What is silent reflux or Laryngopharyngeal Reflux and how a Low Acid Diet helps

What is silent reflux?

Larynx-silent-refluxWhat is silent reflux or laryngopharyngeal reflux? By definition it means back-flow to the larynx or in other words to your voice box. For about 3 months solid this past winter I had this nagging dry cough that felt like a tickle in my throat that bothered me to no end. It was until last month I cured myself of it by implementing intermittent fasting and a low acid diet. Another common name for this condition is called silent reflux. Before I discovered I had silent reflux I didn’t even know it but I sure felt the nagging symptoms! Having a dry cough is just one of the symptoms of  laryngopharyngeal reflux that I found out later. I went to an ENT doctor, described my conditions and he wasn’t able to pin the problem which was surprising, especially for a specialist doctor. Anyway, after doing some research I learned that the acid in my stomach was making its way up to my voice box causing the slight nagging cough along with me having to clear my through 4-10 times a day. Dr Oz shares some excellent info about this condition and what to do about it here.

Image source:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Larynx_endo_2.jpg

Recent studies on silent reflux and low acid diet treatment:

I wish I would have come across this study a when I started experienced symptoms of silent reflux but I didn’t so here it is for you. This is a recent study that I found on PubMed talks about the astounding benefits of following a Low Acid Diet and it was used to help treat 20 people with LPR or Laryngopharyngeal Reflux – Silet Reflux. Here’s the source and the summary of it:

” The reflux symptom index (RSI) score and the reflux finding score (RFS) were determined before and after implementation of the low-acid diet, in which all foods and beverages at less than pH 5 were eliminated for a minimum 2-week period. The subjects were individually counseled, and a printed list of acceptable foods and beverages was provided.
RESULTS:

There were 12 male and 8 female study subjects with a mean age of 54.3 years (range, 24 to 72 years). The symptoms in 19 of the 20 subjects (95%) improved, and 3 subjects became completely asymptomatic. The mean pre-diet RSI score was 14.9, and the mean post-diet RSI score was 8.6 (p = 0.020). The mean pre-diet RFS was 12.0, and the mean post-diet RFS was 8.3 (p < 0.001).
CONCLUSIONS:

A strict low-acid diet appears to have beneficial effects on the symptoms and findings of recalcitrant (PPI-resistant) LPR. Further study is needed to assess the optimal duration of dietary acid restriction and to assess the potential role of a low-acid diet as a primary treatment for LPR. This study has implications for understanding the pathogenesis, cell biology, and epidemiology of reflux disease.”  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21675582




My Story about following a Low Acid Diet and Intermittent Fasting:

I’ve known about a low acid diet for quite some time now, but sometimes it takes a rude awakening like getting silent reflux to get you back on track to following sound nutrition principles. What I personally did and currently do to rid myself of LPR is the following:

  • Fast once a week for 8-24 hrs drinking only water, sometimes with a lemon in it. This method a lot of times is commonly called intermittent fasting. Read my post here on the health benefits of fasting
  • Plan my diet to have at least 70% low acid foods each day. (see the below chart for a list of low acid foods)
  • Eat a big healthy salad full of dark leafy greens 2-3 times a week.
  • I started skipping breakfast for 2 weeks but now I take a nutritional smoothie with me on my way to work and drink that. My favorite is this nutritional smoothie
  • Lunch and dinner I eat smaller portions of food but focus a greater deal on nutritional content instead of quantity.
  • I have stopped eating late at night.
  • Take a daily probiotic capsule or high probiotic food such as kefir or sauerkraut
  • I avoid about 97% of all junk food, refined flour products, no soda pop at all, and high acidic foods. Once in a while I do have kefir ice cream instead of regular ice cream and scarf down some dark chocolate almonds, but other than that I stick to the plan above.
  • Exercise quite vigerously 3-4 times a week. Cardio and weigh lifting. I sit alot at my job and before I got LPR or silent reflux I was completely slacking in my exercise regimen each week.

More info about a Low Acid Diet

A low acid diet comprises of eating foods that turn alkaline in the body. One of the diet goals I aim for during each day is to reach the 70/30 rule where 70% of my diet comprises of alkaline foods and 30% acidic. The follow website has a great list of alkaline and acid foods that I refer to that you can check out and plan your diet accordingly.  A high acid diet is of course the opposite. You may be wondering like I was what are some of the best low acid foods to eat and in comparison what are some of the worst high acid foods to stay away from.

http://www.rense.com/1.mpicons/acidalka.htm

http://www.angelfire.com/az/sthurston/acid_alkaline_foods_list.html

Image source: Larynx[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

5 thoughts on “What is silent reflux or Laryngopharyngeal Reflux and how a Low Acid Diet helps

  1. Roberto says:

    Hi there would you mind stating which blog platform you’re working with? I’m going to start my own blog in the near future but I’m having a difficult time choosing between BlogEngine/Wordpress/B2evolution and Drupal. The reason I ask is because your design and style seems different then most blogs and I’m looking
    for something unique. P.S My apologies for getting off-topic but I had to
    ask!

    • tjessee says:

      Hi Roberto. I use WordPress for this site and all my other sites as well, it’s by far the best website and blog builder and system out there. I mentor hundreds of students each month on this very subject and how to make money on the internet. If you’d like me to walk you through on getting your own site up and running on WordPress I can offer you a free one on one walk through. Give me a call or text me your number at 801-709-1655 and we can arrange a time. take care!

  2. Kristina says:

    This is very interesting. I’ve been told by 2 doctors, and read everywhere online about the certain diet to eat with LPR, and none of it seems to be working, even with a PPI and an H2 blocker. However, the diet is much different than the foods listed on the alkalizing foods list. Has following this list improved your symptoms, compared to eating a diet that they suggest for LPR (such as no tomatoes or citrus foods)?

    • prosperfi says:

      Thanks for the comment Kristina. I still eat oranges and use lemon and lime quite a bit. I follow the low acid food list there pretty closely.

    • Thomas Lee says:

      Yes, LPR can be a difficult condition. Please take a look at my recent Amazon ebook, All About LPR: The Silent Reflux Story. I wrote it to help people diagnosed with this problem to see what the medical profession is saying about it, and to help prepare people to discuss this condition with their health care providers to maximize their care and treatment. I update the book frequently as new info comes out at allaboutlpr.tumblr.com. Hope it helps!

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