Gastro Esophageal Reflux Disease, a term for several digestive conditions with different degrees of severity:
Heartburn • Regurgitation • Reflux •
Esophagitis • Bloating • Gas • Indigestion • Hiatal Hernia • etc.
Widespread use of such medicines as:
All the old “reliables:”
How The Medicines Work:
The medicines all work by similar mechanisms of action: They block production of acids in the stomach.
Result: With less acid in the stomach, there is less likelihood of acid refluxing up into the esophagus to cause “heartburn.”
Stomach linings produce too much acid anyway (Hyperacidity), so it is OK to block some of the production.
The acids that are now being blocked from production are not available to aid in the digestion of foods.
Does GERD Need Zantac?
Or is there another approach?
A Naturopathic Path:
By eliminating these, one can greatly reduce or eliminate the symptoms of GERD.
A Naturopathic Assumption:
A more common cause of indigestion is a condition called Hypochlorhydria, a deficiency of gastric acid secretion;
This in direct opposition to the previous assumption of hyperacidity, an excess of stomach (HCl) acid.
Therefore. . . .
Start with 600mg (1 tablet) of hydrochloric acid at the next large meal.
If that does not aggravate symptoms, continue to add one more tablet to each large meal, up to 7 tablets or until you feel a warmth in the stomach. Drop back one tablet.
Why Supplement Rather Than Block?
Hypochlorhydria linked to overgrowth of H. pylori bacteria. . . .and H. pylori increases gastric acidity. By adding HCl to the meals, H. pylori colonization is reduced, thereby restoring a more natural balance.
So. . . Does GERD Need Zantac?