So let’s talk about GERD.  Acid reflux is now treated with powerful chemical mediators called H ion proton pump inhibitors.  This mouthful of words simply means that a drug like Zantac or Prilosec takes the H ion from HCL (hydrochloric acid, the acid in your tummy that breaks down your food so that vital nutrients can be absorbed) and stops it from being pumped out by the cells lining your stomach so that you won’t be able to create HCl only Chloride.  With side effects like Abdominal Pain, Nausea, Diarrhea, Vomiting, Increased Heart Rate, Headache, Insomnia, Fever, Sore Throat and Chest pain to name a few it is an important question to ask why do we are being prescribed these drugs in such huge numbers?

Beyond all these horrific unnecessary side effects, these medications also inhibit the absorption of vital nutrients like vitamin B12, folic acid, zinc and iron and are causing malnutrition.  These nutrients are responsible for energy, nervous system function, immune function, and hemoglobin levels to name a few.

It is amazing how many patients walk into my office and have Proton Pump Inhibitors in their medication list.  I ask every patient, “What happens when you miss a dose?” and the answer is always the same, “Doctor it comes back with a Vengeance, I can’t miss a dose” (Sounds a lot like the cravings for crack or heroin doesn’t it?). My response to their statement is always the same, “So Jim do you think that this drug is addressing the problem or just prolonging the symptoms?”  The patient then often gets a puzzled look followed by a light bulb type expression, eyes wide, “Wow, I never thought of it that way!”

Here’s what happens during digestion. Your stomach receives food and your brain knows that it needs a certain amount of acid to break down the food along with the mechanical churning of your stomach muscles to create “chyme” the end product of digestion in your stomach.  Once there is enough acid produced to break down the food a chemical stimulus tells the Lower Esophageal Sphincter (LES) at the top of your stomach to tighten up because it needs to churn churn churn. If there isn’t enough acid production this sphincter never closes and oh it burns!  So the answer, which is simple physiology (it’s a wonder why general practitioners and internists don’t intellectualize this more) is that instead of decreasing the acid production you increase it to stimulate gut motility and sphincter closure.

THREE WORDS: Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV). It’s cheap, it’s readily available and it has loads of health benefits. 2-3 tables spoons of ACV every day cures “GERD” within days sometimes hours!  Read the articles about ACV and GERD to learn more.

Yours in Health,

- Dr. M