Flute playing and Gerd

[Gromit]

I had a bad attack of acid reflux or gastroesophageal reflux (Gerd) last weekend which lasted on and of over two days.

It's settled down now except for when I played a few tunes yesterday, after which I could feel it coming back.

Apparently it's quite common with wind players and especially flute players - https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/ful ... 09.04208.x

Anyone on here suffer from this when playing the flute and how do you cope?

[wolvy]

I have GERD. It is awful. I’ve never seen my GERD have any correlation to my flute playing. It’s more related to diet, I think. But maybe if you play using a lot of glottal stops there might be a connection. I don’t play that way. I’m treating my GERD with diet & meds.

[wolvy]

After reading the article, I’m wondering if there is a correlation.

[busterbill]

If you are feeling slightly abandoned by the forum it could be due to the restrictions on "medical advice." I couldn't think of how to respond without delving into the medical advice area and so passed. Perhaps of others felt the same.

Good luck to you.

[Nanohedron]

If you are feeling slightly abandoned by the forum it could be due to the restrictions on "medical advice."

True. GERD isn't like a sore hand, where first aid solutions (like telling someone to put ice on it, etc.) are acceptable public fare. Beyond recommending seeing a doctor, private channels are called for. If there are coping strategies that don't involve medical solutions - I think dietary recommendations could be acceptable up to a point - I'd like to know, myself. It might come in handy one day.

The reason I haven't posted before this is because I rarely ever experience acid reflux myself, and when I have, it's been as isolated incidents and usually during sleep, so it's simply that I don't know what to say. Honestly, it was complete news to me that GERD is a known problem among wind players; I had some episodes prior to being a fluter, so any relation to flute playing is probably pretty slim for me, if at all. It's never happened to me during flute playing, or immediately after. Signs are that, while uncommon for me, acid reflux is more likely during bouts of coughing due to a cold. I will agree, though, that when it gets down your windpipe it's distressing in the extreme. It's a helluva way to wake up, I can tell you that.

[hpinson]

I would expect less instances of GERD to be related to having a strong diaphragm. Could it be possibly related to diet, weight or a hiatal hernia?

From the article: "Overall, the prevalence of overweight and obesity was significantly higher among wind instrument players in comparison with other instrument players (Table 1). When we considered the average body mass index (BMI) by gender, the difference was still significant in men (Table 2)."

Coping strategies: don't eat for at least 3 hours before bedtime, cut down on alcohol, carbonated beverages, acid and fatty food. Losing weight can help too. Elevate upper body during sleep. A glass of lemon water or sodium bicarbonate helps some.

[Nanohedron]

... a hiatal hernia?

This is definitely the sort of thing that is in violation of the CCCP rules against diagnosis. Instead you should say, "PM sent", or the like, and cover it that way.

The weight issue is informative, but the statistics are of questionable relevance to this discussion. TBH, most fluters I've known have not been overweight, so...

[hpinson]

Well Gromit asked. There is a strong correlation between GERD and obesity. But of course, he should seek advice from a medical professional.

[Nanohedron]

Well Gromit asked.

Not that. This is what he asked:

Anyone on here suffer from this when playing the flute and how do you cope?

Anything else is conjecture that leads to playing doctor, and we don't permit that.

There is a strong correlation between GERD and obesity.

As I said, informative. But it does not provide a coping strategy, only a possible cause that may or may not apply, and if it does apply, weight loss may still not be the solution. So:

But of course, he should seek advice from a medical professional.

Yep.

Coping strategies are immediate or long-term practices that, even if recommended by a physician, are something anyone can do easily and safely without medical prescription. Diagnostic guesswork, specialized herbal remedies that seek to take the place of physician care, or recommending courses of treatment, would all be prohibited advice on the public forums, and should only be forwarded by private channels. So it's not that you can't do it, it's where you do it that matters. In the post in question, your last paragraph gives good examples of good public advice in accordance with Board parameters.

But what strikes me is that while Gromit's question does point to a broader issue, it specifically asks about GERD while playing flute. That hasn't been addressed.

[hpinson]

[quote]Coping strategies: don't eat for at least 3 hours before bedtime, cut down on alcohol, carbonated beverages, acid and fatty food. Losing weight can help too. Elevate upper body during sleep. A glass of lemon water or sodium bicarbonate helps some.[/quote]

[Nanohedron]

Coping strategies: don't eat for at least 3 hours before bedtime, cut down on alcohol, carbonated beverages, acid and fatty food. Losing weight can help too. Elevate upper body during sleep. A glass of lemon water or sodium bicarbonate helps some.

Yep, that's what I already pointed out as proper public advice:

In the post in question, your last paragraph gives good examples of good public advice in accordance with Board parameters.