Re: medication to decrease stomach acid

[Guest guest]

> In addition to LDN, I have had my sister in law try bee venom and

the

> histamine patch. She got no results from either. I came across

this

> information today about the antacids and realized that she has

been

> taking Zantac, twice a day since the end of May. Since that time

> most all forms of treatment with her have failed. I'm starting to

> wonder if the Zantac is the reason why.

Debbie,

Boy, I hate to hear of anyone on long-term acid suppressants like

zantac or prilosec, etc. I don't know about histamine processing

but hears why:

The conventional " wisdom " on that is that the stomach is producing

too much acid (HCL) and either an antacid or an acid suppresant is

recommended. Millions of folks live on these things.

In actuality, low stomach acid is almost always present in people

with heartburn and reflux problems and these instant remedies

exacerbate the problem. Once you turn off the body's acid pump with

pills, then you leave undigested food in the gut which can over time

cause more serious problems. This includes leaky gut where the

permeability of the intestine is compromised allowing the contents

to enter the bloodstream. This is thought to be the source of many

autoimmune diseases by cutting edge researchers, and my own problems

began with gastritis and reflux in 1992. The problem seems to be

exacerbated in folks who follow an Atkins-like diet because of the

difficulty of digesting the protein.

Anyway, the remedy is to use natural supplements like

deglyzzerinized licorice (DGL) to ease the heartburn and to

supplement the acid with betaine HCL pills taken with meals. The

betaine allows the contents to digest properly and stop backing up

which causes the reflux and pain. I know it sounds

counterintuitve.

I certainly wouldn't make changes on my say-so, but if anyone finds

that they are using pills for any length of time, you might want to

seek out an excellent naturopath or dietitian or internist who is

cognizant of alternative approaches, and get checked out. Rather

than a traditional Gastrointestinal doctor. The average M.D.

receives a mere 2 hours of nutritional training during medical

school - even GI doctors - and is clueless about how the body

processes food when healthy. They will simply prescribe the latest

nexium or prilosec to hit the market.

--Jeff