One of my clients stopped his Prilosec and is having a terrible time. His symptoms are abdominal pain, constipation, and severe rebound acid reflux. He only had a ‘lump in his throat’ before his doctor told him he had ‘silent reflux’, and started him on this acid inhibitor.
Prilosec seems to be one of the worst, but Pepcid, Zantac, and others, suppress the natural acid the stomach needs to digest food.
Hydrochloric acid (HCL), in the stomach is the only way our body can break down food into basic building blocks so nutrients can be assimilated. It also kills any foreign invaders that we ingest!
The danger of not having enough acid in our stomach is food does not get broken down. So when it’s sent to the small intestine, the particles are too large for the body to use. The acid we feel is from the food not getting digested and fermenting in our gut. This creates a foreign acid that causes acid indigestion, which can lead to ulcers and other problems.
Since nutrients are not available from food that is not broken down, cells now do not have the proper building blocks. The cells in the gut lining have the fastest turn- over of all the cells in our body. If they do not get genuine replacement parts to rebuild, the body can only make faulty cells, which lead to a faulty gut lining!
The gut can’t repair and heal without building blocks so now we are prone to ulcers, leaky gut syndrome, Crohn’s disease and more.
Because our gut is the immune system’s first line of defense, a domino effect ensues! The body is even more compromised with a digestive system that can’t do its job, the nutrients are not available for repair and healing, and the immune system has lost its first line of defense. Now the body starts to break down. Every organ suffers because the basic units (our cells), are not getting fed.
Some side effects of antacids are depression, heart problems, skin irritation, excessive sweating, mood changes, feeling weak, damaged vision, headaches, and severe weight gain, to name a few.
Why these side effects? The body is trying to tell us it is not getting what it needs because it is forced to suppress the little HCL it has. Most of us don’t make enough acid. The answer for 95% of us is to give the gut more acid, not to decrease it!
If you are experiencing an acid stomach, cut way back on simple carbohydrates, and increase green vegetables and healthy oils.
Try taking a spoonful of vinegar or better yet, some betaine hydrochloric acid with meals. Increase dose to no acid indigestion, and decrease dose back if you feel a little warm/burning sensation in your stool.
If HCL makes your acid indigestion worse, you may have a little ulcer and may need to let the gut heal. Find a natural health practitioner who can help you with this.
If you are one of the few who produces too much acid, baking soda would be a better option, (short-term), until you get your digestion back on track with a practitioner.
Our health starts in our gut!! Suppressing symptoms only leads to a plethora of more serious problems because the cause is not being addressed.
Please feel free to contact me for any questions or more details.
www.HealthRestoration1.com
