Heartburn / GERD

From various comments on a mercola article:

The parietal cells in the stomach produce hydrochloric acid.  Plant eating animals do NOT produce hydrochloric acid.  Meat eating animals do.  Hydrochloric acid sanitizes the stomach and breaks down proteins primarily.  Lactic acid is produced from rotting, undigested, putrefying foods that lay in your stomach waiting for the hydrochloric acid to be produced to LOWER THE pH to between 1.5 and 3.0 pH.  If your parietal cells are subdued for some reason, you will not be producing or utilizing good HCL that you need to create good digestion.  If the pH of your stomach does not go down to those values, as the chyme passes into the jejunum, calcium, magnesium, or zinc will not get absorbed into your body.
Antacids are the most stupid way of dealing with heart burn.  They STOP the normal digestive process and create lots of toxins that your body has to eliminate and this causes lots of dysbiosis, osteoporosis, toxic liver, and all kinds of fodder for parasites, viruses, bacteria, and fungus to live on in your intestines.
As we age, eat processed foods, etc., this uses up the HCL and leaves little for good digestion.  By the time you reach 70, you are producing about 5% of the HCL you did at 25.  Since the body stores toxins in fat tissue, this is why you get a gut starting in your late 20's.  You are not digesting well.  By 70, you are starving to death.
Doctors are STUPID if they prescribe antacids for typical GERD or acid reflux.  There I said it and I mean it.  It's important to get a good HCL product and HCL Activator along with a good DIGEST that contains all the pancreatic enzymes.  The HCL must be from a "once living source" like sugar beets, but not laboratory made.  This is critical to great success.  Acid indigestion goes away in less than 3 min.
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Normally the digestive system produces enough hydrochloric acid and enzymes to break down food.  However as a result of increased stress; Many people are not producing enough HCL and enzymes.  Those with low HCL levels are not able to get nutrients out of food, as they are simply passed through the intestinal tract with minimal absorption.  HCL deficiency causes a nutrient deficiency which in turn causes disease.  For those of you who would like to test your HCL levels for deficiency;  I have a system which you can use at home.  For my detailed article and video, see link below: blogs.siliconvalleyfit.com/adin/2010/05/digestive-system-absorption-an..

 ------Here is an explanation of what accounts for 90% of heartburn in America.
Digestion:
1. Mastication
2. Mixing with saliva to begin processing starches.
3. Further breaking down of food in the stomach by HCL
4. After the food is processed in the stomach it is passed to the small intestines where it is combined with bile from the liver to break down fats.
5. and so on and so on.
Here is the catch 22 How long does food reside in the stomach?
Answer - it resides in the stomach until it is fully processed. (our stomach is smarter than we think)
If YOU DO NOT HAVE SUFFICIENT HCL IN YOUR STOMACH TO PROCESS THE FOOD CONSUMED, THE STOMACH WILL KEEP IT IN RESIDENCE!!!
If food stays in the stomach too long the sphincter muscle at the top of the stomach tires. This muscles job is keeping food and acid in your stomach, NOT in your esophagus.
When it tires, stomach contents (hydrochloric acid and undigested food) are released into the esophagus. Heartburn is the result.
The proper treatment is MORE ACID! Betaine Hydrochloride - a tablet or two prior to a meal boosts the hcl level and insures the stomach will empty before the sphincter muscle gives out.
The diet of most Americans is contrary to good digestion in the stomach. Large quantities of liquid are excellent for your body BUT NOT WHILE EATING MEALS!!
Large volumes of liquid dilute stomach acid beyond the stomachs ability to recover. Insuring extended residence in the stomach and sphincter muscle failure!
Do not take acid pump inhibitors!
Food will stay even longer in your stomach BUT when your sphincter muscle tires the food that leaks into your esophagus has so little acid it will not cause discomfort.
People who take acid pump inhibitors for a year or more have significant health problems they did not have before. One of which is 30% higher probability of a broken hip! If food can not be digested the body can not get the nutrients required!
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An excellent explanation...  I experienced severe acid reflux and my sphincter muscle did give out and my esophagus was damaged, and I had taken PPIs (and other antacids) on and off for years.  My solution:  raw veggies every day (with every meal, if needed).  Cucumbers especially.  Also celery and carrots.  Initially, I juiced cucumbers and carrots and drank just before eating a meal.  Now, I just eat the raw veggies.  Eliminate chocolate and cut down or eliminate refined sugar and flour.  PLEASE do not take any drugs.  They WILL leave you worse off.  Your condition will worsen over time.  If you have prolonged fullness after eating, pain at the top of your stomach (where valve leads from esophagus to stomach), and/or burning coming up through your esophagus, please try adding raw veggies.  They contain natural enzymes that will help you digest and work better than any expensive enzyme supplement I've tried.  The worst problems often have the simplest (and cheapest) solutions!

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I have several 'overweight' relatives with this problem, including me.  The solution for ALL of us was don't eat so much bread and pasta ect. Especially for 2-3 hrs before bed.
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Eat no gluten.....Celiac can cause acid reflex due to low stomach acid since it wrecks the gut lining cells that make HCl....I take HCl and Now brand- Super enzymes with each meal. www.enterolab.com helps to diagnose Celiac. Blood tests and biospies may not work half of the time to diagnose Celiac. The person may also need a Vit B12 shot since the same gut cells that make HCl also make intrinsic factor to carry Vit B12 into the intestines.
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Eat a piece of fresh celery when heartburn ocurs. Helps immediately!
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H. Pylori can easily be killed by using MMS1, It can Ameliorate countless Conditions, Yeast, Mold, Bacterias and Viruses. I am currently using it to Kill the Hepetitis C Virus, and in this process It has almost riped out My Candida. H.Pylori would be a Piece of Cake for MMS! I can attest to the Powerful action of MMS, and used as directed, IS Harmless. May I suggest You do some reading on this Wonderful Solution.
http://www.mmsanswers.com/  Jim Humble should get the Nobel Prize,IMO! Truelly amazing, yet simple Technology. -----greyarea-
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Here is the Link to the MMS Home Website.http://jimhumble.biz/index.htm ..Yes I believe MMS should be in every Home Medicine Chest, It is that Good !  -----greyarea-
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None of the prescribed or OTC drugs are needed any more when organic sulfur is added to one’s diet, with no restrictions once the gut has had time to repair the damage done.
Our study members eat anything from Vegan to only meat, all report benefits but the
Vegans respond remarkably well being that certain amino acids can not be derived from food with no sulfur amino acids.
The only side effect of ingesting sulfur is healthy cellular regeneration.
112 elements make up man and everything we knows in the physical world.  All of the synthetic compounds of pharmacopeia can not replace a single element, a single mineral.

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Kombucha helps maintain the PH balance of the digestive system. Drink at least 6 oz daily to help keep cancer from being able to generate from out of your Barretts

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Yes there are some Items that will help. The Body to the best of My Knowledge cannot produce the Enzyme DPP-IV Protease, or If it can, cannot produce much of that enzyme, which is needed to Digest Gluten, and the Milk Protein Casein. All Digestive Enzyme Products don't contain this Enzyme...
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There is a higher incidence of H. Pylori being found in people with acid reflux symptoms as well as ulcers. One can be tested to find out for sure.
Mastic Gum at 1-2 gms per day for 2-4 weeks is known to kill it.
Drinking 6 oz of Kombucha (probiotic fermented tea) daily took care of the acid reflux problem for me. It gets the digestive systems chemistry/flora back into balance. Results are pretty immediate. The Ginger flavor was especially Divine relief.

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The Betain HCL sure worked for my mom, and I am starting to see that I could benifit from adding it to my supplements as the vinegar in a class of water does not seem to be enough for someone old like myself. I won't stop with the vinegar as it has become a habit! A very good habit.

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Boy, I'm so confused!  I was diagnosed with severe acid reflux with a hiatel hernia several years ago.  Try eating and bloating after every meal.  I've since improved my diet in all the ways recommended above.  I make my own kefir, kombucha, take probiotics, and digestive enzymes with every meal...oh yes, and milk thistle, too.  It got so bad I had to take TWO of the generic omeprazole per day, and then I was still having acids run up my throat.  My doctor finally changed me to the name brand Nexium at two per day, but I find I can take one per day and be okay with that.  But heaven forbid I forget to take one, the whole thing starts all over again.  After reading all the bad stuff about those drugs, I hate to take them, but I don't know what to do!
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I don't know if you have done any therapy to fix the hiatial hernia, but natural healer Steven Horne says that is one of the single most important things that can be done to improve health.
Massage therapists and some chiropractors can use body work to move the stomach back into its proper position, but self help techniques really should be done on a daily basis in order to keep the stomach from reverting to bad old habits.
Many people have this condition but are unaware of it.  If you are unable to breathe from your diaphram (chest moves up and down with breaths rather than abdomen moving in and out) you should suspect hiatial hernia.  Anyone can have it, but it is also more common in folks who are tall and thin, or who have had emotional difficulties.
Hiatial hernia can contribute to many health issues, including autoimmune disease.
This link shows self help techniques that can aid a hiatial hernia:  www.youtube.com/watch

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So, I began a search for an alternative.  I found a receipe with apple cider vinegar and honey in water and it cured me IMMEDIATELY!!!!just imagine, suffering with a burning hot poker from my stomach all the way up my throat and belching acid for years and years and years!!!and then, one simple tonic and I am cured!!!.  I haven't had any acid pain since Jan '10 to present June '10. Be sure, I do take my tonic every day. The receipe is 1 or 2 teaspoons of Bragg's Raw Unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar with 1 or 2 teaspoons of raw unfiltered honey (from Whole Foods their 365 brand) in 8 oz of water 3 times per day. I have more energy and don't need a nap in the afternoon anymore. I am busy searcing for more alternative remedies for other health conditions.

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 since avoiding nightshade foods I notice my GERD go away, but if I eat potatoes or tomatoes bam, right back after a few mouthfuls. Nightshade plants considered food are:
   * Chili pepper
   * Eggplant
   * Garden huckleberry
   * Goji berry
   * Ground cherry
   * Potato
   * Sweet pepper
   * Tamarillo
   * Tomatillo
   * Tomato
 It should also be noted Tobacco is a nightshade which may allude to a possible addictive quality of all nightshades.
The most famous nightshade plant is Atropa Belladonna or deadly nightshade, which does have medicinal uses, most notably a antineurotoxin and in the early 30's and 40's as an alcohol detox drug. It is a concern that people are eating these highly alkaloid rich plants without knowing the trace compounds they are consuming.