Beyond Acid: How Bile Reflux Fuels Barrett’s Esophagus

Barrett's esophagus is typically "blamed" on acid reflux and the solution offered is to take PPI medication. But that's not the whole story. ➡️ Click HERE to Book a Consultation: https://rootcausemedicalclinics.com/hiatal-hernia-natural-treatment/Call us directly: 727-335-0400Bile reflux can be more damaging to your esophagus, proven by research.Some basic information before we dive in: Barrett's esophagus occurs after many years of reflux, acid and/or bile. It is diagnosed when the lower esophageal lining changes from its normal type of cells (squamous epithelium) to the types of cells seen in your stomach (columnar epithelium). The  concern is that these cells can become pre-cancerous and then cancerous and esophageal cancer is an awful cancer to have.The earlier you begin with reflux in life raises your risk for developing Barrett's. Additional risk factors are: reflux, obesity, smoking, male, caucasian, age and having a hiatal hernia. But bile reflux is one of the strongest independent factors, therefore the reason for this video.Symptoms of Barrett's includes: heartburn, regurgitation, chest pain, difficulty swallowing, or no symptoms.It's typically diagnosed during an endoscopy.Traditional treatment is PPIs, weight loss, smoking cessation and surgery.While a scary proposition to contemplate, the risk of esophageal cancer is about 5% but it is higher once the cells have become pre-cancerous. At the pre-cancerous stage there is a successful ablation surgery but the recurrence rate is about 10% per year so it's still advantageous to be addressing root cause issues.The exciting prospects for this condition is research that if the cause of reflux is addressed, healing/stabilizing and a potential for reverting to normal tissue can occur.That's certainly something we see often with hiatal hernia and reflux. When you get to the root cause of what's causing the reflux, the esophagus has the potential to heal. SolutionsAddress "drivers" of bile and acid reflux including hiatal hernia, weight reduction, neutralizing bile acids (alginates are helpful), shift bill acid composition to a less toxic state with things such as taurine/glycine, milk thistle. Note: I am not diagnosing nor treating you. You will need to find a  clinician to work with you.For hiatal hernia utiizing diaphragmatic breathing and stabilizing the vagus nerve are important while normalizing microbiome diversity.Protect the esophagus and stomach lining with natural agents such as DGL, aloe vera and zinc. Avoid late night eating, ultra-processed foods, sugar and alcohol.If you'd like help we're here for you. The best next step is to contact us for a consultation and then we can determine if what we do is a good fit for you. Call 727-335-0400.#guthealth #acidreflux #hiatalhernia  References:Katerina Dvorak, et al., "Bile acids in combination with low pH induce oxidative stress and oxidative DNA damage: relevance to the pathogenesis of Barrett’s oesophagus"  Gut 2007Bhaskar Banerjee, et al. "Clinical study of ursodeoxycholic acid in Barrett’s esophagus patients". Cancer Prevention Research2016 (July issue)Shaheen NJ et al. ACG Clinical Guideline: Diagnosis and Management of Barrett’s Esophagus. Am J Gastroenterol. 2022.Andrici J, Eslick GD. Hiatal hernia and the risk of Barrett’s esophagus. J Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2013. Wiley Online LibraryEusebi LH et al. Risk factors for Barrett’s oesophagus in individuals with reflux symptoms. Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2021. White Rose Research OnlineOrman ES, Shaheen NJ. Efficacy and durability of radiofrequency ablation for Barrett’s esophagus. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2013. mgh-ita.orgWani S et al. Recurrence after complete eradication peaks around 18 months. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol