Health-Essentials.info > Science > Health Issues > Heartburn is a muscle problem
Posted January 14, 2009
Heartburn is a Muscle Problems, Not an Acid Problem
Simple — and healthy — alternatives to your antacids
Adapted from Dr Al Sears, M.D.
Doctor's House Call Newsletter.
Used by permission.
Do you ever get heartburn? If you do, and you're like most people, you reach for an antacid. However, that's really not your best course of action, beause heartburn usually not about stomach acid … .
… Heartburn is usually a muscle problem.
That's right; it's usually a muscle issue, involving the lower esophageal sphincter (LES). It's a flap that relaxes or opens when food goes down into the stomach. When it's not being used, it's supposed to stay shut.
But, in the case of heartburn, your LES doesn't seal completely. This allows stomach acids to back-flow into your esophagus. Over time this damages the esophageal lining, leading to inflammation, ulcers — and even cancer of the esophagus.1
The typical treatments for heart burn are antacids such as Tums® and Maalox®. These simple mineral salts neutralize stomach acid, and are still popular. Some doctors prescribe H2 blockers, like Zantac® and Tagamet®. These medications block the action of histamine, which normally stimulates stomach acid secretion.
You get temporary relief from your symptoms … but they treat the symptom, not the cause.
The high cost of a quick — and incorrect — fix for heartburn
Editor's note:
Blocking stomach acid has several risk factors that Dr Sears did not mention in this article. These include:
- A greater risk for hiatal hernia,
- A greater risk for aspirating stomach contents during sleep,
- A significantly greater risk of developing pneumonia (largely from aspirated stomach contents),
- A greater risk of developing a host of food allergies and intolerances,
- The likelihood of developing leaky gut syndrome,
- The likelihood of self-intoxication from the metabolic wastes of undigested foods in your gut,
- The likelihood of developing acidosis, which can lead to all sorts of issues, including IBS and other inflammatory gut issues.
All-in-all, there is a lot of good reason to stay away from antacids.
And here's the thing: Blocking the production of stomach acid is not healthy. Low stomach acid levels lead to a chronic condition, known as hypochlorhdyria. This happens when your body doesn't have enough stomach acid to digest your food and extract the nutrients. It's like starving.
This nutritional deficiency opens the door for bacterial and fungal overgrowth, and sets the stage for many chronic conditions, like adrenal fatigue, high cortisol levels, autoimmune deficiencies and gastric cancer.2
And, here's another thing: You don't need antacids or drugs to fix heartburn.
Simple — and healthy — ways to put an end to your heartburn
Start with simple prevention:
- Try to avoid eating large meals, or eating too much chocolate, alcohol, nicotine or caffeine, which are all contributors to LES malfunction.
- Choose lean cuts of meat over fatty.
- Choose olive oil over synthetic dressings, and mild sauce over spicy.
This will help keep heartburn under control as well.
A word about ginger, peppermint and d-limonene:
While you certainly can make a ginger tea or chew on peppermint leaves, there are alternative to these.
- You can place a drop of ginger and/or peppermint essential oil on the tongue, and hold it there until it dissolves.
- You can put peppermint oil in a small jug of water, shake it well to disperse the oil and drink it.
- You can use an essential oil blend like Young Living's Di-Gize or dōTERRA's DigestZen in the same way. Both are very effective, but I personally prefer the DigestZen.
- You can massage any of these essential oils to the bottom of your feet, the back of your neck, behind the ears and/or over your abdomen. This can have a very soothing, calming effect on your digestion.
As for d-limonene, it is the primary chemical constituent in most of the citrus essential oils, like lemon, orange and grapefruit, and is found in substantial amounts in oils like balsam fir and frankincense. It is even found in black pepper oil, which may be one reason it's good for the digestion.
An added benefit of d-limonene is that it is powerfully anti-cancerous.
If you do get heartburn, try ginger root. Research shows ginger can strengthen the lower esophageal sphincter (LES). Add one-half teaspoon of freshly grated gingerroot to a cup of hot water. Let the ginger steep for 10 minutes. Strain the ginger and drink.
I also recommend peppermint. Place a wad of peppermint leaves between your molars and chew it for a minute before swallowing. The calming effect on your stomach is almost immediate.
Ginger and peppermint are helpful. But, the most effective remedy for heartburn is d-limonene, an extract from orange peel.
In one recent trial, 90% of the people taking d-limonene reported complete relief of their heartburn symptoms in just two weeks. And, the effect lasted for six months after they stopped taking it.3
You can find d-limonene at your local health food store.
To your good health,
Al Sears, MD
1. Eckardt VF, Kanzler G, Bernhard G. Life expectancy and cancer risk in patients with Barrett's esophagus: a prospective controlled investigation. Am J Med. 2001 Jul;111(1):33-7.
2. Sokic-Milutinovic A, Todorovic V, Milosavljevic T. [Pathogenesis of Helicobacter pylori infection — bacterium and host relationship] Srp Arh Celok Lek 2004 Sep-Oct;132(9-10):340-4.
3. Willette RC, Barrow L, Doster R, Wilkins J, Wilkins JS, Heggers JP. Purified d-limonene: an effective agent for the relief of occasional symptoms of heartburn. Proprietary study. WRC Laboratories, Inc. Galveston, TX.
