Low Stomach Acid- The cause of GERD?
- Isabel S.
- Aug 22, 2017
- 6 min read
If you've been following along on @izzycooksinsta you know that I am doing a detox due to struggling with GERD and digestion issues. I've always been prone to bloat, belching (especially after eating), acne, fatigue, irregular menstrual cycles and bowel habits, and hip (joint) pain. I decided to go gluten free about 4 years ago and it made a huge difference in my life. Many of these symptoms were much less frequent or went away.
One problem that's been increasing is getting food stuck in my esophagus. This usually will happen only if I eat too fast or if it's dry food, but sometimes it will happen no matter how careful I am. If you haven't ever had it happen to you, it's horrible. People always tell me to drink water to push it down but I can't even swallow my own spit. It backs up and I have to spit it out until the food mass will go down. Most of the time, with some patienc, the food would go down on its own but a few times I've had to throw it up. The last straw was about 8 months ago when I got some chicken stuck for 6+ hours. It would not come up or go down. I was in horrible pain and was beginning to panic so I told my husband to take me to the ER. I was diagnosed with a stricture. At the bottom of your esophagus, where the esophagus meets your stomach, there is a sphincter that closes to keep stomach acid from lapping up into your esophagus. For years my sphincter wasn't blocking stomach acid from getting to my esophagus causing such severe irritation it finally said enough is enough and it clamped down and wouldn't open back up. On top of that my esophagus is more narrow than most. So, I had to go into an Endo procedure and get my esophagus stretched. Many people have to have this procedure and I might have to have it again, but I want to do everything I can to protect the delicate tissue that lines my esophagus. My doctor prescribed me a Proton Pump Inhibitor and told me to take it every day. I did this for about 1 week and my heartburn was worse than it has ever been. I thought I was having a heart attack every time I ate. This got me thinking...something didn't make sense.
I'm an RN and have worked in healthcare for ten years. This not only means I understand many things non-healthcare workers might not, but I also know that sometimes doctors are wrong and I should listen to my body and do my own research. This being said, please do not take yourself off of any medication without consulting your doctor first. Not only is coming off certain medications dangerous but if you're not willing to make the lifestyle changes and do some planning you're going to end up in trouble. I am sharing my own experience with you and urge you to ask questions and educate yourself. If you're unhealthy and on many different medications and want to get off please consult with a medical professional to help you make healthier choices which will hopefully allow you to then come off your medication once your disease process is resolved.
I researched "PPI makes heartburn worse" and was amazed at what I found. Many people, some would argue most people that suffer from GERD and indigestion suffer from LOW stomach acid, not high stomach acid. I know, this seems counter-intuitive. The truth is, any stomach acid getting into your esophagus is going to cause irritation. When you don't have enough stomach acid to properly digest your food it causes the acid you do have to misbehave. Not only that, it also throws off the delicate balance of bacteria in your gut. So, no matter how healthy you're diet is, your food isn't getting digested/absorbed properly and you have bad bacteria out of control in your gut. Check out this website for more information- https://chriskresser.com/what-everybody-ought-to-know-but-doesnt-about-heartburn-gerd/
A sugar detox, in theory, starves out the bad bacteria allowing the good bacteria to take over again. Bad bacteria shouldn't be eliminated but should be kept in check by the good guys. On top of not eating sugar, I'm increasing fermented foods, with the exception of kombucha because I've found my body doesn't do well with it. This is one of my favorite health and wellness tips. Listen to your body. Even if everyone and their mom is participating in the latest health trends, if it doesn't make you feel good, don't do it. Other things that really bother me that other people seem to be crazy about right now is cauliflower (cooked or raw), raw kale, and coconut (coconut oil doesn't bother me. I use it all the time!).
Here's the plan for the next seven days...
NO added sugar- I will allow my self a little maple syrup and a little honey. I also will cut out almost all fruit with the exception of grapefruit and maybe a few low sugar fruits here and there. I don't usually crave baked goods or candy but this will be hard for me because I love fruit. I am going to allow myself a little because while I am trying to reset my body, I don't want to punish myself or open myself up to failing and giving up. That being said, this bad bacteria I'm talking about causes you to be addicted much like drugs and alcohol and tricks your brain into NEEDING sugar. The food industry has capitalized on this information and makes sure to pack in as much hidden sugars as it can into everything, even "health foods." This brings me to my next point.
NO processed food- This is a really hard one. I pride myself on not eating a lot of processed food but you don't realize how much you eat until you cut it all out. Processed foods don't break down the same as whole real food. Even if it doesn't have chemicals or hidden sugars I still want to give my body a break and allow it to process and digest things that are easy and real.
NO alcohol- Alcohol is sugar but it also is a toxin. I love a glass of wine while I'm cooking or having a few drinks on the weekend. In moderation, I have no problem with alcohol but for detox, it's important to take a break.
Limited grains- I was going to cut out grains completely because, like processed foods, most breakdown into sugar. Our bodies also tend to have a hard time breaking some grains down. I've found that my digestion really seems to benefit from eating muesli so I'm going to see how I feel and eat it if I feel like it will be beneficial. I just can't see myself eating eggs every morning for breakfast.
NO coffee- This is more because of the acid. Even though I only drink one cup a day, I feel like it's been making my heartburn worse. I know I said my problem is low stomach acid but the acid from coffee will bother me, especially if my natural acid isn't there to digest and eliminate the acidic coffee. I'm going to drink matcha instead and then work on getting back to not drinking coffee everyday.
On top of these things, I'll be taking Betaine Hydrochloride with pepsin which will help my body digest while I'm working on balancing my own stomach acid. Some people don't do well with this. Follow the bottles directions and start with a small dose working your way up because it can cause your stomach to hurt if you take too much. Other tips for improving digestion are eating slowly in a calm environment and not drinking a ton of water around or with meals meals. I'll also try to add a probiotic pill if I can't see a difference with just diet.
I know all this will work for me because I've been through this before. When I realized the PPI was doing me more harm that good months ago, I did all these things and my heartburn and digestion were on point! I think my stomach acid was able to build itself back up so I was able to back off this routine and eat more freely. Now, for whatever reason, I think it's out of wack again. I'll be posting recipes this week and a seven day meal plan with my experience and progress next week. Stay tuned!
Disclaimer- I'm not a Dr. or a dietician. Please consult with your doctor before making major lifestyle changes, especially medication changes. I'm sharing my own experience but it might not work for you personally. Listen to your body.SaveSaveSave
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