Acid Reflux: 6 Reasons for Your Symptoms.

Contrary to what it may feel like, acid reflux symptoms are not usually caused by too much acid in the stomach, and antacids may not be the best remedy.  Read on to find out what may actually be going on, and a few ways to begin to tackle the issue.

Here’s the problem: It seems that symptoms such as heartburn and acid reflux actually come about because of low stomach acid, AKA hypochlorrhidria. And what’s worse is that every time you take antacids, PPIs or H2 blockers you may actually be making the problem worse, and you may well enter a viscous cycle situation.

Now that’s not to say that medications such as antacids and PPIs don’t have a place, they are useful for effectively treating the occasional or temporary bout of heartburn or reflux. What I’m talking about here is chronic, ongoing, frequent use of these medications.

Low stomach acid

Prolonged hypochlorhydria – or low stomach acid – is associated with

• nutrient deficiencies,
• diabetes,
• chronic fatigue
• and a whole host of other disorders.

Before delving further into this, also be aware that antacids themselves tend to be associated with an array of side effects, including –

• Constipation
• Diarrhoea
• Nausea and vomiting
• Low appetite
• Headaches

Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPIs) actually stop the production of stomach acid and pepsin. Pepsin is the enzyme responsible for breaking down protein into easily digestible particles.  Needless to say, if your protein isn’t broken down effectively it can go on to cause a lot of problems further along your digestive tract – mainly a lot of bloating.

The bloating may cause extra pressure in your abdomen, including your stomach, and cause your lower oesophageal sphincter to open somewhat, allowing hydrochloric acid to seep into the oesophagus.

So what does cause these uncomfortable acid reflux symptoms?

Acid reflux comes about because of acid rising up through the oesophagus. This happens because the valve at the lower end of your oesophagus starts to leak, generally because of too much pressure on the stomach, allowing acid to creep up into the oesophagus. If your stomach acid isn’t in your stomach, but sloshing around up in your oesophagus, you may get uncomfortable problems.

There are six reasons acid reflux may happen –

1. Hiatal hernia – this is when the upper end of your stomach pushes through the diaphragm.
2. Eating meals which are too large – an over-full stomach adds pressure to the diaphragm allowing acid to seep upwards.
3. Eating too much of the ‘wrong’ food – this isn’t to say that everyone has the same ‘wrong’ foods, it’s just that some foods are more suited to some people than others. Or, what your body needed when you were younger, for example, may not be what it needs now. It could be that you may be consuming too much carbohydrate for your current needs, for example.
4. You may also have dysbiosis or
5. SIBO which could be increasing the levels of gas in your digestive system.
6. Food intolerances could be behind your symptoms.

If you’re worried your diet is impacting your gut health, I’d highly recommend downloading my online course The Ultimate Gut Health Programme to help support both your digestive sysem and hormone health, whilst avoiding triggering symptoms.

It’d be impossible to include all you need to know in one blog, but the programme will have all you need to know to ensure you’re soothing your digestive system, whilst eating delicious and filling foods.

Stomach acid is also a major first line of defence for your immune system

If you raise the pH of your stomach environment so it becomes more alkaline, it’s not particularly hostile to any unwelcome guests. We want it to be nice and acidic to protect us from invaders.

Therefore the risk of stomach bugs such as salmonella or listeria may increase. A very acidic environment is not only necessary to effectively digest food, but also to kill off any invaders.

So then what happens if you take antacids or PPIs?  Unfortunately you may be inadvertently adding to the problem.  Then your stomach will go all out trying to make more hydrochloric acid to increase the acidity of your stomach, and return it to it’s set point.

There are also supplements that can help you, but of course it depends on what is actually the underlying cause of your reflux or heartburn. 

High quality magnesium and digestive enzymes are a couple that may be recommended.