Acid Reflux Caused by Too Little Acid, Not Too Much

Ah, then I don't have acid reflux.

I DO have too much acid in my stomach though... because every time my stomach aches and I take Alka-Seltzer, a few good burps and 30 minutes later there is absolute relief.

This is SOO true. My in-laws all eat processed, starchy foods and claim that tomatoes, lemons, fruits and fresh vegetables gives them acid reflux. I eat a ton of fresh fruits and vegetables and never had heartburn.

They are all sick and suffer from gastric problems. They obviously think that any fresh fruit and acid vegetable will give them more acid stomachs.

But frankly I can't see how anyone can eat all the processed, refined, starch crap they eat and not have bad digestion. If you don't season your food with spices, fruits and fresh herbs and vegetables, you're basically using a lot of fat (butter, cheese, mayonnaise, fat-based gravies, etc). The combination of fats and starches is a recipe for acid stomach.

I'm totally on board with the idea that the acid reflux epidemic in America today is caused by bad diet.

Mercola is right on target with this video. His talk is really good in this video, too. That GERD medication is really bad.

I have Acid Reflux
It is caused by taking too much alcohol such as shoots and vodka in my opinion

I remember Carter's Little Liver Pills. OTC stomach acid supplement.

you obviously didnt read the link or watch the video going by your post.

indeed, mercola continues to impress.

Last Edited by ID2268 on 04/26/2009 11:29 AM

Drink a half-ounce of vinegar in a cup of warm water to alleviate acid reflux. I use white vinegar but apple cider is good, too. After a while the reflux may even go away. I used to take that ariprazole all the time. But ever since drinking a bit of vinegar, I maybe take the pills once or twice a month. The vinegar is maybe two or three times a month.

I take honey in my coffee. A few years ago I experienced and suffered acid reflux for the first, and last, time. I was a bit shocked as I am youngish and consider myself healthy and eat mostly organics, etc. At one point during the several weeks I suffered from this ailment I realized That my condition appeared the same time I started using the new 1/2 gallon jug of honey. I stopped using the suspect honey and the symptoms disappeared soon after! Either the honey was contaminated with something that caused this or perhaps I was feeding something else responsible such as a blood born fungus? But, I can not stop thinking about the Colony collapse disorder going on with the bees and think there is a connection. Perhaps the crops (GMO, pesticide?) making the bees sick and dead is also causing the Acid Reflux Disease? Something for other sufferers to chew on...hope I helped.

RAW apple cider vinegar = 1 tablespoon
with 8oz of water.

Drink. Bye bye acid reflux.

All your acid reflux are belong to us.

Acid Reflux is the bubbleing back up of the CO2 gas products of fermentation in the intestines. As it passes back through the stomach it picks up some stomach acid takeing it to the throat. This poor inproper digestion that results in yeast promotion and fermentation is the result of TOO LITTLE stomach acid! Too little stomach acid is caused mostly by the stupid elimination of salt from the diet. How in Hell can your body make enough hydrochloric acid for proper digestion without a source of chlorine?~~~~~~~~my thanks to that stupid looking, 70 something, beautiful blonde bimbo Dr. Lorraine Day for this logical correct diagnosis

Then why does my prescribed Nexium work so well? I am not happy that I must take Nexium every day forever, but the minute I miss one, my stomach lets me know. Its funny because when the discomfort starts, my mood also immediately changes - I get really grumpy. All this at almost exactly the 24 hour mark. One pill, good for another 24. Nexium is a prohibitor and my understanding is it prevents your stomach from producing excess acid.

Then why does my prescribed Nexium work so well? I am not happy that I must take Nexium every day forever, but the minute I miss one, my stomach lets me know. Its funny because when the discomfort starts, my mood also immediately changes - I get really grumpy. All this at almost exactly the 24 hour mark. One pill, good for another 24. Nexium is a prohibitor and my understanding is it prevents your stomach from producing excess acid.

PERHAPS BECAUSE YOU HAVE BECOME A DRUG ADDICT.

JUST BECAUSE YOU DESTROY THE ACID, DONT MEAN YOU ARE CURED.

SAME AS BLOOD PRESSURE MEDS. THEY "WORK" BUT ONLY BY SLOWING THE HEART DOWN, DONT ADDRESS THE CAUSE, IF ANY.

GL

yep me too. it is hell if i do not get my nexium.

Works well.

[joking]What does this have to do with swine flu???[/joking]

I've had acid reflux for about 15 years and was taking OTC meds for treatment. They eventually stopped being effective and since I didn't want to add another prescription drug to my life I looked for other remedies. Someone on GLP recommended a pickle a day to neutralize the acid and what do you know it actually worked for me. I know in theory this is the same as the vinegar in water but the pickles taste better to me.

PPI's are DANGEROUS medications.

b\How to Wean Yourself Off Dangerous Acid Reflux Drugs

If you suffer with this condition, and made the unwise choice of seeing a conventional physician for it, you’ve likely been put on a proton pump inhibitor like Prilosec or Prevacid.

Please understand that these are very dangerous drugs. It’s the last thing you’ll want to take for this condition.

Unfortunately, proton pump inhibitors are very popular because they work quite well. However, you’ll develop both tolerance and dependence on them, so you can’t stop taking them without suffering serious repercussions.

You should NEVER stop taking proton pump inhibitors cold turkey. You have to wean yourself off them gradually or else you’ll experience a severe rebound of your symptoms, and the problem may end up being worse than before you started taking the medication.

Ideally, you’ll want to get a lower dose than you’re on now, and then gradually decrease your dose. Once you get down to the lowest dose of the proton pump inhibitor, you can start substituting with an over-the-counter H2 blocker like Tagamet, Cimetidine, Zantac, or Raniditine. Then gradually wean off the H2 blocker over the next several weeks.

Safe and Effective Strategies That Can Eliminate Acid Reflux

While you wean yourself off these drugs (if you’re already on one), you’ll want to start implementing a lifestyle modification program that can eliminate this condition once and for all.

These strategies include:

Eliminating food triggers -- Food allergies can be a problem, so you’ll want to completely eliminate items such as caffeine, alcohol, and all nicotine products.

Increasing your body’s natural production of stomach acid -- Like I said earlier, acid reflux is not caused by too much acid in your stomach -- it’s usually a problem with too little acid. One of the simplest strategies to encourage your body to make sufficient amounts of hydrochloric acid (stomach acid) is to consume enough of the raw material.

One of the simplest, most basic food items that many people neglect is a high quality sea salt (unprocessed salt).

I recommend eliminating processed, regular table salt for a lot of different reasons, all of which I’ve reviewed before. But an unprocessed salt like Himalayan salt -- one of the best salts on the planet – will not only provide you with the chloride your body needs to make hydrochloric acid, it also contains over 80 trace minerals your body needs to perform optimally, biochemically.

Taking a hydrochloric acid supplement – Another option is to take a betaine hydrochloric supplement, which is available in health food stores without prescription. You’ll want to take as many as you need to get the slightest burning sensation and then decrease by one capsule. This will help your body to better digest your food, and will also help kill the helicobacter and normalize your symptoms.

Modifying your diet – Eating large amounts of processed foods and sugars is a surefire way to exacerbate acid reflux as it will upset the bacterial balance in your stomach and intestine.

Instead, you’ll want to eat a lot of vegetables, and high quality, organic, biodynamic, and locally grown foods. You can also supplement with a high quality probiotic or make sure you include fermented foods in your diet. This will help balance your bowel flora, which can help eliminate helicobacter naturally.

Optimizing your vitamin D levels -- As I’ve mentioned many times in the past, vitamin D is essential, and it’s essential for this condition as well because there’s likely an infectious component causing the problem. Once your vitamin D levels are optimized, you’re also going to optimize your production of 200 antimicrobial peptides that will help your body eradicate any infections that shouldn’t be there.

You’ll want to make sure your vitamin D level is about 60 ng/ml, and I strongly recommend you use LabCorp, which is a high quality testing facility.

As I’ve discussed in many previous articles, you can increase your vitamin D levels through appropriate amounts of sun exposure, or through the use of a safe tanning bed.

If neither of those are available, you can take an oral vitamin D3 supplement. However, whenever you use oral vitamin D, it’s imperative you get tested regularly to make sure you’re not reaching toxic levels.

Implementing an exercise routine – Exercise is yet another way to improve your body’s immune system, which is imperative to fight off all kinds of infections.




Related Links:

Dramatic Relief From Heartburn


Non-Drug Options for GERD


Why Inhibiting Acid Production With Prilosec and Prevacid Could Make Ulcers Worse



[link to articles.mercola.com]

I was just diagnosed with GERD and was prescribed two prilosec a day (am and pm) and a zantac before bed. It's not doing much. It seems to me that attacking the source in the intestines seems like a more logical approach rather than halting stomach acid.

That's funny. Of course I am not cured, if I was then I wouldn't require Nexium. But I can say I didn't acknowledge I had a problem, even though for months I would periodically almost choke on a bite of food, until I almost choked to death. A scope test showed the scar tissue from acid spashing up into the esophagus had built up, blocking it. This situation, if not caught, will lead to cancer. Six months after the Nexium, another scope showed all swelling caused by the scar tissue was gone,the area had normalized, and the scar tissue could actually do its job. I saw before and after pictures taken by the scope, and it was dramatic. Addressing the cause is a good idea, I could change my diet and get mixed results and still experience the same symptons, or just enjoy my life, eat healthy, and be happy.

Good video.

Couple things.

Like he was saying, you are dealing with issues, not because of to much acid, but from acid being "refluxed" back into the esophagus.

Stimulants like, nicotine, theobromine, and caffeine will "relax" your pyloric sphincter, allowing the acid to come out of the stomach or "reflux" into your esophagus.

He mentioned booze, that should be obvious, especially beer. You have alcohol which relaxes and carbonation, which also plays a factor in GERD.

Make sure you give yourself at least 2 hours, 3 would be better, between you last meal and when you sleep.

Limit carbonated beverages or eliminate them all together.

You can eat high fat meals, now and again. Just understand it will take awhile to settle and breakdown, so if you are already having issues, you will have "reflux" because of it. So it is a good idea, not just for health, but for your reflux to reduce you fat intake. Try to eat good fat, they breakdown faster.

ALWAYS check other medications you are taking. Perhaps that is the answer you are looking for in trying to reduce your reflux.

As with virtually anything, if you are more than 15 pounds overweight, that could and is most likely a contributing factor. You drop the extra pounds, you WILL see a reduction in your symptoms, not to mention you will sleep better, fuck longer and have more energy.

Finally, just because I saw this in the pharmacy I worked. A gentlemen was basically hooked on HALLS cough drops. What harm is in that? Well first off, he used to only eat the regular ones and it destroyed his molars. All that sugar sitting against his teeth all day long. He told me, he went to three dentist before they figured that out. So he switched to sugar-free. Now he is older and has wicked "reflux". His gastroenterologist suggested he stop eating the HALLS as the menthol is most likely relaxing his pyloric sphincter. He stopped eating them, and he still has some "reflux", but he has seen a big reduction. Of course now he is going to follow some of the things I mentioned that is doctor told him. He will reduce his acid and it allow his esophagus to be repaired.

Minor changes. Quick fix. No brainer.

[link to www.youtube.com]

Yes it is, and YOUR theory is bovine excrement.


.

It is not a theory, and certainly not bovine excrement. It is a very common health problem.

Thanks for the suggestion.

I've had it for years and will try this. I love pickles anyway.

again, the nexium reduces acid in the stomach....if you have a hiatal hernia, and many people do and don't know it, so when you take nexium it will reduce the acid even more and prevent it from entering the esophagus.

GREAT specific additional info on the relaxation of the esophageal sphincter.

TUVM!

Last Edited by Andromeda on 04/26/2009 01:30 PM

Yes indeed. I really trust his opinions and always read his newsletters.

I would seriously recommend using the apple cider vinegar as the common grape variety is far too alkaline ..

I would use a cap-full in a half a cup of warm water. or have it straight.

Mind you..

I nearly bled to death once from a bleeding gastric ulcer.. you have to go straight to ER when you spew coffee coloured vomit or shit bloody stools. NOT wait and see if it gets better by itself, it wont.. you will just vomit and crap yourself again (with the worst stuff imaginable to man) and possibly die. They (surgeons) need to go down your gut with a scope and cauterise the hole in the ulcer.

( I am sure the infrequent shots of vinegar did not have anything to do with it.. I hadn't had any for years.)

It was mostly the stupid idea of taking aspirin regularly as a heart attack preventative(BAD!-don't buy this one people) and drinking the odd bottle of scotch or bourbon or a regular 3 beers a night and eating a diet that comprised mainly of spice and chilli.. pizza, Indian, Thai ..etc

Was on the prescribed proton-pump inhibitor.. ((pantoprazole)that is often also given for Acid reflux) for a month or 2 after .. but I wasn't crazy about the long term idea and the effects on the liver..etc so I stopped them a month or so ago.. now just taking taking the occasional Licorice cap (2000mg) and the occasional bit of not too spicy food doesn't seem to bother me at all.. no more alcohol or caffeine for now. But I am not ruling out a little bit now and then in the future.

Last Edited by mu1ti on 04/26/2009 02:16 PM

Thanks for the warning, but this really is old news in the alternative medicine circles. I've known about this for 5-6 years.

The first and best step to stopping acid reflux, is to stop consuming sugar. Especially sweetened/caffeinated coffee's, tea's, and soda's. Unsweetened, decaffeinated versions are ok for tea and coffee. No soda period, even if it's "natural" or whatever. Especially not diet soda.

Also, start taking pro-biotics that help with digestion. Most of you have probably stripped your intestines of most friendly bacterias at this point.

Stay away from products that reduce stomach acid, like Prilosec. Those can case permanent lifelong reduction of acid production.

Most people who do these few things will have eliminated their acid reflux. You will still have the occasional heartburn after a spicy meal, but this is normal. I might have it a couple times a month now, as opposed to every single second of the day like before.

As always, consult your medical care provider first.