(17-03-11) Acid reflux medications can cause severe deficiency in critical nutrients

by Melissa Makris


(NaturalNews) Acid reflux, and the heartburn that results, occurs when acid
from the stomach backs up into the esophagus. About one-third of Americans
experience heartburn on a regular basis. Treatment with both over-the-counter
(OTC) and prescription medications might temporarily stop the burning, but the
relief can come at a substantial health cost.

Conventional doctors generally blame excess stomach acid, or hyperacidity, for
acid reflux, even though a mechanism to support this claim has not been found.
A defective or weakened lower esophageal sphincter, the valve at the top of the
stomach, is generally where the blame is placed, although that does not address
why excess acid is the culprit.

Many holistic doctors believe that the cause of acid reflux is actually too
little stomach acid, or hypoacidity. From what is known about how the digestive
process works, these claims can be substantiated.

After chewing, food goes down the esophagus and into the stomach via the
esophageal sphincter. The presence of food in the stomach triggers a hormone
called gastrin, which controls the amount of gastric juices that are secreted.

Hydrochloric acid (HCl) is one of the main components of gastric juices.
Enough stomach acid needs to be produced to reduce the stomach pH to around 1.5-
2.5. This triggers protein-digesting enzymes, kills harmful microbes, and
allows for proper mineral absorption.

If at any time the pH of the stomach drops too low, the hormone gastrin is
inhibited and the production of HCl ceases. This negative feedback mechanism is
commonly ignored, or unknown, by many conventional doctors.

Frequently, it is too little stomach acid that causes digestive distress. Too
little HCl inhibits proper digestion and prolongs the time the food stays in
the stomach. The longer the food sits in the stomach, the greater the chance of
the esophageal sphincter relaxing and allowing acids to come up into the
esophagus. Pepsin, the main enzyme responsible for protein digestion, can also
irritate the stomach if present for long periods of time.

When someone takes an antacid for acid reflux, the drug dramatically increases
the pH of the stomach. The stomach responds by producing more HCl in an attempt
to bring the pH back down.

Encouraging more HCl production is beneficial, but the way these OTC drugs go
about this actually makes the problem much worse. This is because the cells
responsible for making stomach acid, the parietal cells, need to have reserves
of certain minerals in order to produce the HCl. The most important of these
minerals are zinc, magnesium, and chloride.

But a person experiencing frequent episodes of heartburn is more than likely
already depleted in these minerals, so the parietal cells do not have enough
energy to keep up the HCl production. When the antacids stop working,
conventional doctors tend to recommend protein-pump inhibitors (PPI). These
kinds of drugs completely block stomach acid production.

Low stomach acid, and the corresponding higher stomach pH, already leaves
people vulnerable to food poisoning, ulcers, parasites, and other kinds of
stomach infections. It also makes it difficult to utilize protein and critical
nutrients from food.

Acid reflux medications greatly increase these nutrient deficiencies, notably
B-complex vitamins, vitamin C, zinc, copper, calcium and magnesium. In fact,
last May the FDA warned that long-term users of PPI`s were at increased risk of
bone fractures. The agency was unable to link deficiencies in calcium and
magnesium to the bone loss, however, stating "the association between the drugs
and bone fractions is still not understood." Other side effects seen from long-
term PPI usage are stomach atrophy, liver damage, anemia, fungal growth in the
esophagus, and cancerous stomach polyps.

Sources:

http://www.how-to-boost-your-immune...
http://biology.clc.uc.edu/courses/b...
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/...
http://www.naturalpathhealthcenter....
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010...
http://www.livestrong.com/article/1...

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