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Turning on the television or reading the
newspaper is becoming an exercise in anxiety. It’s either some natural disaster
or dire predictions about the economy. All this stress is sending lots of us to
our medicine chests to calm our nervous stomachs. And what do we usually reach
for? That old standby-an over-the-counter (OTC) antacid.
Advertising claims might lead you to
believe that any OTC antacid, such as Tums, Rolaids, Maalox or Pepcid, is
harmless enough. Little did you know that taking an antacid actually can make
your stomach problems worse.
STOMACH
ACID: “A GOOD THING”
You may be surprised to learn that More Ultimate Healing contributing
editor Andrew L. Rubman, ND, describes stomach acid as a good thing. Proper
digestion takes place as a series of functions, all of which depend on the
presence of adequate stomach acid while you are eating.
When
you take an OTC antacid-or even worse, the “more effective” prescription
variety-you’re cutting down or even eliminating the acid you need at mealtimes.
Without it, your stomach can’t adequately break down food into its nutrient
components. What’s more, inadequate digestion of proteins encourages the liver
to increase production of LDL cholesterol-the kind of cholesterol that does the
most damage to your body.
An
all-too-common result of taking OTC antacids on a regular basis is an increase
in cholesterol, which is then often treated with yet another drug to lower
cholesterol levels a roller-coaster ride you don’t want to be on.
GO
WITH THE FLOW
If you stop taking antacids as a favor to
your liver, what do you do about your sour stomach?
“Prevent
it in the first place,” says Dr. Rubman. Make sure you have adequate acid in
your stomach during mealtimes, when you need it, and less stomach acid when you
don’t. “What we call excess stomach acid,” he says, “is what should be called
inappropriate stomach acid.”
To
make sure your stomach has sufficient acid at mealtimes, Dr. Rubman advises
against “grazing”-snacking on food-throughout the day. Snacking signals the
stomach to pump acid rather than saving it for mealtimes.
In
addition…
·
Always chew your food thoroughly.
Introducing saliva into the food as you chew will get the digestion process off
to a good start.
·
Don’t drink very much liquid while eating a meal. Dr. Rubman says that more than a few sips of fluid will dilute the
acid in the stomach. Also, try to limit fluids for 30 minutes before you eat
and for an hour afterward.
His
general rule: One fluid ounce of water for every two ounces by weight
and solid food.
To
avoid acid overproduction, Dr. Rubman also advises a few changes in eating
habits…
·
Don’t overeat. Leave that extra little
bit of room for dessert, and then skip it.
·
Eliminate foods that have refined sugars, such as desserts, from
hour diet. Sugars tend to destabilize the stomach,
decreasing efficiency of digestion and nutritional value as well as creating
gas.
·
Avoid caffeine and fried foods. Caffeine
stops starch digestion and can impair acid production during meals. Fried foods
create gastrointestinal inflammation and can also speed the aging process.
BETWEEN-MEAL DEFENSES
If
you still suffer from a sour stomach between meals, put something in it that
will quiet it without triggering more acid production. Dr. Rubman has several suggestions…
“A
time-tested remedy, believe it or not, is sauerkraut,” he says. In Europe, you
can even buy sauerkraut juice for just this purpose. Five or 10 minutes after
consuming sauerkraut, your stomach will relax and you’ll feel great. Sounds
weird, but in fact, the enzymes released during the fermentation of the cabbage
as it turns into sauerkraut actually help break down as well as neutralize the
inflammatory components of a sour stomach.
HERBAL REMEDIES
Should
sauerkraut not be for you, there are some herbal products that can soothe and
normalize the stomach without suppressing acid production. Dr. Rubman
recommends gentian, an herb that comes in tinctures, capsules and fluid
extracts. “Usually using eight to 10 drops in a little bit of water will do the job,” he says. Use
this as needed rather than prophylactically.
Glyconda,
a traditional herbal combination that includes turkey rhubarb root, cinnamon
and goldenseal, is another old-fashioned remedy, one grandmothers in Italy have
been giving their families for years. Dissolve 10 to 20 drops in two ounces of
warm tea or water, and drink before a meal.
Other
products that address the problem.
·
Gastri-Gest, a combination of
plant-derived enzymes taken as needed as an antacid substitute.
·
Compound Herbal Elixir, a botanical
mixture that can be used as needed as a “tummy tonic.”
Both
these products are also available at quality health-food stores.
WHEN PROBLEMS AREN’T RESOLVED
Occasionally,
a more severe stomach problem causes between-meal acid production. “This occurs
when something in the stomach lining stimulates it in the same way that food
does,” says Dr. Rubman. Typically, the cause is a yeast organism or something
similar. Often the culprit is the same creature found in vaginal or oral
thrush. You can avoid it by following the above steps to maintain adequate
stomach acid levels during meals.
Caution: Anyone with gastritis that
persists for more than 10 days or recurs more than once a month should be
tested for the bacterium Helicobacter
pylori.
It
might also be an ulcer, which would require special treatment. “Having a
gastric or duodenal ulcer is one of the few problems that calls for
prescription antacids to suppress stomach-acid production while the lesion heals
properly,” says Dr. Rubman.
If
your problem does not respond to the natural remedies suggested above within a
few days, see your health-care provider to rule out a more serious condition.
When
it comes to acid indigestion, don’t let the cure be worse than the disease.
Healthy eating habits and a strategy to work with the body’s natural digestive
function will go a long way in calming that grumbling pain.
For more information: More Ultimate Healing (www.BottomLineSecrets.com)
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