Ever eaten something and worried before you ate it or complained after you ate it that you had “heartburn”?  Wished you didn’t have so much acid in your stomach causing so much discomfort?  Did you know that 90% of people who experience heartburn and think they need an antacid to calm down all the acid upsetting their stomach actually don’t have enough acid in their stomach?  Yes, most of the time that problem of “too much acid” is in reality a problem of not enough acid.  And, taking an antacid will in reality, usually, make the problem much worse.

See, the stomach is perfectly designed.  When you eat, there is supposed to be enough acid produced in the stomach to start digestion.  Enough acid causes the stomach to close off, keep the food down and start digesting it.  It should only allow it to move downward, not up.  If there isn’t enough acid in the stomach, it may not close tightly and keep food in nor start digesting it.  Then, the food may sit and rot or it may allow the food and little bit of acid that is there to move back up and burn (causing that “heartburn”/”indigestion” complaint). 

Why not take an antacid and alleviate the burning?  Antacids do take away the acidic environment and the burn.  But, the problem is that they make the problem worse, while taking away the symptoms.  You think you are doing great because you feel good, all the while your health is deteriorating.  In many instances, this is the beginning of major digestive disorders, not to mention the start of the development of major health problems.  It is like turning off the smoke alarm and not putting out the fire.

It is worth noting that when acid stopping prescription medications (like Nexium and Prilosec and Prevacid) first hit the market, they were only to be taken for six weeks at the most.  They were mainly used for reflux and ulcers.  Now, not only are they used for many different digestive problems, but most are available over the counter and used for months and years.   

Vitamins and minerals require an acid environment in order to be absorbed.  Therefore, when antacids are used, not only is food left to sit and rot but key nutrients are not absorbed.  Yes, the Tums commercial promoting all the Calcium benefits lied!  Sorry.  Over time, these medications will not only leave you malnourished (you can’t absorb the good from food) and toxic (food that sits around rots).  Also, because the stomach acid helps to kill off bad things that shouldn’t be left in our bodies, when you neutralize this you leave the body susceptible to things like parasites.  Eventually, these medications and poor digestion can lead to breakdown of the digestive system too. 

Special consideration to this issue should be taken if pregnant and/or breastfeeding.  Indigestion/heartburn is a very common complaint in pregnant moms.  And, the problems mentioned above with antacids are of a much greater concern when two (mom and baby) are involved.  The minerals/vitamins that are being absorbed from food that mom eats need to be properly digested and absorbed because not only is the mom’s body in need of these, but these are helping to form and grow baby.  Baby is in dire need of all of these!  Also, research has shown that antacid use in pregnant moms increases the baby’s chances of developing asthma.  Remember to check the ingredients of what you are taking too, many of these meds contain aluminum, sugar, artificial flavors and colors.

What then is a better solution for heartburn and/or digestive problems?  Start with a probiotic.  You will be amazed at how beneficial putting good bacteria into your digestive system can be.  Also, consider taking a digestive enzyme- like Zypan- or using apple cider vinegar.  Do not drink with meals, liquid will dilute the acid that is in your stomach, and remember you want that acid there to be strong for good digestion.  Take time to enjoy your meals, fast paced, stressful lifestyles decrease digestive ability and make the heartburn issue much worse.  Take time to chew your food well, this will start the digestive process off well.  One of the best programs to heal this problem, especially if you have taken antacids for some time, is a purification program.  Detox programs turn your eating habits around help to heal your body.  

We periodically offer mini detox/purification seminars at our office.  We will have one tomorrow night, Thursday the 14th.  Call the office for more information or to reserve a spot.

What about you, have you found any digestive aids or natural heartburn remedies that worked well?  Health is dependent on digestion, make it great!

When discussing bacteria, two points are key:  1) Make sure your body is taking in plenty of good bacteria and then 2) Make sure you are encouraging the good bacteria to thrive and not doing things to kill it off.  How do we do this in our house?  We take a probiotic supplement on a daily basis, eat organic, fresh produce as much as possible, minimally (if at all) wash the organic, fresh produce, and avoid using anti-bacterial hand sanitizers or soaps.

Lately, with all the hype and fear mongering over the flu- especially the piggy flu- you can find hand sanitizers prominently displayed in most public areas.  Do you realize these could actually be helping spread illness, and not preventing it?  See, even though the hand sanitizer companies claim that their products kill bacteria and help keep you well, what they don’t explain is that we need some bacteria in order to stay healthy.  Good bacteria help keep your body in balance and ward off the bad guys from taking over.  Problem is, these hand sanitizers aren’t selective of which bacteria to kill.  They kill it all, up to 99%, as they claim.  This is a huge problem because it depletes an already deficient (as I will explain later) body of its good bacteria, that was there to help ban the bad bacteria and keep you well.  Squirt, squirt…  You just rubbed it all away and now that alcohol smell is there to remind you: “You have an even bigger mess on your hands!”

What then is a better solution than hand sanitizers and antibacterial soap?  If you are out and don’t have access to running water, try keeping a small bottle of colloidal silver with you.  Colloidal silver is wonderful because it will kill the bad guys and leave the good guys.  Or, make a natural solution with essential oils that help keep germs at bay, like tea tree oil.  When you do have access to a bathroom, hot water and regular, old fashioned soap (like Dr. Bronner’s) is the best.  

Probiotics are something I have always talked a lot about.  Why?  Well, in our current world, we have made probiotic supplementation a necessity for health and wellness.  What are probiotics?  ”Pro” means ”for” and “biotic” means “life” or “living organism”.  Why do we have to supplement with probiotics and why can’t we simply get them from the food we eat?  Current research tells us that our diet only provides us with one millionth of the healthy bacteria our ancestors used to consume.  Farming practices have made our diets severely deficient- insecticides, herbicides, food transportation and storage, and poor soil all play a part in decreasing the amount of good bacteria available to us through our food.  Our deficiency and the practices which make us deficient are only getting worse; therefore, I am so thankful probiotic supplementation is an option!

I have an incredible testimonial about probiotics.  And, because of the cases I see in practice on a daily basis, I am even more thankful for my personal experience.  Digestive problems are one of the major things I see in my office, and I believe the problem is getting worse and the cases are increasing daily.  It is so sad!  Our health and wellness is dependent on our digestive system because the stomach allows the good stuff in from our food and keeps the bad stuff out.  If this system isn’t working at its best, we are in big trouble!  I supplemented with probioticson a daily basis when I was pregnant, beginning a little before conception.  Never once did I experience digestive problems while pregnant.  I felt so blessed!  I can only count a few moms on one hand who I know and/or see as patients that don’t experience some constipation and/or heartburn while pregnant.  I was not one of them, and I strongly believe my probiotic intake had a lot to do with this.  Then, once Harper was born, 14 months ago today, we never experienced digestive problems with him either.  We were fortunate not to have colic problems with him (something I see a lot in the office too), he only spit up normal amounts as a newborn, and he has had at least two bowel movements a day (usually 4-6 a day is normal for him) ever since his birth.  We have never gone a day without bowel movements!  Talk to any mom, and you will know what a miracle that is.  So many babies have constipation issues, and we are so fortunate not to have experienced this.  Therefore, after religiously taking probiotics, and having both mine and Harper’s personal experience, I highly recommend them for overall health- especially for great digestion.    

From now on, appreciate bacteria.  They have gotten such a bad connotation, but they are absolutely vital (especially the good ones).