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From The Co-Editor’s Desk:
It truly has been awhile since we shared a sponsored post from Halfmile Fitness. I wish to share my story in hopes that it will be an inspiration to someone:
Our winter this year in New York was a record breaker due to the extreme cold temperatures and the snowstorms. I am normally a diehard when it comes to exercising outdoors all year long. However, due to the harsh winter, it would have been suicide. So I kept my workouts indoors, with the exception of going out to shovel or heading to the gym. This was very hard for me because I love taking the scenic route when I go jogging or walking. Our 1st major snowstorm started in November and then came other storms throughout the winter, with wind chills falling into the minus digits. Our arctic blast continued until around March. In counting, that added up to about 4 months. Talk about having cabin fever!
Around the end of February, I’ve noticed that I was always clearing my throat and my chest would wheeze every time I lay down for the night. The strangest thing is that I did not have a cough with it. This phase lasted for about two weeks. My initial thought was that it was a chest congestion. I decided to make my natural concoction of 3 fresh lemon juice added to a cup of hot water along with 1 to 2 cloves of crushed garlic, a little sea salts, and crushed pepper. This recipe may not be ideal for some people, but the results for me were almost instantaneous. I would drink 1 cup twice a day, morning and night. I also drink green & white tea twice a day, because of its antioxidant properties. These teas help the body’s immune system to fight off any illnesses. This definitely stopped the wheezing, but shortly afterward, I was experiencing reflux symptoms. The acid would make its way from my stomach into my chest and throat which was continuous throughout the day and got worse at night. The pain of it was so unbearable that the only way I was able to sleep was to prop my head and body up to a sitting position. I could not understand why this was happening since I rarely eat or drink anything which would trigger it. So I decided to go the Best Of Health Store in the city and purchased this natural ingredient. I would add it to my juicing regimen to protect my esophagus from being eaten alive, literally.
I made a beeline to my physician’s office to tell her what was happening and requested to have an endoscopy done. In the meantime, she wrote up a prescription for omeprazole for me to take every 12 hours. After a week and a half from taking the medication, my reflux symptoms did not subside, neither did the pain of having my food tube and throat eaten away.
I decided to pull out some books from my library after work to do some in-depth research into acid reflux and Gerd. I wanted to study its causes and effects. I saw that unhealthy lifestyle habits along with certain types foods and beverages are triggers. I looked up different prescription treatments, including omeprazole, along with the ingredients listed and their side effects. This research took me all day since I work nights, but I wanted answers. Then I ran across an interesting fact:
“In certain individuals, acid-reducing drugs can make GERD worse. These drugs reduce acid so radically that it stop the stomach from working properly, causing the common side effects of bloating, belching and lump in throat feeling. In turn, this can actually cause acid reflux and make the medication you were given for it, worse.”
This information shocked me so I went online to look up research articles which support the same theory.
In my future blog, (My Story – Part 2), I will share what caused my reflux symptoms and how I finally managed to get it under control naturally. I would chew on these natural seeds each time before I drink or eat, which acts as a natural antacid without the side effects. This eliminates the need for taking antacids. My digestive tract was finally able to start healing with the use of raw honey and the use of another natural ingredient. I had switched temporarily from juicing to using different blends of smoothies that combined three of these same ingredients which tackled the reflux and inflammation directly. I will reveal what those are.
At Halfmile Fitness, we truly appreciate sharing information, guidance, and tips with our readers and subscribers. We thank you for your support! Until next time, take care….
