Something I consistently tell patients and see in practice is how fast acid reflux can disappear! Many of you have probably dealt with acid reflux for YEARS with little success and A LOT of different treatments. I largely believe this is because we have a huge misconception of what acid reflux is. Defining what is going on can make a big difference – because we have all been led to believe the same thing when it comes to acid reflux. Most of us think (and understandably so) that acid reflux is having too much stomach acid. I get it!
What is going on is the fact you do not have enough! I know. It sounds extremely counterintuitive but check this out.
Hypochlorhydria (too little stomach acid) has almost identical symptoms as hyperchlorhydria (too much stomach acid). When the body is under stress decreased stomach acid is a natural response. However, prolonged stress or prolonged inflammation in the body can produce too little stomach acid for too long. This can result in limiting food breakdown, nutrient absorption, and bacterial sterilization. When you think about your life and the barrage of stress whether mental stress, physical pain, or toxic stressors from the poor-quality food we eat none of that should be increasing your stomach acid.
Not only does low stomach acid potentially produce acid reflux, but over time limits the GI to its full potential due to bacteria/yeast overgrowth or parasites. Changing this can be a game changer for the body and health. How do we change it? We must start by testing to see the actual environment of what may be stressing your body out.
In the short term it can be with apple cider vinegar or capsulized version. However, short term AND long term is identifying stressors on the body that we can see in the testing above. We test for food sensitivities and gut health because we can start working on minimizing stressors from that! This will also allow your system and body to calm down and not be in fight, or flight for weeks, months, or years. Thus, bringing better health and quality of life!
