Have you ever noticed that a great majority of commercials on TV are for heartburn medications such as Prilosec®, Tagamet®, and Tums®? It’s probably because an estimated 40% of the adult population suffers from heartburn. Americans now spend more than $8 billion annually
on prescribed and OTC medications most often used to treat heartburn. Statistics show that 60 million Americans experience heartburn once a month or more, while 25 million Americans suffer painful heartburn symptoms every day! Believe it or not, many people even suffer from heartburn without experiencing noticeable symptoms.
The most common cause of heartburn is gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), in which the sphincter (round muscle) that keeps the food and gastric juices from backing up into the esophagus isn’t functioning properly. Another related cause of heartburn is the condition known as hiatal hernia. With this condition a small portion of the stomach protrudes through the same sphincter mentioned above. Another less commonly accepted cause of heartburn is having too little stomach acid. The theory here is that during the period when the stomach is empty, there is too little stomach acid. Then, when you eat, the body dumps excessive amounts of acid into the stomach. Since esophageal tissues are relatively delicate, they are not able to handle the harsh digestive components from the stomach. The result is the discomfort we call heartburn.
I am a firm believer that many of the health challenges we have today and will see in the future are from the overuse of acid blocking medications. Stomach acid plays an important roll in many aspects of health. For example, stomach acid provides protection against bacteria, yeast, fungi, parasites and viruses that are found in our food and water. A great example of this is the vulture. The vulture is known to have one of the highest levels of stomach acid among all animals. It obviously serves the bird well considering its diet of road kill and other decaying foods. By regularly neutralizing your stomach acid you are opening the door for disease. Another major roll of stomach acid is to help the body with the proper absorption of certain vitamins and minerals. Examples of this are iron, zinc and B-complex (including folic acid). People with low levels of stomach acid may be at risk for developing nutritional deficiencies and the health challenges that go with them. Too little stomach acid is also linked by natural health care practitioners to other conditions such as; eczema, allergies, asthma, osteoporosis, arthritis and anemia just to name a few. Last but not least, one of the major functions of stomach acid is to help in the digestion of large protein molecules. If this digestive function is not performed efficiently, incompletely digested protein fragments may be absorbed into the bloodstream. The absorption of these large molecules may contribute to the development of food allergies and immune conditions.
Regretfully we live in a society that wants the quick fix instead of addressing the root of the problem. My stomach turns (not an intended pun) whenever I see the drug commercials that say “keep on eating the way you do, all you need is our little pill”. Let’s take a look at what these drugs may be doing in the body. I was taught in pharmacy school that antacids will cause rebound acid buildup. This means that you will start out needing just a few doses to feel better, but over time you will require more and more. Your body will adjust to the use of this type of medication and will end up producing more problems over time. Also, some antacids contain aluminum-which may have negative effects on the brain. Drugs such as Tagamet®, Zantac®, and Pepcid® are called H2 blockers because they inhibit the action of histamine, which stimulates stomach acid secretion. Yet they can also impair the absorption of calcium and vitamin B12 from food. The most popular prescription medications for chronic heartburn are proton pump inhibitors such as Prilosec® and Nexium®. These drugs interfere with the secretion of digestive acid by proton pumps in the stomach lining. This class of medication can also block absorption of calcium and vitamin B12 as well as beta-carotene, folic acid, thiamin, iron, sodium, and zinc.
So where do you being in your quest to “Put out the fire”–The 4-pillars of great health of course! Supplementation will provide both immediate and long term benefits. Before we discuss these options, diet exercise and spirituality need to be discussed. Making dietary changes such as avoiding caffeine and alcohol can often have immediate results. Looking at food allergies or intolerances can also be helpful. Getting yourself tested for these may be required. Of course, common sense says you avoiding foods that you know cause issues, yet most people continue to consume them anyway. Also, people who eat too fast or fail to chew their food properly can also have problems with heartburn. What’s the old saying? Chew your food once for each tooth in your mouth (unless you are missing a bunch of teethJ). Take a bite, put your fork down, chew, swallow and start again. Since stress can play a roll in having heartburn, the spirituality part of my 4-Pillars can help.
Approaching heartburn can be done in many different ways. With most digestive types of conditions, I believe that most people should be using digestive enzymes that also contain Betaine HCl (a compound that contains hydrochloric acid) often relieves the symptoms of heartburn and improves digestion. This has shown to be especially true in people who have low stomach acid. The amount of Betaine HCl used varies with the size of the meal and with the amount of protein in your meal. A word of caution when using Betaine HCl, it can cause pain and discomfort with those who have too much stomach acid or have a weakened stomach lining.
Heartburn Free® by Enzymatic Therapy has been called a “treatment” by many natural health experts. This product contains an orange peel extract standardized to contain D-Limonene. By taking one capsule ever other day for 20 days you can virtually rid yourself of Heartburn forever. Many people I have spoken to have relief that lasts months and even years. It isn’t for everyone though. Some patients experience uncomfortable burping and in some cases burning sensations. I recommend consulting with your natural health provider to see if this is product is right for you.
Sometimes just using digestive bitters (stimulants) like artichoke, dandelion or juniper can help relieve the symptoms of heartburn when taken regularly. The theory here is to keep your digestive system moving the right direction. Digestive bitters will keep the process going and make you less likely to have digestive fluids back up into your esophagus.
Another category that has shown to be helpful for heartburn is the category known as Carminatives-called aromatic digestive tonics or aromatic bitters. This category works great for those who not only have heartburn, but excessive gas too. The herbs in this category help relax the muscles of the digestive tract and can help cut down on discomfort caused by spasms. Herbs like peppermint, caraway, ginger and fennel are the most popular and studied. Often times using them in combination may be the best used to relieve symptoms of indigestion, particularly when there is excessive gas.
Lastly, the quickest results can often be done by using herbs like Ginger, Slippery Elm or Licorice root (more specifically DGL) These herbs seem to work by decreasing inflammation and by helping to form a protective barrier against stomach acid. Ginger has potent anti-inflammatory and anti-nausea properties. Licorice on the other hand, helps protect the mucous membranes lining the digestive tract. DGL (deglycyrrhizinated licorice) is the form of Licorice that I recommend to be used. This product comes in chewable tablets and has in some research shown to be as effective as some of the over the counter medications at helping those with heartburn. You can use DGL 15 to 20 minutes prior to a potentially offending meal to avoid problems. Or, you can use it an hour or so before you go to bed to help with Heartburn issues while you sleep. I recommend DGL as a quick fix and not the long-term solution to your problem. Try the lifestyle changes-Diet, Stress relieve etc. to get rid of your condition for the long haul and use supplements to support your recovery period.
(Final note-for all of my readers with some sort of chronic digestive disorder, I encourage you to buy a copy of Dr. Brenda Watson’s book Gut Solutions. This book will describe your condition, and explain everything you need to know about it. It will explain how your condition should be diagnosed and treated both with modern medicine and most importantly natural medicine.)