It is hard to enjoy your favorite foods when nausea, digestive upset, and heartburn aren’t far behind. Many people have acid reflux, where acid and other fluids in your stomach travel back up your esophagus. What many do not realize is that this can also be a sign of bile reflux.
Your liver produces bile to help your gut break down and absorb nutrients. It also helps remove toxins. However, sometimes this yellow liquid backs up from the small intestine to the stomach and esophagus. If you have had abdominal surgery, including gallbladder, stomach, or intestinal, you are more likely to have bile reflux. Additionally, digestive disorders involving the pylorus or the esophageal sphincter can encourage a backflow of bile and acid.
Chronic bile reflux can irritate the lining of your stomach and esophagus. It can also make it harder for your body to get rid of toxins, which can trigger stubborn gut infections. Conventional medicine prescribes acid-reducing medications, yet these can cause liver and gut problems that may worsen your condition. Today, I am going to share a natural, functional medicine approach that eases this uncomfortable condition and supports digestive health. You can create a bile reflux treatment at home that provides lasting relief when paired with lifestyle modifications.
What Is Bile Reflux?
When you eat, your liver produces bile to help your body digest fats, carbohydrates, and proteins. This thick, yellowish fluid contains cholesterol, bilirubin, phospholipids, electrolytes, bile salts, and water (1). Typically, bile flows through different ducts and into the upper part of the small intestine, called the duodenum.
Typically, everything travels one way through your digestive tract — down. However, that does not always happen. The bottom of your stomach has a one-way valve that prevents bile acids from flowing back up called the pylorus. The nervous system signals the pylorus to open and allow food to pass through. It is also designed to prevent the contents of the small intestine from coming back up. This includes digested food, bile, and other digestive fluids.
Sometimes, surgery can damage the pylorus. This makes it easy for bile and other digestive fluids to go from the intestines into the stomach, causing irritation and inflammation. If you have had abdominal surgery, there may be damaged nerve tissue affecting pylorus function. Dr. Navaz Habib shares other ways nerves affect our health, particularly the vagus nerve, in this podcast episode.
Similarly, you have a lower esophageal sphincter that separates the stomach from your esophagus. When functionally optimally, it opens up only to let food pass through. Afterward, it closes. If this sphincter is weakened or abnormally relaxed, stomach acid can come back into the esophagus. This is acid reflux.
If there is a problem with both the pylorus or lower esophageal sphincter, bile and stomach acid can wash back up the esophagus from the stomach. Other digestive fluids from the small intestine are included as well. When this occurs, you are dealing with bile reflux (2).
Common Causes of Bile Reflux
Your digestive system includes several organs that work together to digest food, absorb nutrients, produce immune cells, and flush out toxins. If there is damage to any one of these organs, it can disrupt the entire system. For example, you are more likely to experience acid reflux if your gallbladder is removed or had other digestive tract surgeries. Impaired or slow motility can also affect how quickly food empties into your intestines.
If you have a history of ulcers, your stomach is already irritated and inflamed. This increases your risk of pylorus or esophageal sphincter dysfunction. When these valves are not functioning properly, it can encourage backflow of bile and other digestive fluids from the intestines to the stomach and esophagus.
Your gallbladder plays a vital role in healthy digestion. If you no longer have a gallbladder, you may benefit from using a bile salts supplement. AMMD’s Bile Builder Complete features a unique blend of amino acids, ox bile, and botanicals to stimulate bile production and promote healthy digestion. Supplementing may also reduce inflammation associated with pylorus or esophageal sphincter dysfunction.
To learn more about how diet and lifestyle affect conditions related to the nerves, check out this podcast interview with Dr. David Perlmutter.
Symptoms of Bile Reflux
How do you know if you are experiencing bile reflux or acid reflux? Since these conditions share similar symptoms, it can be tricky to differentiate. That said, it is a good idea to schedule an appointment with your functional medicine doctor if you notice pain or discomfort in your stomach or esophagus.
If you have bile reflux in your stomach, you may notice (3):
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Abdominal pain
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Nausea and vomiting yellow-green liquid
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Indigestion
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Regurgitation
Similarly, if you are experiencing bile reflux in your esophagus, you may notice:
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Sore throat
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Hoarse voice
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Persistent cough
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Heartburn
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Regurgitation of yellow-green liquid
Since bile reflux symptoms often mimic acid reflux, it is important to work with a functional medicine doctor to address other issues that may be contributing to the problem. A healthcare provider may suggest a bile reflux test to determine the exact cause of symptoms and identify whether it is present.
How to Treat Bile Reflux at Home
Conventional medicine does not offer many treatment options for bile reflux. Most often, acid blockers are prescribed, which can worsen other digestive issues. Surgery is another common treatment recommendation. However, I believe your gut is the gateway to your health. In other words, by optimizing gut health, you can improve many other areas of your health.
If you would like to try a bile reflux treatment at home, start by changing your diet. Stop eating fried, fatty foods and opt for lean proteins, healthy fats, and nonstarchy vegetables. Protein is essential to building and repairing cells, especially if there is damage to the lining of the stomach. Nonstarchy vegetables are also easier on the stomach and do not require as much bile to break them down. Eating earlier in the evening may prevent backflow from slow emptying or impaired motility. To learn more about how diet can impact your overall health, check out this podcast interview with Dr. Deanna Minich.
Another lifestyle change to consider is elevating your head while you sleep. Adding another pillow to prop your head up can reduce the likelihood of bile and stomach acid washing up into your esophagus. Maintaining a healthy weight can ease the pressure on your stomach and intestines.
Additionally, adding a bile supplement can help reduce irritation and inflammation by promoting healthier digestion and nutrient absorption. AMMD’s bile salts supplement is a must-have if you want to improve bile production, optimize fat digestion, and support overall digestive comfort. It may even help replace the function of your gallbladder if you have had it surgically removed. Supporting bile flow is also part of safely detoxing your liver, especially for individuals without a gallbladder.
When to Seek Professional Guidance
Severe reflux should never be taken lightly. If left untreated, bile reflux can damage the delicate lining of the stomach and esophagus. This can lead to pain, ulcers, and gastrointestinal bleeding.
If you notice frequent symptoms of bile reflux after meals, make an appointment to get diagnosed by a functional medicine practitioner. From there, they can develop an effective and personalized management plan.
Take Control of Bile Reflux With AMMD™
Healthy bile production is key to maintaining healthy digestion. Produced by the liver, this yellow-green liquid breaks down nutrients and helps your body absorb them. It also clears toxins from the gut and prevents infections. If you have recently had gallbladder or other abdominal surgery, there may be damage to the pylorus or esophageal sphincter. Bile will wash back up into the stomach.
Swapping fried or fatty foods with lean proteins and nonstarchy vegetables eases the burden on digestion. It also helps you maintain a healthy weight, which can play a role in reflux. Propping your head up at night may reduce bile backflow, as well as eating earlier in the evening.
If you are looking for natural ways to support healthy digestion, Bile Builder Complete can help. Formulated with dandelion, artichoke extract, and ox bile, it gently promotes healthy bile production while also supporting the liver. You can also pair it with Liver Support for a more comprehensive detoxification approach.
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