it's lunacy, I tell ya...

[ebrookeb]

So I've been having the dreaded pregnancy reflux for the last couple of weeks. I remember working in the ER as an intern, and these people would come in going "Oh my GOD! I'm having a heart attack! I can't stand the PAIN!!!!!" (five exclamation points worth of screaming. Seriously.) And you would do all this workup and think they're going to

Comments

Interesting...

[kingwamba]

Why do you have to avoid peppermint?

Re: Interesting...

[ebrookeb]

One of the ways peppermint has a calming effect on an upset stomach is by relaxing the smooth muscle. Thus, it can also relax the smooth muscle of the lower esophageal sphincter, which is kind of like the gate keeper between the stomach and the esophagus. If the sphincter relaxes, it can allow passage of gastric secretions into the esophagus, thereby causing/ worsening GERD. Why peppermint relaxes smooth muscle, I haven't a clue. So don't ask because I'll just look like an idiot.

[edhed]

I know! When I started developing reflux, my doc said to avoid mint, chocolate and alcohol. Those are needed for survival, dammit.

Maybe the m.o.m. overrides the peppermint, or peppermint is the only thing that can mask the flavor.

[ebrookeb]

yeah, that's what I love about the olive garden. Theyre like a GERD sufferers own personal hell. "May we offer you a glass of wine with dinner from our blah blah collection?" "And after your cream sauce or spicy marinary sauced pasta and deep fried calamari and garlic breadsticks, may we give you a little petite chocolate/peppermint andes candy or seven?" I think the Olive Garden people own stock in prilosec. And if not, they should. I should know -- I ate there for lunch, pre-milk of mag.