89 of 90 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Dr. Koufman Saved My Husband's Life, October 28, 2010
This review is from: Dropping Acid: The Reflux Diet Cookbook & Cure (Hardcover)
My husband has had chronic GERD for years without knowing it. He started having symptoms that didn't make sense around last January. He was short of breath, cleared his throat a lot, had nausea and an upset stomach, and finally passed out in the middle of the night. I found him unconscious on the bathroom floor. After months of tests his GI doctor diagnosed him with Barrett's syndrome, a precancerous condition of the esophagus, but he couldn't explain the respiratory involvement. Worse yet, the only solutions offered were very invasive - surgery to remove the abnormal cells or light therapy with not the best chance of success. We needed a second opinion and we found Dr. Koufman. She ran different tests that tracked his acid level during an entire day of activities, including while eating, sleeping, coughing, everything. My husband had an enormous amount of acid and was refluxing all the way up to his larynx. The standard course of treatment from the GI doctor included a one-a-day medication that did not last the full 24 hours for my husband, so since he took it in the morning, it stopped working while he was sleeping,in the worst position for reflux to again attack the esophagus that was trying to heal all day.
Within a couple of days of meeting Dr. Koufman, my husband was on the strict phase of the diet. It wasn't easy since he was previously working in the wine trade and had to completely stop drinking wine, coffee, pretty much everything except water, milk, aloe juice and camomile tea. She also changed his medications to better control the condition over 24 hours. Within about 3 weeks, he started feeling noticeably better. After a couple of months, he went back for more tests and his condition had improved dramatically. This all happened before the book was published and when it came out he was so excited by the recipes. What a difference it has made to be able to enjoy gourmet-style food after months of just obeying a list of forbidden foods. Now his condition has almost completely reversed, he has lost 35 pounds, and he is able to start adding things back in, like Gala apples.
Although a life-threatening disease is never a good thing, this experience has changed life for our entire family. Dr. Koufman's care and now her invaluable book have not only turned around my husband's condition and allowed him to take charge of his health, but the delicious recipes have allowed him to enjoy food again without feeling like he is stuck with a life-sentence of bland.
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25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Refluxer with greater than 23 year history empowered to control disease, October 8, 2010
This review is from: Dropping Acid: The Reflux Diet Cookbook & Cure (Hardcover)
This book is a 'must read/must use' for anyone who is willing to take charge of their reflux disease.
A thoughtfully crafted book, the authors provide an easy to follow diet with delicious, creative recipes that are fun to prepare. Lifestyle changes are clearly stated. And, for those inclined to delve a bit deeper, the science of reflux disease is presented in a way that is not only understandable but is also enjoyable to read.
In the 8 weeks I have been following 'The Reflux Diet', my LPR symptoms have decreased dramatically, I am sleeping better, am more energized and have lost more than 18 pounds. I fully expect my next checkup to reveal 'nearly normal vocal cords', the first time I will have heard those words in more than 2 decades!
Buy the book. Use it.
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35 of 37 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Dropping Acid: Feel Better Through Better Eating!, October 27, 2010
This review is from: Dropping Acid: The Reflux Diet Cookbook & Cure (Hardcover)
Don't let the glossy photographs of the recipes in this book fool you. Cleverly disguised as cookbook, this book is both sophisticated and scientific in presenting a groundbreaking view of and approach to a highly misunderstood and under-diagnosed condition--acid reflux. (Of course, it is also a terrific cookbook.) By teaming up with Master Chef, Mark Bauer, Drs. Koufman and Stern, present not only a persuasive treatise as to how, when and why the modern American diet is literally "eating us alive." This book is also a specific, dietary road map that can help those afflicted.
Brilliant in structure, the book starts with what every patient wants to know, "How can you fix me, doc?" The "Cure" is then presented through the journey of discovery that these physician-scientists completed over many decades. This book is written with the patient, the layperson, in mind. The authors ably explain the complexities of how acid reflux from the stomach results in tissue damage and symptoms not only in the stomach and esophagus, but all up and down the airways, causing a variety of conditions one would not ordinarily associate with a "GI" disease. Asthma, sinusitis, vocal symptoms and chronic cough, to name but a few, all can be caused by acid reflux.
Several important new discoveries are highlighted and tied together early on, making the case for following the dietary recommendations made less onerous with delicious appearing, albeit slightly sophisticated, recipes.
The critical role of pepsin was discovered by Dr. Koufman; and it is unfortunately poorly understood by many physicians treating these patients. Knowing that it may be re-activated by acidic foods being put in the patients mouth, days after any reflux comes up from the stomach, is critical in understanding why reflux symptoms are increasing, reflux is affecting different areas of the body, is becoming more virulent (seen in the rising rate of esophageal cancer) and is fast becoming a national health hazard of the greatest proportion.
Most interesting is the research that went into developing the historical perspective of how America's food and our society's eating habits have been transformed. Market forces appealed to our increasing preference for food and beverage variety. Legislation was created to protect our food supply as transcontinental shipping became more commonplace. Both have had unintended negative consequences which are hard to reverse. Simply telling the patients, no matter how much they might suffer, that they cannot eat this or that, just doesn't work.
And that is where these physicians go beyond the science. They fill a much needed gap by laying out some basic food rules. Then they engage a master chef to create recipes that look, sound, and taste delicious. No more excuses for the foodie who doesn't want to give up taste for health. This is integrative medical care at its best!
While some of these recipes seem daunting (and perhaps more time consuming that I might like), most can be tweaked and easily adapted for the less culinarily talented amongst us. The photographs alone, all taken by the authors, are enticing enough to want to make one try.
So, for all you acid reflux sufferers - and for all you doctors who care for these sufferers - you will feel much better after reading and cooking with Dropping Acid--The Reflux Diet Cookbook and Cure.
I certainly did!
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