Disease) by Jamie A. Koufman, MD; Nikki Johnston, PhD
Objectives: At the cellular level, tissue-bound pepsin is fundamental to the pathophysiologic mechanism of reflux disease, and although the thresholds for laryngeal damage in laryngopharyngeal reflux and for oesophageal damage in gastroesophageal reflux disease differ, both forms of damage are due to pepsin, which requires acid for its activation. In addition, human pepsin remains stable at pH 7.4 and may be reactivated by hydrogen ions from any source. Thus, most tap and bottled waters (typically pH 6.7 to 7.4) would not be expected to affect pepsin stability. The purposes of these in vitro studies were to investigate whether artesian well water containing natural bicarbonate (pH 8.8) might irreversibly denature (inactivate) human pepsin, and to establish its potential acid-buffering capacity.
Methods: Laboratory studies were performed to determine whether human pepsin was inactivated by pH 8.8 alkaline water. In addition, the buffering capacity of the alkaline water was measured and compared to that of the two most popular commercially available bottled waters.
Results: The pH 8.8 alkaline water irreversibly inactivated human pepsin (in vitro), and its hydrochloric acid–buffering capacity far exceeded that of the conventional-pH waters.
Conclusions: Unlike conventional drinking water, pH 8.8 alkaline water instantly denatures pepsin, rendering it permanently inactive. In addition, it has excellent acid-buffering capacity. Thus, the consumption of alkaline water may have therapeutic benefits for patients with reflux disease.