A brief summary of my journey to developing this program

My name is Robert Reiling; I have a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry, and worked in the municipal and industrial water treatment industry for over 5 years. I am educated and experienced in water and its constituents. I have a thorough understanding of what happens to water from the time it comes from the municipal source (lake, river, or aquifer), is treated, and sent to your home. I also have a thorough understanding of what happens to the water after it leaves the home, is treated, and returned to the environment.

I suffered for over 8 years with a horrible acid reflux condition. I have spent considerable time and energy looking for a solution to this problem which so interfered with my quality of life. I found the root cause of my acid reflux condition. However, more importantly, I have found that it is also the root cause of the acid reflux, heartburn, and GERD conditions in so many other people.

What I have discovered is that for many people, the root cause for their acid reflux problems can be traced to one component in their diet. With that, let me tell you about this journey to relief.

The Acid Reflux Condition

There must be a dozen or so different prescription purple pills on the market that inhibit the proton pumps in the stomach from over producing stomach acid. They help the acid reflux condition to one degree or another, but to be specific, they do not fix the root cause of the proton pumps overproducing; they just inhibit them. They address the symptom, not the root cause. So the questions become: Why are the proton pumps in sufferer’s stomachs overproducing? And how can they naturally be allowed to produce at a normal rate?

Let’s take a look at the general population of acid reflux sufferers. Like any other deformity of the human body, there are probably a few unfortunate people out there who are born with stomachs that are hardwired to over produce stomach acid, and therefore suffer from acid reflux. I don’t know what percentage of sufferers this represents, but I believe they are in the minority of sufferers of this condition. Additionally, the program I describe here will offer this minority a recognizable degree of relief.

I believe that there is a vast group of sufferers like I, whose root cause for their acid reflux condition is one single chemical culprit in their diet. I will discuss in detail this culprit, and how an acid reflux sufferer can completely eliminate this chemical from their diet and in doing so, overcome their suffering.

I believe there are also people who would fit squarely into the second group described above, with a simple exception. That is that they have an additional or several other additional triggers for the onset or increase of acid reflux in their specific case; i.e. a certain food, drink, or tobacco. I will address in this program how people, who find themselves in this situation, can also realize the same relief from acid reflux suffering in their lives.

Over a long period of time chronic acid reflux wears away the lower esophageal sphincter or LES, which is the valve which keeps stomach acid and its contents in the stomach, and mechanically prevents a normal amount of stomach acid from washing into the esophagus, and upper throat. When the LES becomes damaged beyond a certain degree from acid reflux, it is no longer capable of performing its function, and acid reflux will be experienced unless surgery is performed to repair the damage. Someone with this condition will not realize relief from my program, or if they do realize some degree of relief from it, it will not replace the benefits of surgical repair. Someone in this situation will, however, gain greater gastrointestinal health with this program after a proper surgical diagnosis, and surgery has been done by a qualified surgeon.

The message here is that there can be more than one cause for the acid reflux condition, and it is not uncommon for there to be more than one cause for it in any given person. Some of the causes affect the condition much more than others. My program creates awareness in the acid reflux sufferer such that they are more conscious of what they drink and eat. My program teaches the acid reflux sufferer how simple it is to rid themselves of the one root cause of acid reflux which is overwhelmingly the same major root cause for so many sufferers.

My program has helped, and will help, many people experience freedom from this terribly painful condition. However my program will not be a quick fix for every single person who implements it. The goal for my program is for you, and as many other people as possible, to be able to eliminate the chronic and very intense acid reflux pain you are living with.

Most importantly, it is common knowledge that if chronic acid reflux remains untreated long enough it can lead to the onset of cancer.

The “Purple Pills” or “Proton Pump Inhibitors” (PPIs)

So what value do the PPIs offer? What role can PPIs play in realizing complete and total recovery from the acid reflux condition? Is it possible to free yourself of the need for long term PPI prescription use?

The value that the right PPI prescription provides for an acid reflux sufferer can not be overemphasized. If the root cause for an individual acid reflux sufferer is the chemical additive I discuss in the following section, this individual will discover that removing the chemical additive intake from their diet will be followed by a progressively lessening need, and subsequent lack of the need for a PPI prescription. Remove the root cause; the system slowly returns to the natural state, and no more need for a proton pump inhibitor. This is exactly what I experienced over the course of one month, and many others have experienced over the course of one to two months. I believe that the right purple pill prescription is invaluable during the period that the stomach readjusts to its’ natural state.

Would you like some Gaseous Chlorine with your beverage?

This probably sounds like a pretty odd question for someone like your friend, spouse, or waiter to ask you. And if they did, what would you say? If your answer would be “No”, you’re on the right track. However, the majority of people in first world countries drink water treated with, and containing gaseous chlorine throughout the day, every day.

What is gaseous chlorine? Gaseous chlorine was discovered in 1774, and was first used on the battlefield during World War I. The German army used concentrated gaseous chlorine against the French army in the spring of 1915 at Ypres. I won’t go into any detail here on what the effects of concentrated gaseous chlorine does to the human body, but I will discuss what the less concentrated amounts of it do to the digestive systems of acid reflux sufferers.

Why is gaseous chlorine in your drinking water? The reason gaseous chlorine is introduced into drinking water before it comes to consumers’ homes, is because there are various forms of bacteria, and other tiny life forms living in the municipal water source; river, aquifer, or lake. These organisms cause sickness in people when they are ingested with the water they live in. Add gaseous chlorine into the water, and voilà! There is no longer any biological activity in the drinking water. There are other methods of purifying drinking water, but they are generally not economically feasible, and the result has been widespread use of gaseous chlorine to sterilize municipal drinking water. The level of free chlorine in drinking water is usually 1 to 3 parts per million; this enough to sterilize the water, and for most people to notice a chlorine or “swimming pool” type of smell in their tap water. Just go to your sink, fill a glass of water and smell it for yourself.

Is 1 to 3 parts per million of free chlorine enough to create the acid reflux condition in a person? The short and tongue-in-cheek answer is “Well, then you drink it!” The real answer is that, at these levels, the acid reflux condition can occur in some individuals with continual gaseous chlorine introduction into the human stomach. After all, whether you believe we evolved or we were created, the fact remains that our bodies are “Biology”. The chlorine is introduced into municipal water to kill small forms of biology, but it is supposed to be perfectly safe for us to drink on a constant and long-term basis? I do not believe so.

People have often told me that this shouldn’t be the cause of their acid reflux because they have an activated carbon water filter on their tap water drinking source. The answer to this is that an activated carbon water filter may not entirely solve the problem. Unfortunately the reasons for this are not simple, but understanding the chemistry of activated carbon water filters and chlorinated water is not necessary to become acid reflux free. For those of you who would like to skip an unnecessary chemistry lesson, please just skip the indented section. For those of you who would like a more in depth explanation of this, please read the indented section.

Activated carbon water filters: While it is true that activated carbon adsorbs gaseous chlorine from water, one must consider the fact that when gaseous chlorine is introduced into water, a reaction known as a Partial Dissociation Reaction occurs. This means that there is an equilibrium between gaseous chlorine, and the two partial dissociation products; Hypochlorite and the weak acid Hypochlorous acid in the water. Activated carbon adsorbs gaseous chlorine, and the partial dissociation product hypochlorite, however it does not adsorb or remove the hypochlorous acid. The remaining hypochlorous acid may very well be enough to cause an acid reflux reaction. The Free Chlorine test, or the Total Chlorine test any certified drinking water lab can easily perform will show positive for chlorine if hypochlorous acid is present in the water sample. Activated carbon is excellent for the adsorption of organics, and halogen containing organics due to the organic components of the impurities. However among all the impurities activated carbon adsorbs, the effective lifespan for the removal of gaseous chlorine, and hypochlorite are shortest, and these two species will break through first.

Activated carbon water filters can also be subject to channeling. Channeling is where a channel is cut through the substrate medium by the water flow, thereby allowing the water to flow through the channel bypassing the carbon medium and bypassing the active adsorption sites on the carbon. Hot water will destroy the effectiveness of the activated carbon water filter substrate. Having said that, there are many other excellent benefits to using activated carbon filters, but they simply must be installed properly, and cartridges changed frequently enough. Should you decide to try an activated carbon water filter I advocate that you buy a larger one (approximately 9.5 by 2.25 inches in size) that is on the cold water line of your sink only, and not the smaller faucet-mounted model. A faucet-mounted model has a very small filter cartridge, and a very limited contacted time with the water it is intended to purify. Also allow your drinking water to sit at room temperature long enough for any residual chlorine to evaporate. This can easily be checked with Free and Total Chlorine test strips like the ones available for purchase at Pollardwater.com.

Stomach acid production, and the introduction of gaseous chlorine into the stomach

The idea that there is a correlation between drinking chlorinated water and having acid reflux is simple.

Your stomach produces Hydrochloric acid, or HCl, to begin to digest the food you eat. Another name for the H+ in HCl is a Proton (the + indicates a positive charge on the Hydrogen ion, H). The proton pump inhibitors are designed to inhibit the proton pumps in the stomach because they are overproducing Protons, H+. The problem is that there is a mechanism which occurs when even the very small amounts of gaseous chlorine, Cl2 (aqueous) [Cl2 (gas) in water] found in tap water, is introduced into the stomachs of some individuals on a long term basis. This introduction stimulates the stomach to overproduce the acid, HCl.

Chlorine gas, Cl2 (gas), is a very powerful oxidizing agent. When given a choice i.e.; when exposed to organic molecules, Cl2 (gas) or Cl2 (aqueous) wants to chemically attack them, break them down, and in the process forms Halogen-based degradation products, which are less reactive. In the meantime, the organic molecules are reduced to rubble, or oxidized.

Chemistry got your head spinning? Here’s an analogy. Take a frying pan, and a chicken egg. The frying pan is analogous to the Cl2 (aqueous), and the chicken egg is a complex organic molecule, say a protein (which, of course, is actually made up of proteins). You cook scrambled eggs. Now you feel bad because your breakfast could have grown up to be a chicken. Okay, just un-cook the scrambled egg, put it back in the shell, and put it back under the chicken, right? Of course not; the egg has been oxidized, only by heat, and not a direct chemical reaction with Cl2 (gas).

It is my experience and belief that it is the oxidative properties of the Cl2 (aqueous) in municipal drinking water, which when introduced into the stomachs of some individuals that promotes the overproduction of the stomach acid HCl by the proton pumps. This combined with other properties of the Cl2 (gas) when introduced into drinking water result in the overabundance of acids to wash into the throat, and cause irritation to the esophagus and stomach.

Please take note that I use the plural form of acid in the above paragraph. The reason is that when Cl2 (gas) is introduced into water, it dissociates in the water, and two acids are formed. One is HCl, which you are familiar with, and is naturally produced by the stomach. The other acid is called Hypochlorous acid; HClO. This dissociation is described by the equation:

I do not know the effects ingested Hypochlorous acid have on the human body, but it is not naturally occurring in the human diet, and our bodies do not produce it either. I believe its effect on the acid reflux condition is either neutral at best, or harmful to one degree or another. I suspect that, because it is not naturally occurring, the latter is the most likely scenario.

It is not necessary that you understand chemistry to live acid reflux free. However if you are interested in the chemistry behind the program that has been 100% successful for me, and many others, it is here for you.

How I became, and how you can become acid reflux and PPI prescription free

I did three basic things. However, there are also subtleties that you need to understand, and be aware of in order for your system to heal, and stay that way.

• My Basic Program:

1.) Make bottled spring water your main source of liquid intake!

NEVER drink any amount of any liquid that contains chlorinated water. This includes, fountain drinks, “iced tea” from a soda fountain, or (real) brewed iced tea with ice. Ice made with tap water retains its gaseous chlorine content.

Do not drink bottled “Purified Water.” It is bottled tap water that has been filtered, and you should NOT drink that. Make bottled spring water your main source of liquid intake!

2.) After two to four weeks of having removed all chlorine intake from your diet, WITH NO EXCEPTIONS, and taking your PPI prescription or antacid as normally instructed by your doctor, you may begin to notice a decrease in your reflux symptoms. When you notice this decrease, simply, and slowly decrease the amount of your PPI prescription or antacid you take, at your own comfort level.

3.) Once you begin this process, you may slowly realize over the course of a couple more weeks, that your symptoms simply go away. You may find yourself taking your PPI prescription or antacid on a very infrequent basis, if at all.

• The Subtleties:

Know ALL the sources of chlorinated water. Obviously don’t drink water straight from the tap, and don’t make ice with tap water. But are coffee and tea safe to drink? Chlorine gas is a gas, and the only way to get it out of water is by heating the water. It is impossible to filter chlorine gas, or any gas, out of water. When coffee and brewed teas are made, the water is brought close to the boiling point, and the chlorine gas gasses off. So the answer is yes, coffee and brewed teas are perfectly safe to drink from a chlorine standpoint. Are there individual acid reflux sufferers out there for whom coffee and brewed tea in-and-of themselves are a reflux trigger? I am sure there are, and you must learn if you are one of those.

So, ordering iced tea at a restaurant is safe? Not necessarily, and for two reasons:

1.) What kind of water do you think they make their ice from?

Tap water; when the ice melts it releases chlorine into your tea. Are you willing to give up ice in your tea in exchange for complete relief from acid reflux? That is up to you. For me it is a very small sacrifice.

2.) How do you know it is Brewed tea?

Many restaurants today find it more convenient to serve un-carbonated, tea flavored soda from the soda fountain. This is a corn syrup based product, and it is not tea. It is delivered to the restaurant in bulk containers, like the soda, which when dispensed, is mixed with tap water. So to answer your next question, yes fountain soda contains some chlorine, and will help promote and maintain an acid reflux condition.

What about canned or bottled soda? Actually, I personally dislike all soda and always have. I cannot speak as to how canned or bottled soda affects the problem. To begin with soda in-and-of-itself is highly acidic, and carbonated. These two properties are potential acid reflux triggers for some sufferers. This is an area an individual will have to figure out for themselves. My advice is to swear off all soda for the period it takes to heal. Then slowly reintroduce it into your diet to determine what effect it will have on your individual condition.

What about alcohol? I have found that in my case, alcohol is the only other acid reflux trigger I have. However, it still isn’t half as bad as a small glass of tap water. Heartburn from alcohol is something that a couple of over the counter chalky antacids can fix easily, should I choose to have a couple of adult beverages. I believe that my recovery period would have been shorter if I had abstained from alcohol, so my advice on alcohol is the same as for soda.

“What can I drink!?” you ask. There are many safe and wonderful drinks sufferers may drink in the recovery phase, and for life; Number one is bottled spring water. Brands are meaningless; the thing that is important to look for is that the bottle must say “Spring Water.” If it says “Purified Water”, it is bottled tap water, and you should NOT drink that.

Fruit juices, vegetable juices, low-fat milk, etc… are also very safe from a chlorine standpoint. However I strongly recommend that the majority of your fluid intake is bottled spring water. It is in the first month that your upper digestive system is healing and readjusting. Go easy on it, it needs time to readjust, and heal, and bottled spring water is the most “Low Impact” liquid you can put on your stomach.

What about foods which cause acid reflux? I have found that although there are some few foods that cause acid reflux for people on an individual basis, any and all food pales in comparison to what ingesting chlorinated water will do to create acid reflux in people. If you find that a certain food always gives you heartburn, there are several things you can do. First you can avoid the food for a while, and then slowly reintroduce it into your diet and see how it goes. It may be that you can enjoy that item in moderation, and follow it with a little antacid. What I am aiming for in my program is for you to be able to eliminate the chronic and very intense acid reflux we are all too familiar with.

The important point to remember is that for millennia humans have been eating and drinking natural things, like water from a natural spring. People have only been drinking chlorinated water and soda for 80 years or so. The philosophy here is that it is safer and better to drink the things humans “grew up drinking”. Chlorine gas doesn’t grow on trees. It is manufactured in chemical plants, and is very dangerous even in small amounts. You might ask: Why don’t chlorides, Cl- as found in the bottled water, or table salt (Sodium Chloride or NaCl) have the same effect? Sodium metal Na, is highly reactive (explosive) upon contact with water. Because it wants to lose an electron yielding the Na+ ion, or Sodium salt dissolved in water. Cl2 is also extremely reactive (extremely dangerous), and wants to break down into 2 Cl- ions. When you evaporate water with any NaCL salt in it, you get table salt. Salt is something not only safe to eat, but something your body needs. In short, Chloride and Chlorine are two forms of the same Halogen atom, with radically different properties. So don’t worry about the fact that your bottled water tells you on the label how many mg of chlorides it contains.

I believe that there are many people out there who are suffering needlessly from the acid reflux condition. I believe that in relating my experience to them, and explaining to them how I truly and completely recovered will help many of those people experience the same relief and freedom I, and many others enjoy every day.

Godspeed to you,

Robert Reiling

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