• heartburn
• nausea
• vomiting of undigested food
• an early feeling of fullness when eating
• weight loss
• abdominal bloating
• erratic blood glucose levels
• lack of appetite
• gastroesophageal reflux
• spasms of the stomach wall

• diabetes
• postviral syndromes
• anorexia nervosa
• surgery on the stomach or vagus nerve
• medications, particularly anticholinergics and narcotics (drugs that slow contractions in the intestine)
• gastroesophageal reflux disease (rarely)
• smooth muscle disorders such as amyloidosis and scleroderma
• nervous system diseases, including abdominal migraine and Parkinson's disease
• metabolic disorders, including hypothyroidism

• Barium x ray. After fasting for 12 hours, you will drink a thick liquid called barium, which coats the inside of the stomach, making it show up on the x ray. Normally, the stomach will be empty of all food after 12 hours of fasting. If the x ray shows food in the stomach, gastroparesis is likely. If the x ray shows an empty stomach but the doctor still suspects that you have delayed emptying, you may need to repeat the test another day. On any one day, a person with gastroparesis may digest a meal normally, giving a falsely normal test result. If you have diabetes, your doctor may have special instructions about fasting.
  
  
• Barium beefsteak meal. You will eat a meal that contains barium, thus allowing the radiologist to watch your stomach as it digests the meal. The amount of time it takes for the barium meal to be digested and leave the stomach gives the doctor an idea of how well the stomach is working. This test can help detect emptying problems that do not show up on the liquid barium x ray. In fact, people who have diabetes-related gastroparesis often digest fluid normally, so the barium beefsteak meal can be more useful.
  
  
• Radioisotope gastric-emptying scan. You will eat food that contains a radioisotope, a slightly radioactive substance that will show up on the scan. The dose of radiation from the radioisotope is small and not dangerous. After eating, you will lie under a machine that detects the radioisotope and shows an image of the food in the stomach and how quickly it leaves the stomach. Gastroparesis is diagnosed if more than half of the food remains in the stomach after 2 hours.
  
  
• Gastric manometry. This test measures electrical and muscular activity in the stomach. The doctor passes a thin tube down the throat into the stomach. The tube contains a wire that takes measurements of the stomach's electrical and muscular activity as it digests liquids and solid food. The measurements show how the stomach is working and whether there is any delay in digestion.
  
  
• Blood tests. The doctor may also order laboratory tests to check blood counts and to measure chemical and electrolyte levels.

• Upper endoscopy. After giving you a sedative, the doctor passes a long, thin tube called an endoscope through the mouth and gently guides it down the esophagus into the stomach. Through the endoscope, the doctor can look at the lining of the stomach to check for any abnormalities.
  
  
• Ultrasound. To rule out gallbladder disease or pancreatitis as a source of the problem, you may have an ultrasound test, which uses harmless sound waves to outline and define the shape of the gallbladder and pancreas.

Treatment

The primary treatment goal for gastroparesis related to diabetes is to regain control of blood glucose levels. The best treatment is to use a superior nutritional wellness protocol such as the Super Meal Model Diet for Diabetics.

http://www.gicare.com/diets/Gastroparesis.aspx

Other treatments include insulin, oral medications, and, in severe cases, feeding tubes and intravenous feeding.

It is important to note that in most cases treatment does not cure gastroparesis -- it is usually a chronic condition. Treatment helps you manage the condition so that you can be as healthy and comfortable as possible.

Insulin for blood glucose control

If you have gastroparesis and you are on insulin, your food is being absorbed more slowly and at unpredictable times. To better control blood glucose, levels your doctor may recommend that you:

• take insulin more often
• take your insulin after you eat instead of before
• check your blood glucose levels frequently after you eat and administer insulin whenever necessary

Your doctor will give you specific instructions based on your particular needs.

Medication for Gastroparesis

Several drugs are used to treat gastroparesis. Your doctor may try different drugs or combinations of drugs to find the most effective treatment.

• Metoclopramide (Reglan). This drug stimulates stomach muscle contractions to help empty food. It also helps reduce nausea and vomiting. Metoclopramide is taken 20 to 30 minutes before meals and at bedtime. Side effects of this drug are fatigue, sleepiness, and sometimes depression, anxiety, and problems with physical movement.
  
  
• Erythromycin. This antibiotic also improves stomach emptying. It works by increasing the contractions that move food through the stomach. Side effects are nausea, vomiting, and abdominal cramps.
  
  
• Domperidone. The Food and Drug Administration is reviewing domperidone, which has been used elsewhere in the world to treat gastroparesis. It is a promotility agent like metoclopramide. Domperidone also helps with nausea.
  
  
• Other medications. Other medications may be used to treat symptoms and problems related to gastroparesis. For example, an antiemetic can help with nausea and vomiting. Antibiotics will clear up a bacterial infection. If you have a bezoar, the doctor may use an endoscope to inject medication that will dissolve it.

Hope Through Research on Gastroparesis

NIDDK's Division of Digestive Diseases and Nutrition supports basic and clinical research into gastrointestinal motility disorders, including gastroparesis. Among other areas, researchers are studying whether experimental medications can relieve or reduce symptoms of gastroparesis, such as bloating, abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting, or shorten the time needed by the stomach to empty its contents following a standard meal.

Points to Remember about Gastroparesis

• Control your blood glucose levels to prevent gastroparesis.
• Gastroparesis may occur in people with type 1 diabetes or type 2 diabetes.
• Gastroparesis is the result of damage to the vagus nerve, which controls the movement of food through the digestive system. Instead of the food moving through the digestive tract normally, it is retained in the stomach.
• The vagus nerve becomes damaged after years of poor blood glucose control, resulting in gastroparesis. In turn, gastroparesis contributes to poor blood glucose control.
• Symptoms of gastroparesis include early fullness, nausea, vomiting, and weight loss.
• Gastroparesis is diagnosed through tests such as x rays, manometry, and scanning.
• Treatments include changes in when and what you eat, changes in insulin type and timing of injections, oral medications, a jejunostomy, parenteral nutrition, gastric pacemakers, or botulinum toxin.
• Keep a daily journal of what you're eating. This will be very important in helpiing to
  determine which foods you need to avoid.
• Get the Death to Diabetes ebook for more specific details about treating gastroparesis naturally (without drugs).
• Note: You should follow a more strict version of an alkaline-based diet such as the Super Meal Model Diet for Diabetics, as explained in the Wellness Protocols chapter of the Death to Diabetes ebook -- specifically the  chapter subsection that discusses  neuropathy.
• Eat more nutritious liquid meals that can pass through the stomach more easily and quickly, i.e. raw juices, smoothies. Get the Power of Juicing  & Smoothies ebook to help you.
• Use wholefood supplements such as aloe vera and ginger to help support the health of the gastrointestinal system.
• Note: To ensure that you are taking quality supplements, you may want to get the Nutritional Supplements ebook.

Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), or acid reflux for short, is injury to the esophagus that develops from chronic exposure of the esophagus to acid coming up from the stomach (reflux). In contrast, heartburn is the symptom of acid in the esophagus, characterized by a burning discomfort behind the breastbone (sternum).

Findings in GERD include esophagitis (reflux esophagitis) - inflammatory changes in the esophageal lining (mucosa), strictures, difficulty swallowing (dysphagia) and
chronic chest pain. Patients may have only one of those findings. Atypical symptoms of GERD include cough, hoarseness, changes of the voice, and sinusitis. Complicatons of GERD include stricture formation, Barrett's esophagus, esophageal ulcers and possibly even esophageal cancer.

Gastroesophageal reflux is the return of the stomach's contents back up into the esophagus. In children, this reflux may be aspirated (sucked into the lungs) causing repeated bouts of pneumonia or asthma. In normal digestion, the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) opens to allow food to pass into the stomach and closes to prevent food and stomach juices from flowing back into the esophagus.

Gastroesophageal reflux occurs when the lower esophageal sphincter is weak or relaxes allowing the stomach contents to flow up into the esophagus. The degree of the reflux depends on the LES as well as the type and amount of fluid brought up from the stomach.

Gastroesophageal reflux disease or acid reflux disease is the back up of acid from the stomach into the esophagus. At the top of your stomach is a muscle called the lower esophageal sphincter (LES), which normally opens and closes allowing food to enter. It also prevents the acid in your stomach from getting out.

With GERD the LES opens inappropriately, allowing acid from the stomach to get into the esophagus. Consequently, acid reflux disease is a clinical condition that occurs when the reflux of stomach acid into the esophagus. Acid and enzymes reflux when the lower esophageal sphincter, the ring-shaped muscle that normally prevents the contents of the stomach from flowing back into the esophagus, is not functioning properly.

When a person is standing or sitting, gravity helps to prevent the reflux of stomach contents into the esophagus. This explains why reflux can worsen when a person is lying down.

Smoking and certain foods, such as chocolate, interfere with the sphincter muscle, making reflux more likely. Reflux is also more likely to occur soon after meals, when the volume and acidity of contents in the stomach are higher. Alcohol and coffee also stimulate acid production. Delayed emptying of the stomach (for example, due to diabetes or use of opioids) can also worsen reflux.

Occasional heartburn is common but does not necessarily mean one has GERD. Heartburn is a burning pain in the center of your chest, behind your breastbone. It often starts in the upper abdomen and spreads up into the neck. It usually starts about 30-60 minutes after eating and can last as long as 2 hours. Lying down or bending over can bring on heartburn or make it worse. It is sometimes referred to as acid indigestion. Not everyone with GERD has heartburn.

Patients that have heartburn symptoms more than once a week are at risk of developing GERD. A hiatal hernia is usually asymptomatic, but the presence of a hiatal hernia is a risk factor for development of GERD.

Foods to avoid
If you suffer from heartburn or acid reflux, there are certain foods that you should avoid that can hinder the proper function of the stomach valve. These foods include the following:

• Foods that are high in acid, including orange juice, tomato juice, tomatoes and lemons
• Raw onions, garlic
• Chicken nuggets
• Ice cream
• Smoking
• Alcohol
• Fast foods, processed foods

The sphincter muscle sometimes receives mixed messages from your stomach due to these foods: it will sometimes sense the acid in the esophagus and open thinking you are in the process of eating. Sometimes when performing activities during a highly acidic meal your stomach valve will open voluntarily, when in fact, you have finished your meal and what it is sensing is the acid working its way back up to the esophagus.

If you want to reduce your problems with heartburn and strengthen your sphincter muscle you should be eating food such as the following:

• Fresh apples or bananas
• Green vegetables
• Unsalted almonds, unsalted soda biscuits
• Egg whites, fish (not fried)
• Rice; brown or white

This is just a short list of foods that will help to reduce your risk of heartburn and keep that sphincter muscle working properly.

Another condition that can trigger excess production of acid occurs when your pancreas is not secreting enough digestive enzymes to break down your food, some small particles may get pass the stomach, and send a signal to your brain indicating that your stomach needs to produce more acid.

Exercises to tighten the stomach valve
Before talking about exercises we need to discuss a couple of the risk factors for a stomach valve that is not working properly. First you must maintain a healthy weight, second; you should quit smoking and third, you must lower the amount of spicy food intake.

Now that we have discussed the risk factors, here is the best exercise to improve your sphincter muscle health:

In the standing position- take in a deep breath through your nose and try to hold it for 5 seconds then exhale through your mouth very slowly. Repeat this exercise several times a day. Not only will it help your heartburn, it will decrease added anxiety that is a base cause of heartburn and acid reflux.

The Drugs
The so-called "proton pump inhibitors" such as "Prilosec" and "Prevacid", and the H2 blocker agents such as "Zantac", "Pepcid" and "Tagament", are some of the worst drugs you could possibly take.

These drugs dramatically reduce the amount of hydrochloric acid you have in your stomach, thereby diminishing drastically your ability to digest your food properly. This reduction in the amount of stomach acid also reduces a very important defense mechanism against food-borne infections and increases your likelihood of food poisoning. Not digesting your food properly also increases your risks for nearly every other chronic degenerative disease. Two studies (2) with laboratory mice, conducted by Howard Hughes Medical Institute scientists at the University of Michigan Medical School, indicate that reducing the amount of hydrochloric acid you have in your stomach could be exactly the wrong thing to do.

Natural remedies for acid reflux
Drugs are not the answer in this case. Many of us may have forgotten that the drug "Propulsid" was often used for this acid reflux and subsequently pulled from the market a few years ago after causing many deaths.

What should one do to remedy acid reflux? Following a detoxification diet, drinking about 4 16-oz. glasses of filtered water daily along with high doses of quality probiotics and using a plant-based enzyme supplement goes a long way toward restoring normal stomach function for most people. Normally, you should try to drink enough water each day to keep your urine a light yellow shade. However, when you suffer from acid reflux, more water may be necessary to dilute the acid and normalize the pH in your stomach.

Also, many people find relief in the wormwood herb Artemisia asiatica. Another effective option, is garlic. Garlic is one food that you should be eating every day. It has a wonderful ability to optimize bowel flora and kill pathogenic organisms such as H. pylori. H. pylori is the only bacterial organism in the stomach that cannot be killed by hydrochloric acid.    

It's important to remember that the garlic must be fresh. You need to chew the garlic or crush it using a spoon before swallowing it, if you are not going to put it in your juice. If you swallow the cloves intact you will not convert the allicin in the garlic to its active ingredient.

Note: If you can't stand the taste of garlic, then, try aged raw garlic supplements.