Re: Supplements & Stomach Acid

April 25, 2007

>

> I've started to have burning pain in the 'pit' of my stomach after

> taking supplements & am concerned there is too much acid from them.

> It's a burning feeling & results in bloating and, well, lots of

> belching! It's also started to nauseate me & feels worse if I eat,

> and that's how I've concluded it's acid & stomach related.

I had stomach problems. A few supplements exacerbated this -

ALA, ascorbic acid, acetyl-carnitine HCL, taurine. I didn't

get the burning or the belching. For me it was mostly nausea

and some bloating. Certain foods made things worse - green or

black tea, yogurt, fruit.

DGL, slippery elm, zinc carnosine, and glutamine were all very

helpful for me. Slippery elm gave the most immediate help with

symptoms. The others help with healing.

I still have poor absorption due to long-standing low stomach acid

and working on this by adding betaine hcl to my regimen.

> I use ascorbic acid for Vitamin C (with bioflavanoids) and wonder if

> that's the problem, or if most of the supplements are quite acidic and

Ascorbic acid is definitely acidic.

> contribute, such as aminos (lysine, arginine, glutamine & taurine).

Most aminos were not a problem for me, except the ones mentioned

above.

> Right now, I'm afraid to start another round, considering the

> chelators are 'acids'.

I never had problems with DMSA or DMPS, but ALA irritated my stomach.

> If anyone has experience or recommendations on this, please advise!

> I'm also seeing my doc for a regularly scheduled appointment & will

> report back on what she says. For now, I'm eating very little

> (alkaline foods) and avoiding most supplements to see if it improves.

>

> Joanne

My MD tried to get me on acid blockers because she believed I

had excess acid. I was fairly sure from my reading and my experience

that it was not true and chose to treat on my own. Acid blockers

can cause problems, so before you go that route make sure you really

have excess acid vs too little.

--

April 25, 2007

Thanks, . My doctor felt this was coming from supplements,

and now that you mention it, I was feeling this on round after ALA

last week. She's recommended using Ester C instead of ascorbic

acid, and I'm dropping Malic Acid, which I'd just started

successfully, for fibro. She also suggested not lumping so many

supplements together at a time, spreading them out throughout the

day...frustrating, because I like to take most in morning or evening

& then forget about it for the day!

I'm giving things a week or two to heal before going on round again

and taking most supplements. It's already improving today.

It's helpful to know you've been certain you don't have excess

stomach acid, too. I was always told mine was low, but the more I

think about it, supplements like a lot of C have done this before,

and I really react to vinegar.

I added Acetyl-L-Carnitine with the protocol, and had already been

taking taurine. I'll drop the Acetyl-L-Carnitine for a while, too.

What Vitamin C do you take?

Joanne

April 25, 2007

Thanks, . My doctor felt this was coming from supplements,

and now that you mention it, I was feeling this on round after ALA

last week. She's recommended using Ester C instead of ascorbic

acid, and I'm dropping Malic Acid, which I'd just started

successfully, for fibro. She also suggested not lumping so many

supplements together at a time, spreading them out throughout the

day...frustrating, because I like to take most in morning or evening

& then forget about it for the day!

I'm giving things a week or two to heal before going on round again

and taking most supplements. It's already improving today.

It's helpful to know you've been certain you don't have excess

stomach acid, too. I was always told mine was low, but the more I

think about it, supplements like a lot of C have done this before,

and I really react to vinegar.

I added Acetyl-L-Carnitine with the protocol, and had already been

taking taurine. I'll drop the Acetyl-L-Carnitine for a while, too.

What Vitamin C do you take?

Joanne

April 25, 2007

>My MD tried to get me on acid blockers because she believed I

>had excess acid. I was fairly sure from my reading and my experience

>that it was not true and chose to treat on my own. Acid blockers

>can cause problems, so before you go that route make sure you really

>have excess acid vs too little.

Hi

MOst of the time when people think they have high acid (HCL) because of reflux

etc, they actually have low HCL. THe HCL is needed to digest protein, and from

what I understand the heart burn/relux is caused from proetin that digesting in

an environment where there is to little HCL. The protein releases its own acids

during digestion and this causes the heart burn/reflux - a different type of

acid. So most times it is actually relieved by adding more HCL (USP HCL 5% or

Betain HCL).

Sometimes when the wrong supplements combine in the stomach it can cause burping

- though I don't know which ones can do this. Here are some tips from Bees

Website: http://www.healingnaturallybybee.com/index.php

Dean

Stomach Acid Problems & Help

Most candida sufferers have digestive problems which starts in the stomach with

" too little " stomach acid. We may think that our stomachs are " overly acidic "

because of heartburn, sour stomach, or overall stomach distress, when in fact

having " too little acid " creates the same symptoms as an " over acid " condition

in the stomach.

The technical term for low stomach acidity is Hypochlorhydria and a stomach that

is not producing any acid is called Achlorhydria.

The most common symptoms of low stomach acidity include:

a.. heartburn

b.. sour stomach

c.. bloating and belching

d.. burning stomach after eating

e.. a feeling that the food feels is just sitting in the stomach

Our stomachs are supposed to be acidic because it produces high concentrations

of hydrochloric acid (HCl) used for digestion and absorption of many nutrients.

When hydrochloric acid is lacking, malnutrition results. HCl digests food by

attacking particles of food causing them to break into small molecules. These

smaller molecules move on for further digestion in the intestinal tract.

Also, because hydrochloric acid kills many bacteria, yeasts, and parasites.

Normal stomach acid will eliminate these intruders before they can cause

problems. Its insufficiency is associated with greater incidence of

gastrointestinal infection.

Inadequate hydrochloric acid production is linked to not only gastrointestinal

symptoms, but also to autoimmune diseases and degenerative diseases of all

kinds.

Our stomachs need adequate acid so we can get the benefit of a good diet and the

nutrients it contains. To find out if you have too little or too much acid in

your stomach, take this simple stomach acid self test.

Stomach Acid Self Tests

The purpose of these tests are to give a rough indication as to whether your

stomach is producing adequate amounts of hydrochloric acid. The most scientific

test for assessment of hydrochloric acid levels is the Heidelberg test.

Gastrocaps can also be used to measure hydrochloric acid levels with good

accuracy.

Both these methods are somewhat cumbersome however, and involve a visit to a

doctor for you to swallow a special capsule, which is used to measure acid

levels.

Lemon Juice Test - When you're having digestive upsets, such as heartburn try

the following: Take one tablespoon of lemon juice. If this makes your heartburn

go away, then you need more stomach acid. If it makes your symptoms worse, you

have too much acid, in which case you would not take the enzymes which contain

hydrochloric acid.

Baking Soda Test - For this test you will need some fresh baking soda. To

perform this test: mix one quarter teaspoon of baking soda in eight ounces of

cold water, first thing in the morning, before eating or drinking anything

except water. Drink the baking soda solution. Time how long it takes to belch.

Time up to five minutes. If you have not belched within five minutes stop timing

anyway.

If your stomach is producing adequate amounts of hydrochloric acid you should

probably belch within two to three minutes. Early and repeated belching is

consistent with excessive stomach acid. Belching results from the acid and

baking soda reacting to form carbon dioxide gas. The Heidelberg or Gastrocap

tests can be employed for confirmation of the results of this test.

How to decrease stomach acid

Take 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda in 4 ounces of warm water. You can take more if

that doesn't settle your stomach upset.

How to increase stomach acid

Lemon juice and ocean sea salt, like Celtic sea salt, in water before and during

meals

a.. juice of 1/2 freshly squeezed lemon

b.. 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

c.. mix into 6 ozs. of water

Gradually increased quantities as required. This will do the same job as taking

hydrochloric acid supplements.

Bromelain (papaya enzymes) - take 1-2 tablets when starting to eat and 1-2

tablets half-way through the meal. Some people need more. Gradually increase

until you get a burning sensation - then cut back one tablet the next meal.

Betaine Hydochloric Acid with Pepsin - take 1-2 tablets when starting to eat and

1-2 tablets half-way through the meal. Some people need more. Gradually increase

until you get a burning sensation - then cut back one tablet the next meal

April 25, 2007