You see them all the time: those ads for PrevAcid and similar products.  If you believe the marketing, acid reflux disease is pandemic, and the advent of acid-blocking medications is the salvation from this scourge.

The problem is: Acid reflux is not a disease.  That notion was born in a pharmaceutical company's marketing department.  It's a symptom of some other problem.  Take care of that, and the acid reflux will go away.

Taking another look at acid reflux

But let's take another look at this.  According to the model we're presented in the ads, your stomach is churning out all of this acid, and the excess of acid is causing it to spill out and burn holes in your esophagus.

Sounds really bad.  A little frightening, even.  How could you possibly doubt that you really, really need this medication to block all that acid production in your stomach, so these erosions can heal?

Whew!  Thank God for PrevAcid!

But wait a minute.  The issue isn't acid; we're supposed to have acid in our stomachs.  The issue probably isn't too much acid in your stomach, either; most of us have way too little.  The real issue is the kind of acids in our stomachs and where the acid is going.

And behind that is the question: Why it's going there?

Adequate stomach acid is critical for your good health

Contrary to what the ads would lead you to believe, stomach acid is your friend.  An adequate supply is critical for your good health.  Without it, you can't adequately digest your food; and if your food isn't thoroughly digested, you will suffer from both nutritional deficiencies and food allergies.  What's worse, it will lead to a serious overload of the liver.

So what's the real issue here?

Finding the underlying causes of acid reflux

Acid reflux is not caused by acid.  That's a myth.  Chances are, if you suffer from acid reflux, you actually have too little of the right kinds of acid in your stomach.

The problem is that your esophagus is shortening, pulling the stomach up out of its proper position.  The pressure of the diaphragm, along with the stretching of the esophagus, causes the stomach acid to spill into the esophagus.

The question is: Why is the esophagus shortening?

Several things can contribute to this situation.  Two of the biggies are:

• Inadequate stomach acids, which leaves your stomach unprepared to process the food you put into it.
• Inadequate digestive/systemic enzymes, resulting in improper digestion of foods.

Either of these deficiencies results in foods sitting in the stomach or upper intestine for too long, leading to putrefaction.  This can result in excess acids — not the normal, healthy acids, but toxic wastes from the putrefaction process.  When this occurs, the body goes on the defensive, and tries to prevent any more food from being added to the mix.

Stress is another issue.  It affects acid reflux by decreasing the level of digestive enzymes in the system while, in some rare cases, adding unhealthy levels of acids to the stomach.  Usually, however, the result is a deficiency, not an excess.

The answer in these cases is not to suppress the acid — anyone who knows how the body works knows that that is insane.  The answer is to relieve the stress — maybe with the use of therapeutic-grade essential oils — and bring balance to the whole system.  The addition of digestive enzymes to the diet is most likely indicated.

But, there are other things to consider, as well.  The list here isn't exhaustive, but it should give you a good place to start looking.

• Food allergies & sensitivities: not the kind where you swell up and die, but hidden allergies, where the symptoms appear two to five days after consumption of the offending food (or drink). 

One of the chief culprits here is coffee.  It may have been found to have "beneficial" compounds in it, but the total package is pretty nasty.  Running almost equal to coffee on this hit parade is gluten, a protein found in wheat and other grains.  Many people have a profound intolerance for gluten; but for many others, it can just create an acidy feeling that makes you want to pop your PrevAcid.  It's better to just cut out the offending foods.

Smoky Mountain Labs has a blood test for hidden food allergies, which could be very helpful if you're struggling with persistent acid reflux.  Once the problem foods are identified, it's important to make the choice to eat in a healthy fashion — consistent with your body's specific needs and tolerances.  I realize that it's easier to just pop a pill than to take responsible action, but the benefits are well worth it — in the long run.

• Imbalance of gut flora: Your digestive tract was created to host an amazing balance of billions of bacteria, each contributing important components to your digestion and immune function.  However, in our modern world, the gut is often subjected to a sterilization process that kills off much of this critical colonization. 

Antibiotics — those we take and those found in the meats we eat — play havoc with the balance of these micro-organisms; but nearly as serious a problem is the chlorinated water we drink and cook and bathe in.  Friendly bacteria — and homeostatic soil organisms — are supposed to be supplied in our foods, but modern methods of farming have pretty well sterilized the soil, as well.  And so, we face an on-going deficiency of these friendly bacteria in our foods even as we kill them off in our gut. 

If that was the whole story, it would be bad enough; but it's not.  In the absence of these friendly bacteria, a cycle of ill-health begins.  Food cannot be properly — or completely — digested, leading to putrefaction.  Toxic gasses and acids are released in this metabolic process which can have profound effects on the liver and other body systems.  The pH of the gut is thrown out of balance, which further inhibits proper metabolism of foods and the elimination of wastes from the gut.  And this creates an environment that, in the absence of adequate friendly bacteria, is the perfect culture for growing Candida, other fungi and parasites.  All of this has a corrosive effect that leads to leaky gut, which will cause acid reflux.

It is, therefore, very important to supplement the diet with a good probiotic formula. 

• Parasites: People typically like to think of parasites as being a Third World problem, not something we have to deal with in America.  However, while we don't have as much of a problem with water-borne parasites here as in some countries, other parasites are still a significant factor.  One of my chiropractors told me that, when he was in school, every one of the cadavers used in his Gross Anatomy class had several pounds of parasites in its gut.  So, this is a real issue.

There are many factors that lead to parasite infestations.  Of course, eating inadequately washed foods is a major cause.  If they don't get in, they can't proliferate.  But, your system is supposed to be able to expel parasites; it's just that, in too many instances, it does this inadequately.  One reason for this is an imbalance in the gut's pH and intestinal flora.  Another is metal toxicities in the gut. 

Whatever the cause of the parasite infestation, these unwelcome guests can cause acid reflux — and many other problems — and it's important to clear these from the gut.  Certain food — like fermented cabbage — can have a clearing effect, but there are also therapeutic-grade essential oils that are very effective at eliminating parasites from the system.

• Leaky gut syndrome: As noted elsewhere on this page, there are several things that can lead to a leaky gut, and a leaky gut will cause toxicity issues that can result in acid reflux.  Therefore, it is important to take steps to insure adequate digestive acids and enzymes, protect the balance of intestinal flora and gut pH, eliminate parasites and heavy metal toxicities and avoid foods that your system can't properly digest.
• Ileocecal valve dysfunction: The ileocecal valve controls the movement of foods from the small intestine into the colon.  Located in the lower right abdomen (where your appendix is supposed to be), its function is to allow foods to pass into the colon, but prevent their backing up again into the small intestine.  However, for various reasons, the ileocecal valve can get stuck in the open position.  When this happens, food and wastes are not moved along as they should be, creating distress on the system.

Indications of ileocecal valve dysfunction include constipation and/or diarrhea, sluggish bowel function, bloating, low back pain, nausea and acid reflux. 

The causes of ileocecal valve dysfunction can be structural: excess weight or loss of tone in the intestinal tract.  But often, it is the foods we eat or beverages we drink that cause it to pop open.  Coffee is a major factor, but cinnamon can also have this effect — as well as other foods and drinks.  I suspect that nutritional deficiencies and inadequate enzymes also play a major role in this.

• Metal toxicities: This is probably one of the really big issues facing each of us.  Our environment is filled with sources of heavy metal toxicities.  One of the chief sources of this is the automobile.  Exhaust fumes are loaded with these compounds.  But they are also found in lawn and agricultural chemicals, in our water, in the air (from other sources that our cars) and in our teeth.

The common use of mercury amalgam (so-called "silver") fillings in our dental care is a major source of ill health, on many levels.  One of the most noticeable — yet overlooked — problems associated with amalgams is indigestion and/or acid reflux.  For your health, you need to have these removed by a dentist trained to do this right.

• Blood sugar imbalances: When you eat foods that are high in simple carbohydrates, you'll experience a spike in your blood sugar.  In an effort to normalize this, your pancreas goes into over-drive, pumping out insulin.  This brings your blood sugar level down; the problem is, it often come down too far — creating what is sometimes called functional hypoglycemia. This can result in a lot of symptoms, including indigestion and acid reflux.
• Overweight: Let's face it, carrying too much weight around the middle creates a structural stress factor that can cause acid reflux.  There is only so much space inside the abdomen; and if it's filled with excess fat, the stomach has to go somewhere.  All-too-often, that's up into the chest.  Losing the extra pounds can have a profound effect on this problem.
• Overloaded liver: Whatever other problems may contribute to acid reflux, an overloaded liver is likely to play some part in it, as well, since all of the other things mentioned here will tend to increase the load on the liver.  If the liver carries too many toxins, it leads to liver dysfunction, which can express itself as acid reflux.

And, considering all the processed and microwaved foods in the typical American diet, the coffee, sodas and alcohol we typically drink, the way our drinking water is treated, the medications we take — intentionally, or from what is found in our water — and the general toxicity of our environment, unless you're deliberately working to clear and cleanse your liver on an ongoing basis, it's pretty safe to assume that you need to go on a liver cleansing program.

Go after the cause of the reflux, not just the acid

As should be apparent by now, it's a myth to think of acid reflux as a disease — especially a chronic disease.  It's not medical science; marketing departments of pharmaceutical companies that came up with the disease model.  In truth, acid reflux is the symptom of one or more of the things listed above.  You need to find the answer there.

Whatever you do, please, don't take PrevAcid.  It's toxic enough in itself, but it sets up the environment for much more toxicity from the foods you eat, and will starve your system of it nutrients it needs.

Cleanse your liver, unburden it, deal with any food allergies and stabilize your blood sugar.  And don't forget you digestive enzymes.  Do this, and you can resolve your acid reflux — naturally.

A warning from family experience

Some years ago, my mother-in-law was having trouble with a persistent cough.  She noticed it most after she had eaten.  After discussing the situation for some time, I felt that the problem was likely sinus drainage (aggravated by inadequate water intake) that coated the throat and would be irritated when she ate.  To test out this idea, we tried applying some colloidal silver over her sinuses.  Her cough stopped almost immediately.

Over the next few days, we repeated this test several times.  The outcome was always the same: near-immediate — and fairly lasting — relief from her coughing.

However, when my mother-in-law returned home, she discontinued using the silver.  Within a short time, her cough came back.  When Linda and I reminded her of how the silver had helped, she sort of remembered it, but was not convinced to start using the silver again.  In time, her cough started bothering her enough that she went to see her doctor.

I'm not sure what the reasoning was, but her doctor put her on PrevAcid.  And it seemed to help.  Her coughing was no longer a problem.  But it was a tragic trade-off.

1. My mother-in-law had been diagnosed with macular degeneration several years before.  But, with nutritional support, there had been essentially no progression of this condition over a ten-year period.  However, once she started taking PrevAcid, despite continuing with the same dietary supplements as before, her MD went out of control and within a year, she was nearly blind.
2. My mother-in-law had also been diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease several years before.  She had been on a very low dose of medication and was largely symptom-free.  But shortly after starting on PrevAcid, she started having a broad assortment of neurological problems (all of which are noted in the medical literature as possible side-effects of this medication).  Her doctor assumed it was her Parkinson's, and responded by increasing her dosage of the Parkinson's medication.  There has been a steady progression of "the disease" since then.

We'll never know for sure how my mother-in-law would have done if she had stayed away from the PrevAcid.  But, it seems fairly obvious that the cascading of health problems after starting on this medication — an in light of what the literature says about it — indicates that PrevAcid had devastating effect on her health and well-being.  She is now living in a nursing home, and the quality of her life has been shattered.  I suspect that many of these problems can be directly related to the medication itself, and how it plays on the systems of the body; but it would be foolish to ignore, as well, that she has been essentially starved into this condition by eliminating her ability to derive much nutritional value from her food. 

If only doctors would show as much concern over food.