September's Newsletter
How are you spelling relief these days? Are you popping antacids like they are candy?
Did you know that antacids can cause ulcers, chronic inflammation, leaky gut, food allergies, anemia, inflammatory bowel disease, and more!
Your stomach is a very acid environment, with its optimum pH at 2 or less (7 is neutral). This acid condition serves many purposes. It helps destroy bacteria, yeasts, and parasites. That allows the stomach to secrete intrinsic factor needed to absorb vitamin B12. It is necessary for the absorption of minerals that trigger the release of hormones by the pancreas. Without this diabetes can occur. The stomach also secretes enzymes, especially pepsin, which is needed to convert proteins into amino acids.
When undigested proteins make it into the intestines, inflammation begins, causing leaky gut syndrome, chronic allergies, chronic constipation and/or diarrhea, and inflammatory bowel disease.
Without adequate stomach acids you develop colonization of Helicobacter pylori bacteria (Hpylori). These bacteria have been associated with ulcers, inflammatory bowel disease, blood diseases, and cancer. Hpylori can inhabit your stomach for years, decades, or for life. One of the root causes of this bacterial overgrowth is the deficiency of stomach acid, which can be induced or aggravated by antacids, acid blockers and acid stoppers.
Most doctors promote more and more antacid usage on a daily basis, especially if an ulcer develops. They treat the symptom by trying to kill the bacteria with Pepto Bismol® and antibiotics.
Acid blockers or stoppers make your stomach less acidic. This encourages all the problems associated with a low-acid stomach, including but not limited to: ulcers, inflammatory bowel disease, diabetes, leaky gut with allergies and inflammation, anemia due to B12 deficiency, blood diseases such thrombocytopenia, ankylosing spondylits (an incurable inflammatory disease that slowly fuses the spine), and chronic malabsorption and mineral deficiencies.
Women suffer more than men from chronic antacid use. Eat real food. If you have indigestion, make sure you have adequate stomach acid. Low stomach acid is the cause of most indigestion and "acid stomach", as well as most ulcers. The Zypan Test can determine the status of your stomach acid.
We offer a few herbal alternatives to antacids that can help you.
Metagenics: Zinlori 75, Ulcinex
Standard Process Products: Zypan, Cal-Amo, Gastex
If you would like more information about these products or if you have questions about the topic send an email to vancechiro@gmail.com.
Or just click on the Contact Us section of our website. Please give us time to respond, if it is urgent, please call the office.
If there are topics that you would like Dr Josh or Dr Kari to discuss just let us know!
Thanks for taking the first step to wellness!