Living Heartburn Free

Okay, raise your hand if you have ever eaten a mouth-watering meal and then regretted the choice soon thereafter. If you have, you are not alone. Approximately 15 million Americans (5.5%) suffer from heartburn on a daily basis. In other words, heartburn is a common problem, but it does not have to be.

Heartburn is known in the medical field as reflux esophagitis, or inflammation of the esophagus caused by the regurgitation of stomach acid. If heartburn becomes more chronic, the diagnosis of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) is given - basically just a longer term for the same problem. Common treatments for heartburn, acid reflux, or GERD include over-the-counter or prescription antacids, or coping measures of smaller quantities of food and an avoidance of a "laundry list" of causative factors. But who would want to go about their day "coping" with the problem by trying not to do certain activities and be eternally connected with a bottle of antacid? No one. Thus, let me help you understand heartburn so that the actual cause can be addressed. By doing so, one can empower themselves to be free of antacids and the annoyance of heartburn forever.

First, it is important to understand the anatomy of the problem. After food enters the throat, it descends down the esophagus (ee-SOF-a-gus) to the stomach. The stomach is a storage unit where food will be kept to be chemically and mechanically digested. The stomach produces a powerful acid, hydrochloric acid (HCl), that effectively breaks food down into smaller units. Simultaneously, the stomach is contracting musculature to agitate the contents within the stomach to further assist the breakdown of the food. The contents of the stomach are contained by valves, small fibers of muscles that contract and close the stomach openings and ensure a one-way travel of the contents. The valve of interest for heartburn is the valve at the top of the stomach - the cardiac sphincter - which is composed of muscular fibers of the diaphragm. If the diaphragm were weakened, the valve would be ineffective and would allow for the regurgitation of the stomach contents into the esophagus.

When the diaphragm is weakened, it often times may cause a hiatal hernia. A hiatal hernia is a protrusion of the stomach through the diaphragm into the thoracic cavity. It is most often diagnosed by x-ray, often by accident. Yet, many individuals suffer from a subclinical or "functional" hiatal hernia - one that cannot be visualized via technology, but exists as a weakness of the diaphragm. (Interestingly enough, many sufferers of heartburn also occasionally complain of shortness of breath.) The correction of a hiatal hernia is relatively simple and does not require surgery. A qualified medical practitioner will be necessary to perform the needed correction, usually an Applied Kinesiologist. The correction of the hiatal hernia is simple, and the physician will also give the patient some simple "at home" therapies to help the hiatal hernia to heal and not reoccur in the future.

Second, it is important to understand that one suffering from heartburn may not have enough stomach acid. What, not enough stomach acid? How can one get acid reflux from not having adequate amounts of acid in their stomach? Simple. When food enters the stomach to begin chemical breakdown, inadequate amounts of stomach acid will cause the food to sit and ferment, thus producing gases that will cause the acid present in the stomach to reflux upward into the esophagus. Thus, from not having enough acid, one can experience heartburn. Most individuals that suffer from heartburn actually have too little acid instead of too much! Modern medicine often recommends or prescribes over-the-counter or prescription antacids which would actually perpetuate the problem. The correction is simple - here are a few suggestions:

1. Betaine HCl is a naturally occurring hydrochloric acid that can be supplemented for a short period of time. When supplemented prior to meals, an additional amount of acid is present in the stomach to assist in the proper digestion of the food. In addition, betaine HCl functions as a "pump primer," helping the stomach cells to begin to produce more stomach acid again on their own.

2. Zinc is necessary for the stomach cells to produce stomach acid. If one is deficient in zinc, they cannot produce adequate amounts of stomach acid. A zinc deficiency can easily be discovered by noting multiple "white spots" on the fingernails. A simple supplementation of some high-quality zinc for a short period of time can produce wondrous results.

It is important to note that many of these problems that cause heartburn may occur simultaneously. Thus, if one supplements with one of the above mentioned nutrients and still has acid reflux, it may be necessary to correct the underlying hiatal hernia. Now you have the knowledge of heartburn and thus possess the power. Tell your family and your friends and "get the churn without the burn!"