Indigestion is big business in the United States. Americans spend more than 7 billion dollars per year on acid suppressing drugs and over 4 billion dollars per year on over-the-counter antacids.
Most people assume that too much stomach acid is the cause of acid indigestion and take acid suppressors. Surprisingly, the primary cause of indigestion in over 90 percent of the people is not enough stomach acid – yes, I meant not enough stomach acid.
Stomach acid is good and necessary for health. Stomach acid is essential for proper digestion and healthy immune response. Blocking stomach acid for long periods can lead to other health problems. When stomach acid is low, many essential nutrients cannot be absorbed. These include amino acids, vitamins and essential minerals such as iron, calcium and zinc.
Common symptoms of low stomach acid include gas, indigestion, iron deficiency, dilated blood vessels in the cheeks and nose, chronic yeast and fungal infections, chronic intestinal parasites, weak fingernails, acne, and nausea after taking supplements. Diseases associated with low stomach acid include eczema, gallbladder disease, hepatitis, osteoporosis, psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, and asthma.
An easy way to tell if you are part of the 90 percent with too little stomach acid is to take 1 tablespoon of either lemon juice or raw apple cider vinegar in a small amount of water at the beginning of a meal. If this lessens or eliminates indigestion, then chances are your stomach does not produce enough acid. A good natural remedy for this kind of indigestion is HCl and pepsin or a product called Food Enzymes.
If you are part of the 10 percent with enough stomach acid, but a bad stomach lining, you will want something to help repair the lining so it functions normally. I like products with deglycyrrhized licorice to support the stomach lining and inhibit H.pylori – a bacteria that lives on damaged stomach linings. My favorite product that helps repair the stomach lining is called Gastro Health.
Here is some more information so you can troubleshoot your own stomach issue. Stomach acid production tends to decline with age. The stomach lining suffers damage from certain things that we ingest such as aspirin, ibuprofen, coffee, chocolate, potassium chloride tablets and iron salts.
Food allergies are also a culprit in indigestion. Certain foods cause inflammation in our digestive tract. An inflamed digestive tract cannot perform normally. Almost everyone in the United States has a food allergy to white flour and products made with white flour. Other common food allergens that lead to indigestion include orange juice, coffee, and milk. Try 2 weeks without these foods and see if your digestion improves.
Having good digestion is essential to good health. Over the years, I have seen many conditions improve to go completely away once digestive issues were resolved. Try some natural steps to improve your digestion – you might be surprised at how good you feel.
I’m a 23 year old male who’s been having stomach issues for about a year. (I screwed up my stomach by taking too much Ibuprofen after tearing my ACL–yeah I was dumb). After little success/no progress with prescription proton pump inhibitors, I basically self-diagnosed my low stomach acidity. My GI looked at me like I was crazy when I told her my suspicions…so it was up to me to solve this. (They really should be selling Betaine HCL+Pepsin capsules next to Prilosec at the stores to make more people aware of low stomach acidity). Anyways, right now I’m taking up to 5 HCL capsules (650mg/cap) before meals, and I’m still not feeling any burning sensation! Do you see any issues with taking HCL supplements long-term? I’m a little wary of bumping up my intake to 6-7 caps per meal, even though I probably should be taking that much. I know you eventually want it to the point where your stomach produces its own adequate acid so you can cut back, but I think I may have to take these long-term and I’m worried of potential side-effects, if any? There’s a lot of info on internet how to take HCL, but very little on the prognosis/recovery of low acid. Nonetheless, these really are wonder pills. My bloating/indigestion has all but disappeared, and I am pretty regular now. I feel like I’m properly digesting food finally.
Glad you are getting good results.
You might consider taking a product to actually repair the lining – I recommend one that we sell – works great and will help reduce # of HCL/pepsin that you take.
I have horrible GERD, and can barely eat. I had my gallbladder removed a few years ago, which gave me some relief. The doctors still don’t know why my symptoms are so bad (throat constriction, no burning sensation, chest pressure). I take omeprezole, but it doesn’t help much. My body compensates for it more and more over time. Do you think I could have low acid?
It could be low acid, but before I tried anything for that, I would recommend bile salts which compensate for gallbladder removal. Occasionally that helps very significantly.