NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The glass is half full, thanks to findings published in the July 10th edition of the Annals of Otology, Rhinology & Laryngology, which show that alkaline drinking water may be of great benefit for people with acid reflux. Dr. Jamie Koufman, internationally renowned expert on reflux, and researcher Dr. Nikki Johnston studied how alkaline water (pH 8.8) destroyed pepsin, a stomach enzyme that when activated by acid causes painful reflux symptoms that can lead to cancer. According to the findings, a natural artesian alkaline water instantaneously inactivated human pepsin in laboratory studies. Ordinary tap and bottled waters had no such effect. (The alkaline water used in these studies was Evamor™ and the conventional-pH waters were Dasani™ and Aquafina™. In addition to destroying pepsin, the Evamor™ water, containing natural bicarbonate, was shown to be an effective buffer against acid.)
“The therapeutic benefits of alkaline water with a low-acid diet bring significant relief for many patients with reflux disease,” says Dr. Koufman. A pioneering laryngologist, Dr. Koufman has made it her professional mission to connect the dots between the reflux epidemic—including a jaw-dropping 850 percent increase in reflux-related esophageal cancer since the 1970s—and the FDA-mandated acidification of the American diet. "The clues are in the tissues of the larynx, or voice box, which show evidence of tissue-bound pepsin. The most widely used food preservatives are acids, which appear in almost everything that is bottled or canned. It's a corrosive combination. Once the enzyme pepsin is bound to tissue, acidic beverages and foods can cause big trouble and cause many symptoms including shortness of breath, sinusitis, asthma, chronic cough, hoarseness, sore throat, and eventually even cancer.”
Damion Michaels, VP of Marketing and Brand Management with Evamor, says that, “This study just validates many of the wonderful comments consumers have had about the water over the years including the quality and taste of Evamor. Now we are beginning to see the benefits of the water validated by science. There are more tests to come but this is an amazing start.”
To help patients overcome both esophageal (GERD) and “silent” airway reflux, Dr. Koufman recommends a two-week detox program consisting of a strict low-acid, low-fat, pH-balanced diet along with alkaline water. This program has seen resounding success in hundreds of her patients, including professional singers and opera stars who thought their careers were over. In order to educate the public about acid reflux and the benefits of a low-fat, low-acid diet, Dr. Koufman wrote DROPPING ACID: The Reflux Diet Cookbook & Cure, a comprehensive crash course on acid reflux that covers everything from the medical aspects of the illness, to delicious recipes, to helpful strategies and tips for fighting this potentially devastating disease (www.refluxcookbook.com).
“Relief from reflux disease is possible with a healthy diet and lifestyle. Life-long medication is not what most people want or need. Our research will soon unequivocally establish that reflux patients can gain control of their disease through buffering with alkaline water and a low-acid diet,” says Dr. Koufman.
Dr. Jamie Koufman is founder and director of the Voice Institute of New York and professor of clinical otolaryngology at New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of the New York Medical College. She is also the medical director of the Koufman Reflux Center of New York (www.KoufmanReflux.com), a specialized medical practice that focuses on diagnosing and treating the 40% of Americans with reflux disease. With three decades of research and publications focused on the diagnosis, treatment, and biology of acid reflux (www.VoiceInstituteofNewYork.com), Dr. Koufman has lectured widely nationally and internationally, and she is one of the world’s authorities on reflux disease. Dr. Koufman also has been listed among the Top Doctors in America every year since 1994.