# GERD from too low stomach acid



## VA Susan (Mar 2, 2010)

On my husband's last visit to a doctor, he was told that he has an irritated a place on his esophagus. The doctor told him to take Mylanta. I couldn't find any Mylanta in the store I went to so I bought him a few different generic boxes of acid reducers to try.

I went home and researched the three kinds I bought and I discovered this interesting site by CHRIS KRESSER L.AC. I searched LAC and found this:
"_*L.Ac means three years of focused effort in learning the theoretical and clinical skills*_ that give a practitioner enough experience with Chinese medicine to begin to practice acupuncture. It means the practitioner has a minimum of 1900 hours of training and a Masterâs degree in acupuncture or Oriental medicine. Additionally, Licensed Acupuncturists are required to pass a special Clean Needle exam and a National exam."


His theory is that acid reflux is caused by *too little acid *instead of too much. The low acid allows a harmful bacteria to grow in the stomach which produces the gas that causes reflux. Has anyone else heard of this? He recommends taking capsules of Hydrochloric acid with Pepsin and changing to a low carb diet since the bacteria keeps the stomach from digesting carbs properly making more gas. This is all new to me. One quote from Chris Kressler from the comment section on this page sums it up well: 
http://chriskresser.com/what-everybody-ought-to-know-but-doesnt-about-heartburn-gerd


> In short, low stomach acid encourages overgrowth of opportunistic bacteria, which in turn raises levels of gas in the stomach (hydrogen and methane primarily), which puts pressure on the LES and causes it to malfunction. Stomach acid is there for a reason. It inhibits bacterial growth, ensures proper assimilation of protein, carbs and fat, promotes vitamin and mineral absorption, and more.


Here's the main article where you can find more related articles if anyone is interested.
http://chriskresser.com/heartburn


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

You could have him try drinking a shot of ACV and see if that helps.
It is a quick fix if he is too alkaline.
Seems counter-intuitive to western medicine, but it works a charm for some people.
(me included)


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## NamasteMama (Jul 24, 2009)

Nope cut out the wheat, it will go away.


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## mekasmom (Jan 19, 2010)

I just know that I have heard the naturopath say both of the above things. Cutting out wheat and grains helps to control or stop leaky gut syndrome. And drinking lemon juice and apple cider raises the acid level in the gut which helps to fix gastric issues. Also looking into probiotic enzymes is a good idea. They are just a "quick fix" for symptoms, but they do help a lot until your own body starts making more acid and enzymes itself.


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## bama (Aug 21, 2011)

i can't tolerate the taste of acv, but i have been known to chug pickle juice! 

with my 2nd pregnancy, tums by the bottle full didn't touch the reflux. but pickle juice did the trick


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## lonelyfarmgirl (Feb 6, 2005)

Susan, its not theory, its the truth.

When you eat something, your stomach swells. This encourages the hormone Gastrin to cause the secretion of HCL, which is part of stomach acid. Stomach acid needs to be ph1 or 2 to digest protein. The stomach continues to secrete gastrin until the acid is strong enough, then stops. Gastrin also causes the esophageal sphincter to relax. The ES is the lid that separates your esophagus from your stomach and prevents backflow. 

If your stomach acid is weak, then the stomach keeps secreting gastrin until the acid is strong enough. This over excretion causes the ES to come open, then the over secretion of acid back splashes into the esophagus, causing heartburn. This is why when you drink vinegar while having heartburn, it stops the burn. Its like a bandaid. You are giving your stomach enough acid so it stops secreting gastrin. The ES tightens and closes, and blocks the acid backsplash. But vinegar, as said is a bandaid. It doesn't solve the problem.

It is very easy with todays diets to not have enough stomach acid or to have weak stomach acid. If you are on a salt restricted diet, you absolutely have weak stomach acid. HCL is hydrogen Chloride, salt is sodium chloride. Chloride is chloride in this case. 

In your stomach you have what are called chief cells. These need calcium in order to properly secrete the right amounts of stomach acid. If you have low calcium, you have low HCL. SO if you are calcium deficient and on a salt restricted diet, you have weak stomach acid,

So, weak stomach acid causes too much gastrin, which over relaxes the esophageal sphincter, which causes heartburn. 

Now. Nexium, zantac, prilosec, etc are proton pump inhibitors, and turn off the pumps that make stomach acid. In fact, they obliterate the stomach acid you have. If you have no stomach acid, you can't digest anything, which results in nutrient deficiencies. PPI's stop the gastrin. SO, next time you eat, your body says WOAH no stomach acid AT ALL since the prilosec 'killed' it. MAJOR over secretion of gastrin. ES opens, whala! heartburn. You pop a zantac, start the process all over. Now you have no stomach acid, have heartburn all the time and are on your way from nutrient deficient to severely nutrient deficient.

Surpressing stomach acid = improper digestion of food = mal nutrition = chronic disease.

IF you have low/no stomach acid, and most people do, you have no stomach power to digest the proteins in wheat, which are long-chain proteins and quite complex. Then they move into tearing up your small intestine which leads to a difficulty or complete inability to absorb any nutrients at all. 

This is precisely why nutrient deficient people should eliminate gluten.


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## Harry Chickpea (Dec 19, 2008)

lfg has one of the issues pretty well explained. There are also other possibilities, such as functional issues. I had problems for a few years after an auto accident that had high impact and damaged some of the musculature around my diaphragm. There are also excesses of certain foods that can create issues. Peppermints are one.

Lack of acid in the stomach is a bit scary, since some bacteria and organisms are killed by the acidity. Unless eating fully cooked food with NO fresh fruits or vegetables, the possibilities of some unwanted stuff getting into the digestive system are real. There are a couple other barriers as well which limit the danger, but it is like removing one of three major security fences when you eliminate stomach acid. I am dismayed with the casual nature of dispensing the PP inhibitors.


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## VA Susan (Mar 2, 2010)

Thanks for all your thoughtful comments. I've had some stomach issues too and have relied on tums in the past. I tried eating a dill pickle and found that it does bring relief. I've also put vinegar in a glass of water and drank that and it works too. Something I thought of after posting this is that my 83 year old Dad has no stomach at all because of a cancer. He has to take a chemo pill daily since it had spread to his liver but he is doing well. It's been almost four years since his surgery. They tried to save part of his stomach when they removed the goose egg sized tumor but had to remove his entire stomach. He's had problems ever since with B12 and iron absorption and had to get iron infusions at times and regular B12 shots. Also, he gets terrible reflux which would sometimes cause burning inside his ears. So his reflux is definitely not related to too much stomach acid!


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