WEEKLY HEALTH BULLETIN July 31, 2009

FIX HEARTBURN WITHOUT DRUGS

When you go to your doctor complaining of heartburn, you’re likely to get put on an acid blocking drug like Prilosec or Nexium. These so-called proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) do a great job of suppressing stomach acid and more often than not, relieve heartburn.

Unfortunately, they also cause a lot of problems when taken regularly over weeks, months and years. Some of their dangers are appearing in the mainstream medical literature. PPIs and related acid blockers drugs are routinely given to 40-70% of all patients admitted to hospitals in this country. The drugs alter the bacteria in the digestive tract, which results in as many as 33,000 extra deaths a year from pneumonia. That’s over 90 deaths a day!

Acid blockers also increase risk of hip fracture, vitamin B12 deficiency and risk of heart attack and stroke in people already taking blood thinning drugs such as Coumadin (warfarin).

These multi-billion dollar blockbuster drugs also interfere with the absorption of calcium, magnesium, zinc and iron. All of these are key minerals that play numerous important roles in the body. The nutritional losses from these dubious drugs appear to be of no interest to mainstream medicine. After all, who’s going to finance the necessary research to uncover the truth? The idea that depriving the human body of the nutrients it needs to run itself may be a bad idea is of no interest whatsoever to mainstream medicine.

There’s still another nasty problem these drugs cause and sports the reassuring name of small bowel bacterial overgrowth (SBBO). Stomach acid keeps the bad bacteria at bay. Take away the acid and the bad guys get the upper hand. This can be a mess. Chronic bloating, gas, burping, partially digested food are some of the consequences of taking these drugs. The usual response from most doctors is to prescribe more acid blockers, which just makes things worse.

MAKING MORE ACID MAY BE THE ANSWER

Heartburn if often the result of food sitting around in the stomach for too long. Suppressing stomach acid can relieve it but does not address the underlying problem. By further slowing the digestion of food in the stomach, it can just make matters worse. Food sits around in the stomach even longer.

Some people’s heartburn actually gets better when you stimulate the production of more stomach acid before a meal.

Here are two traditional remedies definitely worth a try. They may spare you the risk and ordeal of long term acid blocker therapy:

SWEDISH BITTERS: A time-honored combination of more than a dozen herbs that support a healthy digestion. It can fix your heartburn and improve energy and general sense of well being. You’ll take this before meals. Go to swedishbitters.org or vitacost.com for two popular versions of this traditional remedy.

APPLE CIDER VINEGAR: We’re not quite sure how this works but it’s one of the commonest uses for this traditional cure-all popularized by D.C. Jarvis M.D., an independent-minded physician who practiced in Vermont back in the mid 1900’s not far from where I attended medical school. Stick with organic products. Put a tablespoon in 4-6 oz of water and drink after each meal. Apple cider vinegar has the added benefit of blunting blood sugar levels after meals so is a great support for anyone who is concerned about diabetes . . . or already has it.

Good luck. I’ll be writing much more on this important subject in future issues, so stay tuned!

Alan Inglis MD
American Country Doctor