In the next few articles, I’ll be writing about the epidemic of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and its mismanagement by the medical establishment.
In this first article I will present evidence demonstrating that, contrary to popular belief, heartburn and GERD are caused by too little (not too much) stomach acid. In the second article I’ll explain exactly how low stomach acid causes heartburn, GERD and other digestive conditions. In the third article I’ll discuss the important roles stomach acid plays in maintaining health and preventing disease, and the danger long-term use of acid suppressing drugs presents. In the final article, I’ll present simple dietary and lifestyle changes that can eliminate heartburn and GERD once and for all.
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Heartburn and GERD Are No Joke
According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Kidney Digestive Diseases, sixty million people experience heartburn at least once a month and twenty five million experience symptoms daily.
Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD), a more serious form of acid reflux, is the most common digestive disorder in the United States. Studies show that 10-20% of individuals experience symptoms at least once a week, and prevalence of GERD is increasing steadily.
Drugs for acid reflux and GERD are cash cows for the pharmaceutical companies. More than 60 million prescriptions for GERD were filled in 2004. Americans spent $13 billion on acid stopping medications in 2006. Nexium, the most popular, brought in $5.1 billion alone – making it the second highest selling drug behind Lipitor.
As sobering as those statistics are, it’s likely that the prevalence of GERD is underestimated because of the availability of antacids over-the-counter. This permits patients to self-medicate without reporting their condition to a doctor.
Up until fairly recently heartburn wasn’t taken too seriously. It’s primarily been the butt of bad jokes about Grandma’s cooking. But we now know that heartburn and GERD can have serious and even life-threatening complications, including scarring, constriction, ulceration, and ultimately, cancer of the esophagus.
Problems with the Conventional Theory
If you ask the average Joe on the street what causes heartburn, he’ll tell you “too much stomach acid.” That’s what most of the ads seem to suggest too. I’m sure you’ve seen pictures like the one at the top of this post in ads for acid suppressing drugs on TV and in magazines.
But there’s a big problem with this theory: the incidence of heartburn and GERD increases with age, while stomach acid levels generally decline with age (Fig 1).
Numerous studies have shown that stomach acid secretion declines with age. In one study researchers found that over 30 percent of men and women past the age of 60 suffer from atrophic gastritis, a condition marked by little to no acid secretion. Another study found that 40% of women over the age of 80 produce no stomach acid at all. 1
Figure 1. Mean stomach acid secretion from the second to the eighth decade. (from Wright, 2001 p.20)
Just as studies show acid secretion declines with age, it is also well established in the scientific literature that the risk of GERD increases with age.
If heartburn were caused by too much stomach acid, we’d have a bunch of teenagers popping Rolaids instead of elderly folks. But of course that’s the opposite of what we see.
In fact, according to Jonathan Wright, MD of the Tahoma Clinic in Washington state, when stomach acid is measured in people suffering from heartburn and GERD it is almost always low, not high. In his book Why Stomach Acid is Good For You, Wright explains:
When we carefully test people over age forty who’re having heartburn, indigestion and gas, over 90 percent of the time we find inadequate acid production by the stomach.
In Wright’s 25 years of conducting these tests, he found very few people with excess stomach acid. Excess stomach acid is only found in a few rare conditions like Zollinger-Ellison syndrome), and GERD is hardly ever associated with too much stomach acid.
What’s more, Wright and other clinicians have found that giving hydrochloric acid supplements to patients with heartburn and GERD often cures their problem:
In 24 years of nutritionally oriented practice, I’ve worked with thousands of individuals who’ve found the cause of their heartburn and indigestion to be low stomach acidity. In nearly all these folks, symptoms have been relieved and digestion improved when they’ve taken supplemental hydrochloric acid and pepsin capsules.
My own clinical experience confirms this. So far every patient I’ve had with heartburn or GERD has responded well to hydrochloric acid supplementation. We’d expect just the opposite to be true if these conditions were caused by too much stomach acid.
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A Symptom Is Not a Cause
When I explain to patients that GERD is caused by not enough stomach acid, rather than too much, they are initially doubtful. “If that’s true”, they say, “then why do my antacid drugs provide relief?”
I’m not denying that the symptoms of heartburn and GERD are caused by stomach acid refluxing into the esophagus. Nor am I arguing that reducing or eliminating stomach acid with drugs doesn’t relieve those symptoms.
What’s crucial to understand is that any amount of acid in the esophagus is going to cause problems. That’s because its delicate lining isn’t protected against acid like the stomach lining is. You don’t have to have excess acid in your stomach to have heartburn.
The misguidedness of this approach is clearly demonstrated by the use of acid inhibiting drugs to treat heartburn and GERD – problems which are caused by not enough stomach acid!
The Consequences of Ignoring the Cause
As I wrote above, Americans spend more than $13 billion on acid stopping drugs each year. This expense might be justified if antacid drugs were actually curing heartburn and GERD. But just the opposite is true. Not only do these drugs fail to treat GERD, they will make the underlying condition (not enough stomach acid) worse. This virtually necessitates the lifelong use of these medications for anyone who takes them.
While this is a nifty sales strategy for the drug companies, it’s a bitter pill to swallow (yes, pun intended) for those suffering from heartburn and GERD.
Curing a disease means eliminating its cause. When a disease is cured, the symptoms don’t return once the treatment is removed. This of course is not the case with drugs for heartburn and GERD. As soon as the patient stops taking them, the symptoms return. And often they’re worse than they were before the patient started the drug.
Unfortunately, pharmaceutical companies aren’t interested in cures because they aren’t profitable. It’s much more lucrative to sell drugs that people have to take for the rest of their lives than it is to promote dietary or lifestyle changes that would cure the problem.
Therefore, although the drug companies are well aware that GERD isn’t caused by too much stomach acid and that low stomach acid causes serious health problems and complications, they continue to sell billions of dollars worth of antacids to an unsuspecting public. Even worse, these powerful drugs are now available over-the-counter with no warnings about the dangers they present.
Note: if you think this sounds strangely like the situation with the #1 selling drug, Lipitor, you’re correct. Lipitor arbitrarily lowers cholesterol across the board, even though evidence clearly indicates that high LDL cholesterol is not the cause of heart disease. What’s more, low cholesterol is associated with greater risk of death in the elderly population. Something is definitely wrong with our “healthcare” system when the #1 and #2 medications are actually contributing to the conditions they’re supposed to treat. But I guess if you’re looking at it from the standpoint of the drug companies, who are in business to make a profit, it’s the perfect business model.
In the Part II I explain exactly how low stomach acid causes heartburn, GERD and other digestive conditions. We’ll also look at the primary causes of low stomach acid, and how you can prevent this condition from occurring. Read on!
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- Sharp GS, Fister HW. The diagnosis and treatment of achlorhydria: ten-year study. J Amer Ger Soc 1967;15:786-791. ↩
I read on the web to eat something with ginger every day for a month. I gave trader joes ginger snaps to my husband and it didn’t take a month before his newly arrived heartburn said goodbye. It has been years and it hasn’t reoccurred. I now have gerd (no heartburn) and perhaps I will try this on myself to see if it works for my problem.
Hi, I’ve never had acid reflux before but have had bad heartburn at times. About Xmas, started getting really sick and stomach was growling; couldn’t digest my food and would wake me up in the middle of the night with growling pain. Doc put me on prolisec; worked for a short bit and seemed not to work. Went on again for month course, week 1 was good. went back to eating, and then had reflux for the first time ever. Seemed like I was choking trying to digest my food; which makes sense if there’s no acid there. Took antacids and made things worse. Doc put me on 40 mg of Nexium. Then had reflux every day sometimes two/three times a day past week. Finally, after reading Chris’s website, went off yesterday, and had heartburn but drank some lemon juice in water, and took a teaspoon/tablespoon of ACV and heartburn went away. Took awhile but stomach felt better for the first time in a month. I’m going to continue with the ACV/lemon juice and hopefully slowly start to add HCL in low doses. I think I def. have some bacterial overgrowth. Good luck everyone. I hope you can find relief, me too.
Similarity of symptoms does not imply a common cause. If the body is lacking the proper digestive enzymes one may experience (1 gerds 2) heartburn 3) palpitations or 4) irregular heartbeats. on rare occasions even pain.
Homeostasis, the ability of the body to balance its chemistry begins with the proper balance of electrolytes. As unusual as it seems electrolytes (base or alkaline elements) are responsible for our acids–that is the acids are derived from base or alkaline material.
Possible scenario: Extreme heartburn. Possible remedy. Vinegar.
Possible scenario: Extreme heartburn. Possible remedy.
Baking Soda
The first scenario may represent a person who has heartburn not because of too much acid (but because of the wrong kind of acid). Why do I say this? Because when one has the wrong balance of acids for digestion the body may borrow acids to complete digestion. These borrowed acids by . means of homeostasis may result in super acidity because the acids borrowed are what the body uses when it does not have what it needs. It may borrow lactic acid_> this could cause super acidity as well as cramps and unexplained pain. The body may also borrow carbonic acid–>This may result in super acidity and coma or seizure. Vinegar is Acetic acid. People often talk about alkalizing their body by taking apple cider vinegar. Vinegar does not alkalize, it acidifies–but often it relieves heartburn by giving the body the extra acid needed for proper digestion and it aids HCL which also may be lacking. If vinegar works it is likely that you are not having heartburn because of over acidity; but because of unbalanced acidity.
If on the other hand baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) relieves the symptoms it may be that you really were fighting an over acid condition. Baking soda works by alkalizing.
So here we have same or similar symptoms, but not the same cause. We also have one remedy that alkalizes and another that adds acid. But precaution needs to be observed when it comes to sodium bicarbonate–though it may help if one is truly experiencing an over acid condition–it may also seem to help when one’s body is needing extra acid. If one’s body is merely needing extra acid for digestion or if one is lacking the proper enzyme for either protein, carbohydrate or fat digestion–the SB may work on the short term–but if continued long term use is required then it is not the solution–rather a quick fix.
The proper way to alkalize involves keeping sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium plentiful in the body. These are all the proper electrolytes that need to be balanced in order for the body to call on them as reserves to neutralize too much acid. Often, what sodium does is replace one of the other major electrolytes that are deficient.
Are you having heartburn or Gerds with your arrhythmias. It is likely that the balance you need is found in magnesium. A high percentage of magnesium resides in the left ventricle of the heart. It is essential for the heart inasmuch as it is the element that allows the heart to relax after every single contraction. Best natural sources include greens such as spinach or turnips. Also as a supplement you can get calcium magnesium chelate.
I was wondering about taking HCL supplementation for GERD, is that a short treatment or is it an ongoing treatment strategy? I would also like to know is there any dietary recommendations that could help nurture the innate production of HCL.
I too have had almost all of the issues described to a point that I have had an RNY with my stomach being removed. Years of many doctors under my belt with not one suggesting I had gluten sensativity . Food was fermenting in my gut and causing burping you could hear in another room and discomfort in my esophagus. I was tested for celiac and did not have that but found out 85% of people with celiac are undiagnosed. If you take PPI, you must augment your diet with magnesium because PPI’s leach the magnesium from your body. Also take probiotics daily…2X is best. If still no improvement, see a rhumatoligist and ask for tests for Scleraderma or CREST and while there see if you have celiac. Go gluten free or Paleo after being tested. No accurate test for sensativity but going 100% gluten free and seeing improvement. Hang in there for a month. I saw improvement in 10 days.
I am 59 years old and have been experiencing acid reflux for the past 4 months. I don’t remember having it much before this so I guess it’s age related. What I have found that takes it away quite quickly is to eat stir-fry with lots of fresh lightly cooked vegies, or salads. I guess I would conclude, raw, green vegetables helps a lot to get rid of acid reflux.
I can agree with this. I cut out grains and have much less heartburn. I think it may have something to do with the addition of green/ fresh vegetables. I make it a point to eat green veggies with every meal. Spinach, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, kale etc. I eat raw when I can but I fry in evoo very often and steam a lot too. I think maybe they are alkalizing my body/blood but that is a topic I can only speculate about as i haven’t researched it much. What can extra veggies hurt anyway.
I am 62. Severe acid reflux began about 6 months ago. My doctor chanel my meds from Zantac to omneprozol. The other day I left home without talking it. Got . back later after eating wonderful Italian food and began to feel reflux. I took my omneprozol but also a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar. No problems what so ever. …
After about 4 years on Omeprazol, I am trying to quit after reading about all of the side-effects. I am also trying apple cider vinegar, 4 times a day. Breads and pastries seem to aggravate the problem. If I feel heartburn coming on, I take Tums and it usually goes away. Would like to avoid those also, but it is better than Omeprazol.
This is a reply to many here who have posted a message in Nov. 2014 or Oct. 2014 (I read only the top few messages and wanted to help). If you have not done so, read the entire series of articles that Chris has put together on “Heartburn & GERD”. He has an ebook on this topic, that covers the entire series, which helped me.
Next, my philosophy is the same as what Lloyd Morgan has said below. I had lot of time and was able to research into many of the conditions i have (being 50, this is the time when you feel inside the body, all the self-injuries you inflicted in youth – bad morals/habits/food…..). What i find is that time-proven herbal medicines around the world are better at healing conditions, and modern medicine is only few hundred years old and is useful only in surgery/MRI scans and such. When it comes to prescription medications, i give a resounding thumbs up to herbal medicines (because i am yet another proof that they work better than modern medicines).
Not only GERD/reflux, but i am also in the process of dealing with gallstones, fatty liver, and sciatica through the use of proper diet + yoga + cardio. We are living in the age of a miracle called internet…….. If you have time + perseverance + basic education, you can do better than your doctor in many respects.
Interesting- I’m going to see my acupuncturist this weekend, He gave me my first cupping and acupuncture last weekend and this weekend he is going to introduce herbal medicines. Do you have any herbal recommendation when it comes to reflux and gastritis? No heartburn. 😉
Hi, let me start by saying that I just got out hospital and feel worse than when I got in. I have had a problem for a long time now with my stomach and it started regular. I was prescribed Nexium and it helped. When that was finished I moved over to Omez. I found eventuall that this was not helping and wanted to get my self checked out before I did some traveling in August. I had a scope done, and an ultrasound and both were clear. The doctor prescribed some Pariet for my trip with some urbonal, suspecting ‘anxiety’. This kept me pain-free until the course finished. I purchased an over the tablet from Munich that helped me. Whenever, I had a problem, it sorted me out.(when I returned home I interpretited the composition to be just “bicarbonate soda). My problem started when this tablet finished and did not have access to it in my country South Africa. I tried pure bicarbonate soda – it did not help. I then had a enormous attack in my tummy, perspiring at the same time. I visited my Physician who suspected a heart attack. After doing an ECG, he said that something is irregular – he had to admit me in hospital. The blood test showed no heart attack. The next day I was at the cardiologist. With his effort ECG and Echo test, he found everything to be fine. My physician insisted for him to probe further. After doing the CT Angio, he found a 50% narrowing on one of my main arteries. He then suggested that we do the normal Angio to put in a stent. My body was in shock, because being 50, I am in top condition with my health, gyming 5 times a week and eating properly. I then got a pain in my stomach that refused to go away. When doing the normal Angio, the cardiologist did not find a problem and I was relieved that it was not heart related. I was handed back to the Physician who did another ultra sound and endoscopy. Yet again these were clear. He now thinks it is stress related and had sent me home today. I have however been asked to take one 40mg Nexium twice a day. This is not taking my consistent burning pain on my upper abdomen away.I Know that this a long story, but some advice would help! Should I try HCL.
I an on a pump inhibitor that has completely cleared up my Gerd problem. This is going hurt me in the long run because it’s a horrible pharmaceutical?
It is my understanding (and what I take) that you should only take HCL with Pepsin. I am starting on a low dose of 250 MG with a meal. Instructions state that the capsules can be taken up to 6 with each meal. I always err on the side of caution, so I have started with 1 at each meal. If you read the entire series of articles from this doctor, you will also see foods that might trigger the symptoms. You can eliminate foods one by one that might be causing the reaction. Much like finding the foods that you are allergic to. Good luck.
Hi Leslie, I just wanted to tell you about a brilliant cure for me . I have had gerd or is it gord ? for 20 years and been on omeprazole in varying doses. After Christmas I had a huge flair up that lasted 3 months, I was so miserable. After searching online I read about cutting out carbs . I was sceptical but desperate. It took about a week and I was thinking of giving up but I suddenly realised it was improving , I carried on and now I am down to 10 mg of omeprazole and feel better than I have for years. I had to share this as I have also read posts from many, many people who are now off medication completely on this diet. Hope it helps someone else.
I did not understand this: did you do an angioplasty and have a stent put in? You referred to a CT angio and a normal angio but is one an angiograph and the other an angioplassty?
I have been burping continuously for almost 2 years now. When i’m not burping which is only while i’m sleeping, gas accumulates in different parts of my body causing air-filled bumps to form on my face, arms, forehead, scalp, etc. It does work when I massage the ‘bumps’ in an attempt to flatten them. But it inevitably makes me start a whole new cycle of releasing air through burping. I have taken Omeprazole, Esomeprazole, Dexlansoprazole, Rabeprazole, and other PPIs. All were prescribed starting at their lowest dose for a couple of weeks, all ending at their highest possible dose after a couple of months, none of which worked. During really bad ‘burping spells’, I chew on TUMS, and other local antacids available here in the Philippines. Lately, i’ve grown dependent on sipping Gaviscon (Na Alginate, Na Bicarbonate w/ Ca Carbonate) from a sachet to help relieve the ‘burping spells’ that have recently developed into drying my throat badly whenever they occur. Short of a Pediatrician, I have gone to see all kinds of doctors including an accupuncturist (BTW, accupuncture was the only effective treatment I went through. However, the relief it gave me only lasted about 3-4 hours after my session. I still believe that being poked by needles couldn’t possibly be the only solution for whatever this is that i’m going through). All of those physicians I saw could not explain exactly what’s causing the constant burping much less prescribe an effective medicine for it. This article renewed my hope for a normal amount of burping in my future.
It sounds like you have subcutaneous emphysema. I had surgical emphysema, it feeling like popping rice cakes when you push your skin. You might want to see if you have a perforation in you digestive tract or maybe even your lungs, I’m sure the doctors would have checked you for pneumothorax? Might want to get doctors to check the pressure in your alveoli. Do you have shoulder pains when you lay down, I found I got that when I took too many medications?
Anna,
I have had issues with burping over the last few months and had an endoscopy which identified an esophageal stricture, which was stretched during the procedure.
I’ve wondered if the burping could be related to candidiasis (haven’t been diagnosed with this). Just did a quick search and found this info regarding effects of candidiasis: Stomach – h. pylori bacteria (causes ulcers), heartburn, indigestion, hiatal hernia, acid reflux, belching, vomiting, burning, stomach pains, needle-like pains, food that seems to sit in the stomach like a lump, etc.
from this site: http://foodmatters.tv/articles-1/how-to-overcome-candida-naturally
Food for thought. I hope you feel better.
Sandy
Was on Omeoprazole for 1 year. Started taking 350 matnesium oxide OTC (the cheap one with little sticking power) to resolve foot and leg cramps. It helped with that and also my acid reflux. I have taken only 2 omeoprazole since Sept 2014. It also helped with hot flashes. I only started thise last summer, but they went away with the magnesium. I do see the need to increase my dose of 1 per day to 2 per day on occasion, but I still have no more symptoms. Hope this helps someone here.
I have the same exact symptoms as yours, I am also from the Philippines. I am now taking Esomeprazole from 20mg to 40mg but its not working. Can you give me an advice how to overcome this burping symptoms?
PPI’s cause Burping as they eliminate so much acid that the food cannot be digested.. This causes a burping reaction when the food ferments in the stomach and turns to Gas… Taking these tablets in my opinion will just cause a reaction that will be very hard to reverse.. it can take months to get your body back to normal… Just think fresh clean organic food, do exercise and try to keep calm
and as stress free as possible. Our bodies need care and respect to function well, just like a machine..
The burping from my experience is usually indigestion and needs to be addressed as such.. If you are not digesting your food it will ferment and cause chaos.. also going onto the bowel undigested.. Have you tried digestive enzymes before.. try the chewable form such as Papaya.. Drink lots of water to help food through and have good quality vinegar and oil of salads, lemon on fish and meat and do not eat anything which is packaged or canned… also keep calm and allow your food to go down properly sittig up straight and then maybe take a light walk to help it through… In the morning exercise before you eat and pelvic tilts can help to move air through and keep bowels regular.. Acidpophilus capsules are also great… Try also eliminating dairy which can cause gas.
I am 17, and have really bad heartburn and acid reflux .. I’ve recently just quit smoking because my mom says that’s a big factor to it, my episodes usually last an hour to 3 hours and the pain is so unbearable I take Pepto bismol and tums whenever I get it .. I am just way too busy to make a doctors appointment and I know all they’ll doniy prescribe me medicine .. I heard there was some kin of surgery you can get that helps it ? I’m not sure though ! Just thought I’d share my story (:
Porridge and a pain killer…For now that will work until you sort your diet out. Don’t rely on the painkillers because they just stop the pain not the problem. It doesn’t get rid of the acid but you can get on with your day. I had the surgery to fix it but it didn’t work and now it is worse, I can’t have it corrected either otherwise I might not be able to eat again. Just need to get strict on a stomach friendly diet. Porridge is my best friend!
I was on PPIs off and on for about 16 years. I read a similar article by Charles Poliquin about low acid being the issue. I bought some HCl supplement for about $10 and took one three times a day for a few days then less and now have about half of the bottle left and no heartburn symptoms at all. Hard to believe since I prescribe PPIs on a daily basis. Most of my patients just won’t go along with trying the HCl supplement.
How did you stop the PPI’s, Did you start the HCL while still on the PPI?
Sorry for the delinquent response. I stopped the PPI one day and started the HCL the next. Started tid for a few weeks then cut back. None after about 2 months.
David’s technique did not work for me but I was able to get off PPIs. I was on 60mg Dexilant 2X day. Cut back to one and weaned from there. I took Pepcid while I did this and then got down to just Pepcid. I tried the HCl while on PPis and made me quite sick.
But a year later and I still take Pepcid occasionally and STILL can’t take HCl – I’m just posting in case you have troubles – you are not alone!
Thank you, Alexandra. I am on Nexium alternating with Prilosec OTC, weaning myself down. One day of Nexium, then 3 days of Prilosec. Eventually working towards stopping the Nexium altogether and gradually stopping the Prilosec. I will add the pepsid. What symptoms did the HCI give you? I tried it once and felt very strange.
No mystery symptoms with the HCl – I got nausea and wicked heartburn and stomach pains/burning that took a day to clear. It was BAD. And the next few days I had much more acid than I’d had in weeks. I tried it again 1.5 months later with an even lower amount of HCl and felt equally bad.
This is just a theory but my observation is that people for whom these cures work are having acid reflux and that alone. I had that and IBS and horrible stomach pain. I had a bunch of tests – it turns out that my stomach and duodenum are highly inflamed and that something was up with the bacteria in my whole GI system. 2 course of Xifaxan and my lower GI is fantastic (that said, I take Mag Citrate and high does probiotics now which keep me going well). Through diet I reduced my acid feelings greatly but after 2 months off of anything, my stomach itself is getting worse and I’m getting acid reflux again. So I’m taking Pepcid off and on now. I tried Acid Soothe which makes me FEEL less acidic but gives me – out of nowhere – overnight reflux in my throat. This was never an issue before I took Acid Soothe.
I also get rashes (although the Antibiotics helped that greatly) so I think there is more going on with me which is why a lot of the ‘cures’ make me feel terrible. Ultimately though, since everyone out there on the internet is so yay, HCl (and Paleo for that matter) it’s important to keep in mind that each body is different and there really is no one diet or supplement package that fits all. AIP Paleo helped me but the high fat made me oh, so sick. I basically eat Fail-eo now (low fat protein, sweet potatoes and low fiber rice) which is the best diet I’ve come up with that keeps me from starving and yet I can digest it and doesn’t set my stomach off TOO badly.
If all this is for naught and it works for you, though, great! I wish I’d been so lucky. Alas, not.
You are absolutely right. Anyone who has inflamed intestinal tissue, diagnosed gastritis should NOT take acid inducers like HCL, Betaine, Papaya, Kefir, Kombucha, Fermented Foods, etc. This will cause hours and hours of sheer agony. Clearing gastritis, especially a severe case, is not easy. I don’t have the answer to that but I do know from miserably painful experience not to take the acid inducers when there is inflamed intestinal tissue.
What about ulcer risk? I have silent GERD evidently since I had an esophageal stricture and few symptoms of GERD. I’m concerned I could overdo it with HCL and create more problems. Any thoughts on that?
doctors nowadays are rarely healers and more of sales representatives for pharmaceutical companies
the only health provider you can trust is yourself, eat healthy, fruits and vegetables (NO GMO), drink H2O and ony H2O or freshly squeezed fruits/vegetables and exercise!!! incorporate exercise in your daily routine like walking/riding a bike as your means of transportation, no need to pay for a gym sub, waste of money
Lot of information to digest here. (No pun intended). I strongly believe the best way to treat GERD is through restoring balance and that’s best done through natural means. However, in some cases, more radical therapies are needed. In the long run, though, natural is best.
I should have included in my last post; Wouldn’t my ph study have showm low acid?
Thank you for your time.
I’ve been pretty ill for the past four months with heartburn,reflux, and stomic spasms. I’ve tried all the over the counter and a couple prescription acid reducer’s. None, have helped. All have made my issue worse while trying to take them. I’ve lost a lot of weight due to my issues. I just had a ph study done. My GI doctor said I have acid reflux and irratable bowel. My problem with this is, why are all the meds not working? I’ve just gotten sicker and I cant seem to tolorate much of any meds.
In your opinion, could this be low acid? Could I be this ill from low acid?
I have been sick for 13 months.i have been to several doctors and have treated for acid reflux with Prilosec then nexium. Neither worked for me. I have been doing my own research and just started taking 1 tablespoon 2 times a day of Apple cider vinegar. I literally am getting cured!. I had the worst taste in my mouth for 13 months and that has gone away. I felt sick for 13 months and I am getting my life back. I also tried the Betaine HCL and that is a good option as well.i am convinced I had low stomac acid and was being grated for high stomach acid. Big mistake. Kombuca is also very good.
OMG! this is me to a T! it all just makes everything worse…. i was told the same thing. I dont know what to do anymore or who to listen to anymore. Or i know is my heartburn is shocking and im 26 and have IBS. NO antic acids help at all…. really sucks if you ask me
someone just told me their Dr. told them to take a half shot of 100% agave Tequila in the morning and again at night…his reflux was gone the next time he had an endoscopy.
Any thoughts on this?
So according to this I should drink more. If the goal is to produce more stomach acid…what better way than to drink alcohol regularly?
Great info here however, I’m interested in determining how to get off the meds to try things like HCL. I’ve been on them for several years. I’ve tried to ‘wean’ off but always have rebound even after trying to wean down for months. Any suggestions?
I am 30 and have had heartburn since 15. I used to eat a pack of Tums a day until about 24 then I started taking prilosec. I finally went to the doctor last year. Tested positive for H-pylori(spelling?) And went on antibiotics. Started doing research around this time and found enough info to convince me to kick PPI’s. I had my gallbladder removed in February this year too. I have found that if I skip grains I have almost no heartburn. I eat 1/2 a cup of oatmeal in a am smoothie, that’s about it. If I do have heartburn I can usually mitigate it with some apple cider vinegar (with “the mother”…I don’t now why) and water. About 1 TBSP vinegar to 8 oz or so water. Kill the grains, breads and pastas for a while and see how you feel. We can’t digest them, especially with low stomach acid and honestly most grains have almost no positive health effects, research photo test and anti-nutrients. Also I weened myself with tums. Just my thoughts. Email me if you want more info but I am thinking most of what you need is in this article.
I’ve been on PPIs for over 10 years also. I truly believe it is the reason I’ve got Leaky Gut Syndrome now. When there is no longer any stomach acid, the food you eat is not digested properly, and your body becomes more and more inflamed, now allergies and autoimmune issues. I’ve not found a Dr. who will work with me on getting OFF the GERD medication, so I’m very interested in hearing what others have done, whether HCl or ACV.
Hiya
I would be interested in more info about how to alleviate heartburn through diet please. I also had my gallbladder removed recently.
Great post. It’s about time more people realized that reflux and GERD are often due to too little stomach acid. Once they make that mind shift, the path to wellness is clear.
im 31 year old male and have had heartburn every day since i was 14. Never had much luck just ate tums until zantac came on the market then ate one of those everyday but still would have heartburn at night. You know that feeling after you eat or just before when you get that rumbling belch that triggers the burn. I just started taking a product called Paragone because I have been feeling very fatigued lately. I thought it might be my vitamin D so I started to take supplements and that didn’t do much. So I looked online of course and something about parasites popped up. Well although it has seemed to work a tiny bit for my energy I could not believe it made my refulx go away. I have been taking for the past three days and for the past two I have not taken any antacids or zantac. I have had the belch and then nothing happened. I had eaten pasta then a giant steak dinner and still nothing for two days.I know the energy thing could be a placebo effect but believe me when I tell you if you are reading this refulx can not get a placebo effect. I don’t know if this is a cure or if the reflux may be caused by a parasite of some kind. I just know it happened and hope that it keeps up after I am finished taking this product. It would be a miracle to no longer have reflux as that I can tell you from experience is an awful way to have to go through life. My suggestion is to try some type of parasite cleanse and see if it works. It can’t hurt and I feel all of your pain. Oh also I have been taking fiber supplement as these herbs in these cleanses can back you up if you know what i mean.
Hi. If your parasite cleanse formula included Wormwood (as most do), then it is perhaps no surprise that your heartburn resolved, as another of wormwood’s traditional uses is as a stomachic – i.e. it helps digestion. Wormwood is from the artemesia family of plants.
As a dietitian I work with teens and adults with GERD. The first thing I try is getting them completely off dairy. That appears to solve a lot of issues.
Also, as you age [I know many of you are not that old], the acid production in the stomach decreases. Then, folks start taking anti-acids, like TUMS, and further decrease their acid which leads to undigested foods.
I also find that the fiber intake is really low. Your fiber intake should be about 30 grams a day. You can easily get that from fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds and legumes.
Other foods that frequently cause the problem are alcohol, chocolate, caffeine, fatty foods, citrus.
My rule of thumb suggestion is that clients track their fat and fiber intake for 2-3 days. You can use any online food tracker you want as long as it tracks the fat and fiber. Fat should be 20% of your total intake or less and fiber should be around 30-35 grams daily. For individual food items, fat should be 3 grams or LESS per serving and fiber should be 3 grams or MORE per serving.
FYI – no animal foods have fiber.
LaDiva, How do I find the right kind of dietician to help me with addressing acid reflux? My vocal chords are swollen but honestly none of the doctors can confirm I have acid reflux. Some suggest the swelling is caused by post nadal drip. I would love to find a professional in Reno, NV to help me through this.