Acid Reflux Holistic Treatment

Q: my recent diagnosis of Crohn's came after four years of pain that doctor's told me was hyper acidity or acid reflux (and said I should just learn to live with). Acid blockers didn't stop the pain but for some reason I started munching on Altoids and they worked! My doctors said peppermint was a natural antacid and I figured that was what it was and then forgot about it when I finally connected with doctors who figured out all the real problems (Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis and Crohn's). But now, here some of you are, talking about the efficacy of peppermint in dealing with the pain. As I reach for my Altoids, can any of you educate me on why peppermint seems to work? Knowledge truly is power and with this group, knowledge gives us the power to take back control of our own bodies! Can anyone give me some more information about this please?

A:I can't answer "why" peppermint works for some kinds of intestinal problems. What I can tell

you is that in the early 80's I ran across it in a book called "Chinese Herbology." In that book, peppermint is listed as a natural treatment for all sorts of intestinal disorders, with a warning. As Deb mentioned, it can make acid reflux/GERD/heital hernia problems worse. I find the benefit to my colon spasms outweighs the negative to the acid reflux. I SUSPECT (don't know) that the connection is chemical and has to do with adding necessary ingredients to a damages intestinal tract that it may be missing. There is far too little research as to why herbal remedies prove efficacious in treating many symptoms. Perhaps this is a Western medicine (read drug manufacturers) bias?