I think I knew something was wrong when I was 20. I would go out with my friends for a night of drinking but when I laid down to go to bed I could a feel a tickle in my throat and cough throughout the night. I found this worse when I ate so often, I would go out drinking but pass on the 3am pizza.
Things started to get worse in my mid 20's. I developed constant throat clearing and a cough at night that was keeping me awake and making it impossible to maintain focus on my work. I thought it may be due to allergies so I bought an allergy/dust mite cover and pillowcase, and washed EVERYTHING. Sadly, this did not help and my cough became worse. At one point I was so desperate to sleep, I wore my boyfriend's paint respirator hoping this would provide allergen free air.
I followed up with physicians but no one had clear answers so I asked my friend, the internet. I happened to find some people who were also experiencing the same symptoms which led me to what I would have never thought: heartburn. Well, not heartburn exactly, but closely related. Larygopharyngeal reflux disease or LPR for short.
Basically what happens in LPR is reflux, but in your throat (or larynx specifically). The problem with LPR is that when stomach contents reflux all the way to your throat, your throat doesn't have the mucous protection that the esophagus does. This means that when digestive enzymes such as pepsin, are present in your throat, there is nothing to stop it from digesting your throat. This is why your throat becomes filled with mucous and hence a cough develops.
Unfortunately the medications available today may not cure the problem. Pepsin, a digestive enzyme in stomach juice, is activated by acidic environments. The more acidic the food, the more highly activated pepsin becomes. This is normal in the stomach where the lining of the stomach protects itself. In the throat, it can be disastrous. Most of the reflux medications available over the counter and by prescription increase the pH (less acidic) of the stomach. They do not inactivate pepsin in anyway. So if you take a sip of your orange juice, the acidity easily reaches the pepsin in your throat where it is activated and the damage begins.
Luckily I found a book called "Dropping Acid" by Dr. Kouffman in New York. It contains a list of the pH of many different foods and also has a cookbook. This has been one of the most helpful books I have found yet. She also has a website with new articles and a blog:http://www.refluxcookbookblog.com/
My favourite recipe is the banana ginger smoothie :)
I would really like to hear your experience with LPR. What did you find helped? Did you have surgery? What are your favourite low acid recipes?