Heartburn Again? Why it Happens and What You Can Do About It!

Millions of people today are suffering. They eat a meal, perhaps a delicious staple, but they end up with regret. Heartburn hits and head to the medicine cabinet looking for the antacid tablets. Perhaps it happens so often that they keep the antacid tablets on the table! Some people come to me after they’ve been on proton pump inhibitors for years and want to get off of them. Let’s look at the mechanism of digestion and how heartburn develops in the first place. Then we’ll look at ways to address the underlying issue, heal the heartburn drivers and ways to prevent it or stop it naturally.

Point #1: ~90% of people heartburn is cause by low levels of stomach acid, not excess stomach acid. This is actually true! Let me explain the digestive process in a nut shell. You chew your food, which mixes the food with saliva and enzymes while grinding it. The food (now chewed and mixed with saliva is called a bolus) is swallowed. It enters the stomach where stomach acid has been pumping up from special pumps that produce hydrochloric acid. This process started once signals from the brain travel down the vagus nerve and stimulate acid production. The contents of the stomach must reach a pH of 1.5 in order for the contents to be released in a timely fashion to the next stage of digestion. If there isn’t enough stomach acid, the contents of the stomach will sit too long without proper digestion, which allows them to ferment, putrefy and otherwise become a nasty mess. When this happens gasses are formed which expand and create pressure in the stomach. This pressure pushes the contents of the stomach up and the result is burning and irritation of the delicate tissues of the esophagus due to the digestive components that are present in the fermenting food.

Point #2: Esophageal tissue is not meant to have acid touching it. This is why heartburn hurts!

Point #3: Digestion is a process that relies on chemical signals, mechanical processes and proper and timely release of digestive juices for the whole process to run smoothly and hiccup free.

Point #4: “Broken” digestion can happen at any age, though it usually occurs after age 30. That’s because the acid production capacity decreases after age 30.

Point #5: There are natural things you can do to help stop the problem before it occurs, and also natural ways to help stop the burn if it does happen.

Point #6: Medications that shut off stomach acid may be of help to promote stomach lining healing, but they should not be used long-term. The danger is these drugs shut off stomach acid production, but as I discussed earlier, if you shut off the acid production, you will cause a cascade of problems due to inadequate chemical signals. Also, if you shut off stomach acid production for too long, it becomes permanent. I have worked with many clients who have been on proton pump inhibitors for years! Their digestive function is malfunctioning. Without enough stomach acid nutrients won’t be absorbed, pathogens can escape unharmed and your health will suffer.

Point #7: Antacids aren’t the answer. They are often full of chemicals and additives and can add to the problem. If you take them once and never again, it probably isn’t a problem. However, walk down the aisle of any big box store and you’ll see massive bottles of the most popular antacids, indicating someone is buying it in large sizes because it isn’t a one-off occurrence.

Point #8: There are safer ways to prevent heartburn or address symptoms after they occur. One method is to do what many cultures do at meal time: begin the meal with bitter herbs. Bitters help stimulate digestive juices and support acid production. Apple cider vinegar is a helpful bitter. Drinking a small amount in couple ounces of water or just the apple cider vinegar straight in a shot glass a few minutes before meals will help tell the body that it’s time to digest. Another digestive support is an activity. When it comes to eating, don’t walk around, drive or otherwise engage in behavior that isn’t restful. It is important to rest to digest. Next, don’t drink carbonated beverages with meals. The carbonation can disrupt digestive function.

 If you end up with heartburn, a small amount of baking soda in a couple ounces of water will put the “fire” out, but it will also shut down digestion. There’s a simple supplement you can take to prevent heart burn naturally and also stop the pain if it starts without shutting down digestive function. This simple supplement is not dangerous or reactive in any way that I am aware of. If you are interested in learning what this simple supplement is, email me at info@wellnesswithamandak.com. I’d like to see if people will be interested in learning what it is.

This article is for informational purposes only. This is not meant to convey medical advice. Always speak with your physician before changing your medication.