Post by @mollypelletier.rd

A few bites in and you are already clearing your throat, coughing, or feeling like something is caught back there? Read this one. Coughing and throat clearing right after eating is very often reflux, just without the burn. This is silent reflux, or LPR (laryngopharyngeal reflux). Refluxate travels up to your larynx, and pepsin, the enzyme that rides along, keeps irritating that delicate tissue even with very little acid present. The first four things I reach for: A short low-acid break. A reset, not a permanent rule. For about two weeks we pull back the most acidic, tissue-irritating foods so your larynx can settle. Layer in Mealtime Mindfulness: chew to an applesauce consistency, eat without screens, and set the fork down between bites, since chewing drives a large share of your digestive juice production. An alginate raft after eating. Reflux Raft (a raft I recommend) floats on top of your stomach contents and forms a physical barrier, so less travels back up toward your throat, particularly after meals and overnight. In a meta-analysis of 14 randomized trials (Leiman et al., 2017, Diseases of the Esophagus, N=2,095), alginates raised the odds of symptom resolution compared with placebo or antacids (OR 4.42). The one I use is linked in my bio. Nervous system support. Your vagus nerve coordinates digestion and the muscles guarding your airway, so a dysregulated nervous system leaves your throat more reactive. My go-to is the LES Lock: 1 to 5 minutes of diaphragmatic breathing with 360 ribcage expansion immediately after meals, up to 5x daily. It supports your lower esophageal sphincter and rest and digest. Something soothing for the tissue. Slippery elm and DGL (deglycyrrhizinated licorice) are mucilaginous herbs that coat and soothe irritated tissue, which is why @Sequoia Soothe is built around slippery elm (1000mg) and DGL: to soothe irritation and support esophageal comfort while we address the root contributors. Head to the link in my bio to learn more. Follow for more, and send this to the friend who keeps blaming it on allergies. #LPR #SilentReflux #AcidReflux #GERD #GutHealth