If you have been told that you have too much stomach acid and you need to take a medication
to neutralize that acid or to prevent it from forming in the first place, you have been lied to. You have a lot of medical
dogma and media propaganda to UNlearn before you can begin to learn what you need to know in order to improve your digestion
and to improve your health.
The presence
of strong acids in the stomach is the trigger which causes the gastro-esophageal sphincter to remain closed. A relative
deficiency of stomach acid triggers the gastro-esophageal sphincter to improperly open, allowing stomach acids to "reflux"
upward into the esophagus. Taking antacids (Tums, Maalox, etc.) may neutralize the acid in your esophagus (where it
doesn't belong) but it will also neutralize acids in your stomach (where they are vital). Proton pump inhibitors (Nexium,
Prilosec, etc.) may prevent the release of hydrogen ions (acid) into the stomach, but this makes proper and complete digestion
absolutely impossible.
The solution to
this problem is to understand what your stomach's job is and to eat in a manner which allows your stomach to function optimally.
