Post by @mollypelletier.rd

What I wish I'd known after a "nothing of note" endoscopy: A normal scope is common with real reflux. Endoscopy looks for visible damage, and 50 to 75% of people with reflux symptoms have a normal one. A scope shows the lining, not the reflux itself. Ambulatory pH testing tracks reflux over 24 hours or more and is the more sensitive test, so it's worth asking your GI about if symptoms continue. A PPI only turns down acid. It does nothing about why reflux is happening: a valve that relaxes at the wrong times, a hiatal hernia, a nervous system stuck in stress mode, and how and when you eat. Keep taking it as prescribed while you work on the rest. The barrier can be trained. In a small randomized trial of people with this kind of reflux, 4 weeks of diaphragmatic breathing cut the time the esophagus spent in acid from about 9% to under 5%. Breathe low and let your rib cage expand 360 degrees: front, sides, and back. My free Reflux Revolution Guide is in my bio if you want to start on the rest. 📚 Monés, 2005, Drugs, review, PMID: 16335856. Richter, 2007, Best Pract Res Clin Gastroenterol, review, PMID: 17643904. Eherer et al., 2012, Am J Gastroenterol, randomized controlled trial, n=19, PMID: 22146488. #acidreflux #GERD #endoscopy #refluxtok #refluxdietitian