P.S. to my original post.

I even contacted my pharmacist who is a holistic type follower. He believes in the Essential oils and a whole bunch of other "natural" remedies. So... another bit of confusion in my mind. I just don't know who to believe or trust. But I know the doctors don't know everything.

I think natural remedies are better for gastritis, ppis are very harsh, stopping acid production in. The stomach, they work for some people however, I found they made me much worse! I take acidophilus, silicol gel, l-glutamine, gaviscon. It really is trial and error, finding what works for you : )

Below are supplements I did my research about and tried.

Works:
Best = PPI (I take dexilant)
pepzin GI, DGL licorice and slippery elm against pain
Evamore water soothing for the throat
Coconut water soothing
probiotics don't do anything for gastritis but help regulate digestion (against constipation or diarrhea)

Works but has unbearable side effects you don't want to deal with:
Zantac works but makes me dizzy
Tums works for 45 minutes then I get more acid, my stomach reacts to it (probably the calcium)
Prelief (calcium glycerophosphate) removes the acidity from food but makes me constipated
Cabbage very soothing, removes the pain but puts you in hypothyroidic state (cold, tired) + bad breath + gas

Caused me stomach pain and I did not notice they do anything:
Ginger is irritating
Aloe Vera is too acidic
Manuka honey is too acidic and contains tea tree that is irritating
Mastic gum hurts badly

I have not tried but supposedly good:
raw potato juice (recommended by Dr J. Valnet, see his book "How to cure yourself with fruits, vegetables and cereals")

I looked at NutraSec and it looks like a mix of carbonate calcium, which is the component of Tums and enzymes for digestion + vinegar.
I personally prefer DGL licorice. My problem with Carbonate Calcium is that it is soothing for 45 minutes then the stomach seems to react to it and produce more acid. Also I would be careful with enzymes with gastritis, they can be irritating. The reviews on amazon are good though but for acid reflux only, I did not see any review for gastritis. I would imagine with all the enzymes this would be useful for acid reflux due to gas in the bowels.

I would stay away from essential oils for now. I took a class and my teacher said to never use essential oils on inflamed tissue as they are like fire. Some are really corrosive. Of course you can use them in massage oil or in the air to relax but I doubt they will do much for gastritis.

I suggest you buy the book "Ulcer Free", they list all the supplements that are helpful for ulcer but they are helpful for gastritis as well. The good thing about the supplements they talk about in this book is that the author talk about all the scientific studies that have been done to test them. Maybe it will help you decide what to try.

Thanks Ines. I don't use the oils internally. Only topically and only on things that I know are safe like muscle pain. But I have to say, the DigestAid and Peppermint are soothing on the tummy skin. So it looks like my "guru" is also not informed enough to trust. This is frustrating. I really wasn't counting on essential oils to help with gastritis... just the nausea in general. I wish I would have kept the DGL that I hand in my hot little hand but I thought she knew what she was talking about. In all fairness.. she did say she never had anyone in there who had lost some small bowel.

I don't know about NutraSec but if digestAid helps you, maybe NutraSec will too as they both contain enzymes. If you try let us know if it is helpful. I never tried enzymes because I have been scared by posts of people saying that some enzyme supplements caused their gastritis.

Be careful with peppermint oil as mint relaxes the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) which causes reflux and according to your other post, your LES is already weak.

I wouldn't dismiss the knowledge of 40 years. Peppermint tea can soothe and is not an essential oil. At least try her regime before writing it off. She is the professional after all. Good luck and keep us posted.

Peppermint tea is made of peppermint leaves that contain peppermint essential oil. Mint is well-known to cause relaxation of the LES and Gerd.

Unfortunately it's so individual you just arent going to get a list that will work for you from anyone else.
Also you have additional issues and take meds I'm sure for your MS, and interactions can be an issue there as well.
Peppermint tea helps me as well but it does tend to worsen gerd especially before bedtime and as you now know you have a slack esophageal valve, I would not suggest it.
Ginger tea is my go to, with some coconut oil in it - during the daytime. After about 4pm I switch to Twinings camomile, honey and vanilla tea. Just plain, nothing in it. The camomile is good for calming and relaxing things in the stomach. However you wouldn't want to do that because again of your valve. You'd want to wait until a few hours after your last meal of the day...see, it's hard because we're all so different.

Meds:
Kios-DS for acid
marshmallow root tea and capsules
slippery elm capsules
flaxseed tea
probiotics
Enzymes before every meal or snack (this might be the most important thing)
coconut oil in my drinks or cooking
gasX when needed
Xanax when needed (about 2 nights a week to sleep)
No NSAIDS


Here is my go to - I'm into natural so it tends to lean that way. Also I took ppi meds for 16 yrs and don't plan to ever touch them again as I'm post menopausal and would like to keep my bones..
Maybe if we all list you can see common denominators.

Food: (bear in mind I do not eat any grains as they are gastritis and ibs triggers for me - also bear in mind I am trying to LOSE weight)
Protein cooked soft (stewed, steamed) or canned (canned chicken with olive oil mayo goes down well)
Eggs with a slice of cheese melted in
Cooked non gassy veggies
Butter lettuce with homemade dressing
Greek yogurt with a tbsp of canned fruit
syntrax natural medical unflavored protein powder
soy milk

That's really about all I eat....

lifestyle
Gentle exercise - swimming 3x week for 30 min
Avoiding stress when possible including not watching "exciting" tv shows or movies or even the news as adrenaline causes stomach issues for me.
Journaling
Guided meditation CD at night before sleep.