GERD gum

I had previously posted an article on the positive effects of chewing gum to treat GERD symptoms.  Here is the actual article from Lifehacker ( http://lifehacker.com/#!5733479/kill-heartburn-with-chewing-gum)  Since this article I have conducted an unscientific experiment myself using chewing gum as a "self-treatment" routine for GERD relief during the day.  After approximately four weeks of experimenting I am convinced that my own experience is one of improvement in the GERD symptoms of a continual burning in the esophagus.

The gum of choice for me is Orbit Wintermint gum, which is sugarfree and available at any supermarket checkout counter.  I take a normal piece and break it in half and keep it in my mouth for 1-2 hours, especially during long meetings or tedious tasks.  I have found that the wintermint flavor offsets any burning sensation in the esophagus and gives a continual cooling sensation in my throat and mouth.  It really does work!  I believe that it does effectively help to flush stomach fluids out of the esophagus and replace with excess saliva caused by the gum and the associated flavor.  Works for me!  The Orbit brand also seems to maintain its flavor longer than other brands I have tried.

So, here's what I do.  I keep several pieces of this gum in my pocket.  Two pieces usually provide enough to last all day.  I break one piece in half and can get about 2 hours out of 1/2 piece.  One pack of Orbit gum contains 14 pieces, so using 2 pieces per day could conceivably make the pack last for a week.  You can usually pick up a pack at the checkout counter for 75-99 cents, depending on the store.