But that’s actually a bad idea.
The fact is we need stomach acid. And,
for anyone suffering from heartburn or
gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD),
there are natural ingredients that can stop
the burn and soothe the digestive system
without playing a trick on the way we’re
supposed to digest food. Fortunately, there
is a great combination of botanical ingredi-
ents that stop heartburn and GERD without
compromising your health. We’ll take a look
at both in this Terry Talks Nutrition®.
and regurgitation of food. And unfortu-
nately, the billion dollars a year that Amer-
icans spend for antacid products to treat
their heartburn not only won’t help – they
are probably making the problem worse
instead of better!
Stomach acid is not the enemy.
While many manufacturers sell the
public on products that reduce stomach acid
as a way to treat heartburn, these products
are not the solution. Although they may –
temporarily – stop the pain of heartburn,
interfering with the body’s production of
WHAT CAUSES THE FIRE?
stomach acid not only won’t help with heart-
While it isn’t life-threatening, the pain
burn problems in the long term, you may
from heartburn can be so severe that some-
find they cause a whole new set of problems
times people mistake it for a heart attack.
as well.
The “burn” is caused by stomach acids over-
Here’s why:
flowing from the stomach into the esoph-
Normally, when the contents of the
agus. Usually, the one-way valve (called the
stomach are properly acidified, it signals the
lower esophageal sphincter) that allows food pyloric valve at the lower end of the stomach
to enter the stomach but keeps the stomach
to open, allowing stomach contents to move
contents from coming back up opens when
into the duodenum, the first section of the
it shouldn’t, or doesn’t close properly. The
intestines, where digestion continues and
digestive juices in the stomach are very
absorption of nutrients begins.
acidic, and when they touch the unprotected
However, if stomach acid levels are low,
lining of the esophagus it causes the charac- it takes a lot longer for the stomach contents
teristic “burn” of heartburn.
to ferment, and that causes gas that presses
Of course, heartburn is one thing, but
against the esophageal valve. Over time, the
gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
valve weakens and the acidified contents of
is another, more serious condition. When
the stomach spill back into the esophagus,
stomach acid repeatedly washes up into
causing the pain of heartburn, and over
the delicate structures of the esophagus it
time, the potential complications of GERD.
causes real damage over time, damaging the
Antacids are not the answer.
mucosal lining – possibly leading to ulcers.
The reason why antacids appear to
People with GERD may have other symp-
work is because as they neutralize stomach
toms as well, including coughing, wheezing acids, the pyloric valve opens too quickly
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