When most people are asked if their upset stomach or Acid Reflux is caused by stomach acid, they would nod in agreement. They’ve been misinformed, though. The truth is that stomach acids are necessary for the proper functioning of our body – including breaking down the food we eat so that the gastrointestinal tract can absorb nutrients and push waste on through ‘to the other side.’
Digestive acids produced by the stomach are NOT the root of Acid Reflux, GERD (Gastroesophageal reflux disease) or digestive disorders. Though we’ve demonized stomach acid is an evil and the ultimate culprit behind our acid reflux. Actually, the reverse is true. What we need as a holistic GERD treatment, instead of blaming our stomachs for doing what our body needs them to do.
Stomach acid is released by the body to ‘digest’ the food that we eat. If there is no ‘stomach acid’, we will not be able to digest anything. Further, if the ‘stomach acid’ is less than required, digestion will remain incomplete and the undigested food will cause us MORE ‘acid reflux’ and ‘GERD’ problems. In fact, undigested food can sit in the gut, creating a smelly, toxic mess. This can lead to chronic fatigue syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome and more.
So, actually, we need MORE ‘stomach acid’ to digest food in its entirety. Once the food is fully digested, there would no longer be an upset stomach, nor acid reflux. Certainly, we wouldn’t have to deal with continued bouts of GERD.
The real problem is a lack of ‘stomach acid’ and NOT an excess of it. Though this sounds contrary to what you might have assumed, it it astoundingly true!
It is also the reason why you might want to consider a herbal remedy for GERD. Simply reducing your stomach acid isn’t going to solve the problem, after all.
Failed Attempts at Correcting ‘Too Much Stomach Acid’
When we eat a healthy diet, our food contains enzymes which help to break down food once it is inside our bodies. In an attempt to overcompensate for lack of enzymes in the food we eat due to indulging in sweet and processed foods, or simply having a lack of fruits and vegetables which amply provide these enzymes, the stomach produces an inordinate amount of stomach acid to compensate, leading to acid indigestion.
Taking antacids and ‘purple pills’ doesn’t actually solve the problem. This desperate attempt to alleviate our suffering merely eliminates oneof the symptoms. Ultimately, though, our stomach passes even more quantities of poorly digested food into the intestinal tract where it leads to gas, bloating, bad digestion, and chronic digestive disorders. This can eventually lead to harming your pancreas, which tries to compensate by producing huge amounts of digestive enzymesfor use in the small intestine.
This whole unsavory process becomes aggravated by foods and beverages such as alcohol (especially beer), high sugar foods, and caffeinated foods (coffee and tea, etc.) that can actually doubleacid production.
The simple solution for most people with excess stomach acid is to supplement with a natural herbal remedy, ACIDIM, which stimulates stomach acid secretion instantly while also correcting the digestive system’s functioning. When our stomach can actually digest properly from supporting it with this natural herbal remedy, we effectively eliminate the need for large amounts of stomach acid. This also takes a tremendous stress off the digestive system and gives our poor, overworked pancreas a much-deserved break.
Correcting ‘Too Little Stomach Acid’
If we spend lots of time forcing our bodies to massively overproduce stomach acid in order to compensate for the lack of enzymes in our unhealthy diets, what do you think the long-term consequences might be in terms of our ability to produce a healthy level of stomach acid?
You are getting the idea now.
Eventually, the body’s capacity to produce stomach acid begins to fade, with a concomitant loss in it’s ability to sufficiently process food in the stomach. The health consequences can be profound. Low production of stomach acid is quite common and becomes more prevalent with age.
For instance, by age forty, 40% of the population is affected, and by age sixty, 50%. A person over age 40 who visits a doctor’s office has about a 90% probability of having low stomach acid. Consequences can include:
- Poor digestion. Not only is there insufficient stomach acid to break down food, there is insufficient acidity to optimize the digestive enzyme pepsin, which requires a pH of around 2.0. This results in partial digestion of food, leading to gas, bloating, belching, diarrhea/constipation, autoimmune disorders, skin diseases, rheumatoid arthritis, and a host of intestinal disorders such as Crohn’s and IBS.
- It is estimated that 80% of people with food allergiessuffer from some degree of low acid production in the stomach.
- Vitamins cannot be absorbed by your body. Many vitamins and minerals require proper stomach acid in order to be properly absorbed, including: calcium, iron, vitamin B12, and folic acid. Vitamin B12 in particular requires sufficient stomach acid for proper utilization. Without that acid, severe B12 deficiency can result.
- With low acidity and the presence of undigested food, harmful bacteria are more likely to colonize the stomachand interfere with digestion. Normal levels of ‘stomach acid’ help to keep the digestive system free of harmful bacteria and parasites.
It’s worth noting that symptomsof low acid levels in the body include:
- Bloating, belching, and flatulence immediately after meals.
- Indigestion, diarrhea, or constipation.
- Heartburn / acid Reflux / chronic cough.
- Hair loss
Is it just me, or doesn’t this list sound very similar to the symptoms associated with toomuch stomach acid? Thankfully a healthy, holistic, natural alternative to dealing with any stomach acid imbalance is available.
Oddly, up to 95% of people who thinkthey are suffering from too much stomach acid are actually suffering from the exact opposite condition. The use of antacids and purple pills then become exactly the ‘wrong treatment’ to use since they exacerbate the underlying condition while temporarily masking the symptoms.
Why an Antacid is Not the Right Treatment ?
When you first experience the symptoms of acid reflux or GERD, don’t reach for an Antacid tablet and /or liquids. As their very names suggest, they are marked as “anti acid” and work as “acid blockers”.
As hopefully we’ve established, this is the last thing you really need – though you are certainly yearning for relief. This habit of reaching for antacids will only create future incidents of acid reflux or GERD and then you will need these antacid tablets ALL THE TIME!
This coping mechanism then leads to three problems, all of which get worse the longer you use these types of drugs.
- First, proteins aren’t broken downproperly and certain minerals aren’t being absorbed because stomach acid is required for this to happen. When the improperly digested substances reach the intestines, gas-forming bacteria multiply quicker and cause a serious gas problem.
- Second, low stomach acid eventually causes a protein deficiency. Your body then robs protein from joint surfaces and moves it to the areas where it’s needed. This can lead to possible arthritis.
- Third, a lack of stomach acid impairs the digestion and assimilation of calcium, which can result in many health problems, including muscle cramps and osteoporosis.
The Easy Way to Solve GERD with a Holistic Treatment
There are a few simple steps you can take to make sure you remain healthy and rid the nuisance of Acid reflux from your life for good.
An old Ayurvedic saying stresses the importance of front-loading calories at the beginning of the day.
Because we start moving and thinking in the morning. Our bodies start to burn calories. Our metabolism is the fastest in early morning. If we eat an early and heavy breakfast, we have the largest opportunity through our movements the rest of the day to burn them up.
Breakfast literally means: ‘breaking your fast’. When you get up in the morning it may be 8 to 12 hours since you last ate (unless you’re a secret night binger) and your blood sugar levels will be very low.
Having a proper breakfast is going to set you up for the rest of the day. Sadly most people leading hectic lives tend to skip breakfast altogether, or – in the best case scenario – they just have a morning beverage on-the-go which hardly contains the nutrients needed for the body to function properly. This may result in less mental sharpness as well as decreased efficiency, among other things. If you often start to feel depelted before lunch time, it might mean you aren’t getting enough calories at breakfast time.
Having a complete, balanced and healthy breakfast can really make a difference. You should aim to get at least 25 to 30 percent of your daily caloric intake from the first meal of the day.
Studies have also shown that people who eat a healthy breakfast each day have greater control over their daily calorie intake and, overall, they tend to have lower body weights, with a reduced tendency for obesity.
In other words, it’s better to have dinner for breakfast than breakfast for dinner.
Why We Should Eat Lunch Like a Prince and Dinner Like a Pauper ?
Our caloric need decreases as each of the hours of the day passes by. The metabolism also slows down as the day progresses and the chances of burning the calories we consume are far fewer as nighttime approaches.
Another way to make sure you get enough calories is to consume protein at the first meal of the day.
Your stomach churns out nearly all of its hydrochloric acid when you begin eating. So, if you begin a meal with a salad, as many of us in this country do, you “waste” the acid. That’s because the carbohydrates that make up a salad require no hydrochloric acid for digestion. Later, when the protein foods (meat, fish, beans, and cheese) need the acid, there’s none left. So always eat the vegetable salad either with the protein food, or after, but never before.
When You Should Eat Dinner
When it comes to dinner, eating late generally conflicts with our internal body clock because it’s starting to wind down and get ready for sleep. If we’re simply not set up to process the food we’re taking in, it’s probably not the best time for a big meal.
Nutritionist Linda Morgan from the University of Surrey wanted to see how efficient we are at processing food at night compared to in the morning. She conducted an experiment where participants were given the exact same foods at night and at breakfast. She then tested their blood glucose levels to see how much glucose their bodies were hanging onto.
Morgan says blood glucose levels indicate how efficiently your body is processing and storing glucose, and high levels of glucose in the blood after a meal can point to future health risks, such as diabetes. Her experiment found that blood glucose levels after an evening meal were much higher than when the exact same meal was eaten earlier in the day.
Morgan says this means we should try to get most of our calories earlier in the day, and have lighter, earlier evening meals when possible.