Natural relief from heartburn, reflux, indigestion and GERD

Natural relief from heartburn, reflux, indigestion and GERD

If you suffer from heartburn, indigestion, reflux, or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), you can find relief. Why Stomach Acid Is Good for You by Jonathan V. Wright and Lane Lenard, Ph.D., is pretty eye-opening and might help you understand the real culprit of your pain.

Drs. Wright and Lenard begin the book with the story of a gray patient. He literally had no shades of pink on his body. He was 61 years old at the time and very tired. In his 40s, he began taking Tums or Rolaids for indigestion, and years later found relief by taking a prescription antacid, Tagamet. By the time he ended up in the doctor's office, he had been taking Tagamet every day for almost seven years.

Doctors further explain the acid indigestion myth. Many people self-diagnose their symptoms in a similar way to "Mr. Gray" and find relief by adopting antacids such as Tums or Rolaids. Often they complete a prescription medication such as Prilosec, Prevacid, Tagamet, Zantac, Pepcid or Axid. These methods reduce the amount of stomach acid. This seems like a good protocol and makes sense, right? It was interesting to learn that heartburn symptoms increase with age, while at the same time our stomach acid levels decrease. But doesn't heartburn come from too much stomach acid? That's what the doctors and commercials say.

Doctors share the view that the real culprit is most often low stomach acid levels and inappropriate timing of gastric acid secretion. Antacids temporarily relieve symptoms, but long-term use can lead to dependence and a variety of other medical problems. They said that antacids “dry up the river but don’t fix the dam.” Often when people are free from antacids, their problems return with vengeance.

This book teaches how the GI tract works and gives people the tools to treat the problem. One of the steps in treating the problem is getting a correct diagnosis, eliminating food allergies/sensitivities and toxins, and taking the right supplements. The correct diagnosis is crucial. I was shocked to learn that when people go to the doctor complaining of heartburn, indigestion, reflux, or GERD, many doctors are happy to write them a prescription for an antacid instead of running a test to see if their stomach acid levels are really high. I conducted my own little test of this theory and asked several people who regularly take over-the-counter or prescription antacids if their doctors had tested their stomach acid levels. Their answers completely supported the doctors' claims... none of them had been tested. I was speechless.

Low stomach acids cause poor nutrient absorption and bacterial overgrowth and can lead to other problems. The book covers other diseases and problems that can arise from poor nutrient absorption, such as leg cramps, rheumatoid arthritis, childhood asthma, type 1 diabetes, osteoporosis, chronic fatigue, depression, cancer, and graying of the skin.

Is this overwhelming and depressing news for you? Well, take heart. The Drs. provide step-by-step instructions with the correct dosage of supplements that will help your stomach acid levels return to normal. This includes eliminating things that inhibit enzymes that produce stomach acid fluoride and chlorine. They also talk about foods and substances to avoid such as nicotine, caffeine, sugar, alcohol and milk. Some of the supplements they discuss are HCL and Pepsin. This book is worth reading. There is hope for healing the pain and discomfort you experience from heartburn, reflux, indigestion or GERD.

Inspired by Nori Matsumoto