Richard’s Story: Achalasia and Gastric Reflux
My name is Richard. I am an eighty-year-old retired dentist who had been plagued with Achalasia for 40 plus years. Unexpectedly, food would get stuck in my lower esophagus. I could neither get it to go down nor come back up. This would trigger a massive flow of saliva which I could not swallow. If I tried to swallow it, it would not go down and this would increase the pain. I would have to leave the table and go into the bathroom and expectorate and usually the esophagus would relax in 10 to 15 minutes and I could return to the table. This process was embarrassing if I was a guest in someone’s home because I couldn’t explain what was happening because my mouth was so full of saliva.
In the beginning and for many years it was diagnosed as Gastric Reflux. During those years I experimented with many different dietary regimes but nothing solved the problem. Then, in December of 2019 I had an episode that would not clear. Finally in the middle of the night, I forced it to clear.
About this time my daughter gave me Russell’s first book, Healing Digestive Illness. I decided to try doing his protocol on my own. I figured that I had enough experience over the years and could save some money!
There is an old saying: “There is a big difference in having 40 years of experience and repeating the same mistakes for 40 years.”
When I didn’t get better trying to do things on my own, I decided to call Russell. That was a wise decision on my part.
About two weeks into the program I was feeling better and by the end of the program I was feeling better than I had in 40 years of trying to resolve my health challenges!
Russell’s knowledge and experience made all the difference. It was also very comforting to know that he and Megan were always available and quick to respond.
What I learned from my experience with Russell:
1. There are many, many books and opinions on nutrition and diet.
2. It isn’t as easy as it seems. Otherwise I would have healed myself on my own.
3. The best bet is to pay an expert with a proven record of success for their knowledge and especially their experience and caring.
4. It won’t work if you don’t follow instructions and stay on the program. I strayed a couple times and quickly got back on track and that really made a difference.
5. Don’t suffer unnecessarily for 40 years like I did.
Richard (age 80)
Port Orange, Florida
July 2020