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Why Antacids Will Never Cure Your Heartburn
Heartburn, also referred to as acid reflux or indigestion, is one of the many common symptoms of compromised health that we’ve come to accept as normal. According to the National Institute of Health, 20% of Americans suffer from heartburn symptoms at least once per week, and nearly half of these people experience symptoms every day.
As with most health problems, conventional medicine treats the heartburn symptoms of acid reflux without making any effort to understand or address its cause. Unfortunately, the popular methods of treating heartburn symptoms actually worsen their most common cause and can potentially lead to significant health issues.
Stomach acid, which is also called hydrochloric acid or HCL, is necessary for many bodily functions. Low stomach acid is the condition where the stomach produces an inadequate amount of HCL. This condition is also called hypochlorhydria. Millions of people erroneously try to suppress HCL production by taking antacids. This error has many dangerous implications for many systems of the human body.
The production of stomach acid naturally declines with age. In fact, we produce about half as much stomach acid by the time we’re in our forties as we did in our teens. Despite this decline, the incidence of acid reflux increases considerably with age. If acid reflux is far more common with older people who are producing less stomach acid, then how could excessive acid production possibly be the cause?Possible symptoms of hypochlorhydria:
- Loss of appetite for high protein foods
- "Acid stomach” relieved by eating
- Bad breath and body odor
- Gas shortly after eating
- Indigestion lasting 30-60 Min. after eating, that last up to 4 hours
- Frequent visible ingigested food particle in the stool
- Difficulty digesting Fruits and vegetables
- Acid and spicy foods cause stomach upset
Hydrochloric acid breaks up food in the stomach into its components for safe delivery to the small intestine, while also providing protection against pathogenic bacteria. This helps prevent food allergies and is associated with decreased allergy responses. If food is not being properly broke down, the intestines won’t be able to absorb as many nutrients from food, causing nutritional deficiencies in a number of vitamins and minerals such as calcium, iron, and vitamin B12.
Stomach acid is needed to coordinate signals to the nervous system for opening and closing the lower esophageal sphincter (the muscular-valve from the esophagus to the stomach) as well as the stomach’s exit valve, the pyloric sphincter, for opening and closing for passage of food into the beginning of the small intestine. Proper coordination of these valves prevents acid reflux, and GERD.
At Baxter Chiropractic, we provide digestive enzyme supplements that contain betaine hydrochloride, which when combined with pepsin (another digestive enzyme in the stomach), increases the production of hydrochloric acid. This is a great way to jump start your stomach into producing HCL on its own!
To test the need for HCL supplementation at home is to mix 2 Tbsp of apple cider vinegar in 4 oz of water and drink before a meal on an empty stomach. If this causes burning, then you should not take HCL supplementation, as you might have a stomach ulcer. If it does not cause burning, then HCL most likely will improve your digestion.
Some other ways to help out your digestive system: Use herbal bitters such as peppermint, ginger, wormwood, or dandelion to help stimulate more HCL. Also, chewing your food more thoroughly helps facilitate good digestion and reduce the burden on your digestive system, increasing surface area of the food being exposed to digestive enzymes.
So stop taking those antacids and start taking some acid. You’ll be amazed at how healthier your body will feel!