Digestive Disorders Community

I was just reading IBS for Dummies and learned about DGL licorice so of course, I googled it to learn some more. Thanks for your posts; I like the one about how you can get capsules at GNC so that you don't have to taste it. I have never really liked the taste of black licorice. At any rate, I wanted to add my two cents. I am a pediatric, pulmonary nurse, and studying to become a Family Nurse Practitioner. I learned on my former unit how closely the gut system and respiratory system were related. Often times, because an infant or young child had bad reflux or GERD, they would develop pneumonia. So, in patient teaching, I would stress to the parents to get their child's reflux under control with the prescribed medications and simple things like keeping the child upright during feeding, burping an infant frequently and keeping their head of be elevated about 30 degrees and keeping the child upright in that position for at least 30 minutes after a feeding to keep the food in the stomach due to gravity. There were more interventions like thickening the formula, but the point that I want to make is that as adults we too can elevate our head of bed by 4 to 6 inches to allow gravity to keep food contents down in the stomach and not to reflux back up the esophagus. At Bed, Bath & Beyond, I purchased solid wooden bed lifts that lift the head of the bed nicely. When you are in bed, it is only slightly noticeable that it is elevated, but it helps with controlling reflux. Additionally, remember not to eat about three hours before going to bed to keep contents in the stomach at a lower level than a full stomach. I also learned this past semester that eating after dinner mints or mints in general relax the esophageal sphincter and thus promotes reflux--so pass on the mints!
I will give the DGL licorice a try and stop the daily Zantac and see if it works. I can only hope.