What exactly is GERD and what causes it
GERD or gastroesophageal reflux disease, heartburn, and indigestion are enormous problems in the USA. When one considers the toxicity and empty, inflammatory calories that come from the Standard American diet, it is no wonder that we spend over 7 billion dollars per year on acid suppressing medicine. GERD is a digestive condition that affects the LES or lower esophageal sphincter, which is the ring of muscle between the esophagus and stomach. It refers to the return of the stomach's contents back up into the esophagus. In normal digestion, the LES properly opens to allow contents to pass into the stomach and then lower intestines and properly closes to prevent food and acidic juices from flowing back into the esophagus. In GERD, indigestion and heartburn, the LES becomes "floppy" and relaxes inappropriately. This allows the stomach's contents to reflux back into the esophagus, where it is not supposed to be acidic.
IMPROPER ACID IN THE ESOPHAGUS CAN LEAD TO CANCEROUS CHANGES!
In fact, continued and chronic GERD causes abnormal esophageal changes, called Barrett's esophagus. This eventually leads to esophageal cancer unless lifestyle changes are made. Remember, our stomachs are SUPPOSED to be acidic. The acidic mucosal barrier of the stomach provides immeasurable protection as a barrier from maleficent microbes. It is the esophagus that needs to be more alkaline. What if, however, we have been fooled to believe that the gnawing, burning, uncomfortable feeling in the pit of our stomachs is due to high acid and the pharmaceutical companies have profited from this? THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT HAS HAPPENED. Moreover, they have made a slew of permanent customers as their pills only address the symptom but not the root cause of the problem. Acid is the issue-but not acid in the stomach, only acid in the esophagus. You will now understand how antiacids actually create a more harmful environment in the gut as once the stomach barrier is removed, the ideal environment for a host of parasites and bacteria to flourish is created.
Surprisingly, the actual cause of indigestion in 90% of the population is insufficient stomach acid!
Sometimes, no matter how clean our diet is, we’re still low in certain nutrients. Why is that? We seem to be doing all the right things, and yet there’s still part of the puzzle missing. The “puzzle” metaphor here is key: if it took you 5 years to get sick, it will take you 5 years to get better. Healing is a process that happens over time, requiring patience, diligence, and body love/acceptance of the process no matter how long it takes. When we treat our bodies poorly over time, we create certain deficiencies and allow microbes into our system that take time to heal. The severity of these deficiencies and microbial invaders depends on your individual constitution (meaning the strength of your immune system inherited from your mother), your sensitivity, toxic load, and so much more. Everyone is different.
A clean diet is always number 1 on your road to healing, and without it you will never get well.
So how does low stomach acid cause acid reflux?
The Lower Esophageal Sphincter (LES) separates the esophagus and the stomach. Proper stomach acid levels signal the LES to close tightly, so that food digestion can take place. However, low stomach acid levels don’t give off the closing signal, and cause the sphincter to loosen. Once loose, acidic stomach fluid comes back up into the lower part of the esophagus causing a burning sensation. This is why a large meal will give you heartburn. There’s not enough acid in your stomach to saturate the heavy meal, so the LES doesn’t close. Furthermore, there is also a pyloric sphincter that separates the stomach from the small intestine. The body will not open this second sphincter if the contents of the stomach are not properly acidified. Instead of moving through the pyloric sphincter, food sits in the stomach and ferments, producing gas and pressure (also making the LES leak open).
Ok, so now you guys know what causes GERD and indigestion is not necessarily what we've been taught. You should understand that the gut is our second brain and any imbalance in positive and negative flora/bacteria can produce disease. With leaky gut, autoimmune and obesity on the rise, we must re-evaluate cures and causes rather than symptom treatment. If you have symptoms of GERD, the chances that you have improper gut flora and parasites are high. Again, with the standard American diet full of chemicals and genetically modified organisms as well as soil stripped of nutrients, is it any wonder GERD is a overwhelming problem?
BIG PHARMA'S BIG SCANDAL: HOW THEY PULLED THE WOOL OVER OUR EYES
In fact, Nexium, is the 3rd most profitable drug in HISTORY, surpassed only by Plavix and Lipitor (cholesterol drugs are another scandal-read the post below). The makers of Nexium and Prilosec, which are essentially the same drug (one is just the left handed mirror image of the other), made billions off of the switch. How did these corrupt companies manage this? Once Prilosec's lucrative patent expired, Astra Zeneca, through strategic lawsuits and marginally related patents, suppressed the generic versions of proton pump inhibitors long enough to introduce their new drug, Nexium. Heres the kicker. When independent researchers tested Nexium, they found that it did NOT perform better than the plain, old version of Prilosec. Once patents expire though, other generic versions of the drug can be created at lower prices and undermine the original company's product. This is why Astra Zeneca corruptly created Nexium, nearly the same drug with THEIR studies showing it superior, at double the price. Yes, they effectively patented the same drug twice, underneath everyone's noses, and made it the third most successful drug in HISTORY. This should make you mad, but just wait....there's more if you can stomach it. Pun intended.
The makers of the proton pump inhibitors including Prilosec, Nexium, Prevacid, Protonix, and Zegrid know that patients are not supposed to be on their drugs for more that 2-4 weeks. Unfortunately most patients end up being life long customers. Why? America has been conditioned to ask for a pill as a solution rather than rely on more difficult lifestyle changes. Its also the doctor's who oblige or go to a pill as the ultimate treatment rather than encourage a different perspective.
1. Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPIs) Lower Immunity and Increase the Risk of Abdominal Infections
A meta analysis of 12 studies involving almost 3000 patients showed that acid-suppressing pills like Nexium or Prilosec increased the risk of C difficile infection. This risk was almost 1.7 times with a once a day pill and increased to 2.4 times with twice daily use. C diff is an opportunistic infection that takes up residence in the abdomen and causes profuse, watery diarrhea and abdominal pain. C. diff is most often caused by antibiotics which obliterate the good and bad gut bacteria. This lets you know just how much PPIs disrupt any beneficial bacteria in the gut-as much as antibiotics! As acid blockers or PPIs reduce general immunity (85% of immunity is located in the gut) they also predispose to other abdominal infections such as Salmonella, Campylobacter and Shigella-there is an increased risk of THREE fold!
2. Proton Pump inhibitors (PPIs) Lower Immunity and Increase the Risk of Pneumonia
In a study of 360,000 patients, it was found that PPIs are associated with an increased risk of pneumonia. This risk was dose dependent. In fact one study found that the likelihood of patients developing pneumonia was increased five fold during the first week of PPI treatment.
3. Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPIs) Decrease Absorption of Minerals by Lowering Stomach Acid
Acid in the gut helps to breakdown essential minerals and encourages absorption of these minerals. If the stomach acid is suppressed, the elements are not able to be properly utilized by the body. (vitamin B12). Several studies have shown that PPIs decrease the absorption of Vitamin B12 from food. This is especially important for vegans! This can be overcome by the proper diet in a diligent patient.
4. Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPIs) Cause Osteoporosis
Chronic PPI use has been associated with long term fracture risk. Remember, it is not recommended to have a patient on chronic acid suppression therapy. Other more aggressive means or alternative routes are suggested. The New Zealand Medicines Adverse Reactions Committee (MARC) noted an association between fractures and PPI use. Patients taking PPIs for 5 years had an increased risk of hip fractures and if they took them for 7 years, had an increased risk of non hip fractures as well.
5. Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPIs) Cause Low Magnesium Levels
This is a big issue as most people live with chronic low magnesium levels. Modern medicine is lacking as only 1% of magnesium is free in the blood and able to be detected by routine labs. Severe hypomagnesium is associated with PPIs. The magnesium deficiency resolved once the pill was discontinued. Low magnesium also correlates and leads to low calcium by affecting the parathyroid gland. Although all patients are at risk, the most predisposed are alcoholics, who are chronically malnourished before a PPI is added. Due to low metabolic function, they are nearly guaranteed to be magnesium deficient. Hypomagnesiumia causes muscle cramps, irritability, general weakness and malaise.
6. Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPIs) Can affect the Kidney
By June 2011, the Centre for Adverse Reactions Monitoring (CARM) received 65 letters of interstitial nephritis linked to PPI use. Interstitial nephritis is a reaction to an offending agent and causes fever, rash, high eosinophils, fatigue, weight loss, blood and pus in the urine. It can be permanent but is usually temporary. It requires a biopsy for diagnosis.
So How Do I fix GERD if Pills are NOT the Solution?
Cleansing microbes will increase your stomach acid, and likewise, increasing your stomach acid will naturally create an environment where these microbes can’t survive. It’s a great idea to eat anti-parasitic/anti-candida foods (garlic, carrots, pumpkin seeds, wild yam, etc.) and to do parasite/liver cleanses to get the bad guys out. And it’s an even better idea to incorporate practices into your daily regimen that will increase your stomach acid so that you have an environment where microbes can’t survive!
1. Immediate, but not permanent (lifestyle) solution: Supplement HCL.
Did you know that doctors used to prescribe HCL replacement therapy for many symptoms and clinical conditions for over 100 years? Before the 1920s, doctors knew that a myriad of symptoms could be traced back to the microbes and poor environment that resulted from insufficient stomach acid. But guess what? The Rockefellers, who controlled the information going into medical schools, knew they could make a huge profit off of misinforming medical students and crafting a lie about overproduction of stomach acid instead.
“Encouraged by the legal drug industry, medical students are not taught that hypochlorhydria (inadequate stomach acid production) is treatable only with unpatentable, natural replacement therapies. Instead, their education concentrates on hyperchlorhydria (excess stomach acid production) and its treatment with patentable acid blocker drugs and highly profitable over-the-counter antacids.” - Jonathan Wright, MD, The Digestive Theory of Aging
See what they did there? They knew the root problem: insufficient stomach acid causes the lower esophageal sphincter to malfunction and open loosely, sending acid back up. Instead of treating the cause for good, they realized they could sell pharmaceutical acid blocking drugs and over-the-counter antacids that cover up a symptom OF the root cause. Over time, these antacid drugs make the real root problem worse so you’ll be a customer for life, getting sicker with each pill you take. Less stomach acid —> more food putrefaction —> more symptoms —> more medication!
How to take HCL supplementation: I use Thorne Research HCL & Pepsin and only with a meal containing protein. Take one HCL capsule at the beginning of your meal (after a few bites). Eat slowly and chew thoroughly. If you have no discomfort or burning in your stomach, you can graduate to 2 HCL capsules at lunch. If there is no warming sensation once again, move up to 3 for dinner. Continue to slowly increase until you feel a warming sensation. As soon as you feel that warming sensation, you know your sweet spot is the dosage right before that. If you got a warming sensation at 4 pills, your dosage is 3. If your stomach has a burning sensation immediately upon the first capsule, your stomach lining may be too fragile at the moment to introduce HCL. Heal your leaky gut first with plenty of aloe vera, bone broth, and gelatinous foods. Caution: Do NOT use HCL supplementation while on prescription medications similar or identical to corticosteroids/anti-inflammatory drugs like Advil, Tylenol etc. NSAIDs eat away at the GI lining and there is a risk of a stomach ulcer if HCL is introduced while the gut is so weak. That being said, do not use HCL if you have stomach ulcers!
2.REDUCE STRESS and change your eating environment!
This seems like a no-brainer, but so many people forget this or don’t think it’s important. But yes, it’s #2 on my list! You absolutely cannot eat a meal while running out the door or on the go. Relax and only eat while sitting. Take 3-5 deep breaths before you begin and let them out slowly. Chew each bite until it’s the consistency of applesauce before swallowing. Your stomach does not have the ability to chew your food for you, so you cannot skip this step if you want optimal digestion and nutrient uptake. Eat around candles and flowers – make your eating environment as beautiful and relaxing as humanly possible! Do not drink more than 4 ounces of water with meals and within 1 hour of eating. This dilutes the stomach acid.
3. Eat a small amount of fermented food with every meal: kimchi, sauerkraut, organic unpasteurized pickles, kombucha, etc. Cook your vegetables on moderate heat VERY QUICKLY so that they still contain live enzymes. In the summer (or if you live in a hot climate) eating raw vegetables with each meal is wonderful for the same reason: enzyme content. I don’t recommend constant raw foods to those in cold climates as they are too cooling energetically.
4. Manuka Honey
Manuka Honey is absolutely incredible. It comes from New Zealand/Australia from bees who pollinate the manuka tree. It contains naturally occurring peroxide, which kills a wide array of pathogens and bacteria without harming your stomach lining. It is incredibly effective against h. pylori overgrowth, which causes ulcers.
How to take: 1 tsp. twice a day on an empty stomach to heal your stomach lining and encourage your body to naturally produce gastric juices.
5. Digestive Bitters
Bitters not only stimulate HCl secretion, they also stimulate pancreatic enzymes and increase bile from the gallbladder. On top of that, they are antibacterial as well and will help to kill the invaders inhabiting your stomach lining. I use Urban Moonshine Organic Bitters due to the fact that it has INCREDIBLE liver tonic ingredients: burdock root, dandelion root, ginger, and more. It basically doubles as a daily gentle liver detox!
How to take: Bitters should be taken 15-20 minutes prior to meals with a glass of water. (If you are not taking bitters, don’t drink water close to your meals). A small pinch of a sea salt can also be put on the tip of the tongue at the same time, as this also helps stimulate HCl production (thanks to the chloride!)
6. Vitamin U… huh?!
Have you heard of Vitamin U? Probably not, but that’s because it’s not actually a vitamin at all. It’s a name used to describe the healing enzyme found in cabbage. It soothes the inflamed stomach lining and corrects low stomach acid, and is absolutely phenomenal for quickly healing stomach ulcers.
How to take: Juice raw cabbage and consume daily on an empty stomach. You can also take a Vitamin U supplement if you don’t have access to a juicer.
7. Raw Apple Cider Vinegar or Lemon Water
How to take: As soon as you wake up, drink 1 tsp. raw apple cider vinegar in warm water. You can absolutely add lemon, which I love. Take apple cider vinegar in 4 oz. warm water 30 minutes before each meal and after meals to stop heartburn if you need. (This and digestive bitters is the only way you should be drinking water near a meal!)
8. Low Carb Diet
Many studies have shown that the bacteria that cause GERD symptoms flourish from a high carbohydrate diet with refined, simple carbs. Do not cut out healthy fruits and veggies, but do eliminate starches like white bread, rice, sweets, anything with refined white sugar from your diet. This is a complete feast for bacteria and parasites that can wreak havoc on the delicate balance in your gut.
9. Ginger root or chamomile Tea-
Both contain anti-inflammatory properties that can help heal the lining of the gut. Ginger is especially good for nausea. Both also help with stress levels which can add to increasing reflux symptoms.
I would also like to add that spicy, processed food will also cause inflammatory changes. Smoking,caffeine, alcohol, lying down 3 hours or less after eating, overeating, wearing tight clothes, mint, chocolate and carrying extra weight in the abdomen are all risk factors for GERD. These all affect your bacterial gut balance!
Help to heal your gut. Remember self love is real love too!
STAY ENLIGHTENED,
DR J
References:
www.bpac.org.nz
www.besthealthnutritonals.com
Harrison's Internal Medicine 10th edition