Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and Yoga

Yoga Discussion General Yoga
#1

Does anybody have any thoughts about the use of yoga to treat or manage [B]Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease[/B] (GERD).

My initial thoughts were towards shatkarmas such as [B]Kunjal Kriya[/B] and [B]Shankhaprakshalana[/B]. I have read that these can help reduce acidity in the digestive tract, but not seen any specific mention of GERD in any texts (or contra-indications against using these techniques).

Any other recommendations - specific yoga asanas, or sequences that might be beneficial? things to avoid? further reading?

#2

Treat and manage in a person already practicing or treat and manage in a raw beginner who’s got no practice whatsoever?

#3

Thanks for your reply.

This person has no previous yoga experience. She has also suffered from ME in the past and so tends to have very low energy levels (but in general she looks fit and healthy).

She’s been visiting doctors for a while now and has been through all the standard treatments: antibiotics for H.Pylori infection, Proton Pump Inhibitors, antacids, etc, with little result. Now there’s the prospect of surgery on the horizon, which she’s not keen on having, so she’s asked me about possible yoga solutions. I’ve done shatkarmas many times over the years and rate them highly, but for me they have always been used as a prophylactic rather than as a cure for a serious condition.

If you have any information about the use of yoga and shatkarmas for GERD treatment, I would appreciate your feedback.

#4

Oh, I just searched the forums here for GERD and quite a few threads came up with relevant information. However, these were mostly discussing dietary issues and I could not find anything about the use of shatkarmas.

My friend has already done a lot of experimenting with dietary changes and is currently on a very restricted diet, with limited results.

The condition may well have been brought on by stress - it started when her mother became ill.

That’s another reason I thought the shatkarmas might be good; in my experience they do help to relieve any stresses that may be being carried by the digestive organs, as well as performing their other more direct cleansing actions.

#5

For a student that has no practice whatsoever in their body (asana) and has no background in yama and niyama (and how to apply same in their living) it may be best to begin with gentle practice. Further, it is the context we are trying to alter not the plumbing, though in some instances a mild cleanse is completely appropriate. In other words, to clean the pipes but not address the underlying inability or unwillingness to deal with the cause(s) will only be a band-aid not a healing.

Restorative asana (completely supported) along with gentle pranayama (viloma I) is where I’d begin as this will introduce the practice, set the stage for alignment, and foster a parasympathetic state in the central nervous system.

Diet is a huge matter and consists not only of what to avoid but what to eat. Since the person you mention has opted for antibiotics it would be hyper-critical to be taking a quality acidophilus source on a daily basis. Most people who’ve cycled through ABs wind up with overgrowth of candida and therefore the diet would lean toward removal of sugars and certain fermented items like soy and vinegar. In addition the stomach’s nature is acidic. This is the way it functions properly. So acid should not be removed from the stomach.

I personally would not be using cleansing methodologies from the HYP for a beginner.

#6

Thank you for your comments and advice.

I agree; in this case immediate use of salt water shatkarmas is perhaps hasty.

  1. Very gentle hatha yoga (pawanmuktasana series, vertical stretches, spinal twists, etc)
  2. Simple pranayama exercises
  3. Further diet analysis and support
  4. Further medical feedback
  5. Checking that yamas and niyamas are understood

The main contra-indications I can find for the salt water shatkarmas are: gastric and peptic ulcers, current use of medications, high blood pressure and hernias in the digestive system.

Non of these are necessarily present in a case of GERD, so it seems that these practices could be used. However:

  1. I would want them to show some commitment to and progress in basic asana and pranayama practice before considering doing the shatkarmas.
  2. I would want the person to discus these procedures with a doctor first and to get a (written) OK to proceed before doing them.
  3. If they are currently taking medicines, they should finish up their prescription first.

Any further comments, advice or warnings would be welcome.

#7

You’re welcome.