My Personal Story...
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It was some months after I started to take PPIs that I began experiencing Premature Ventricular Contractions, and therefore did not immediately see the link. As a result of learning that magnesium intake depends on good digestion, I started to investigate other solutions for heartburn and discovered something that would constitute controversy because it is outside of the realm of the medical and pharmaceutical industry which depend on selling us medicines.
Although this article isn’t about heartburn, I will explain what I have discovered about indigestion, stomach acid, stomach enzymes and the effect PPIs have on them because I now know that learning about this is was what ultimately solved my Premature Ventricular Contractions. I am not of course suggesting that the medical and pharmaceutical companies are always wrong with their issuance of PPIs. So I feel safe to say that if you were to take the information in the following paragraphs to your doctor, he would laugh it off and get out his pen in preparation to write you yet another prescription.
Heartburn. An alternative remedy...
Although this website is not about dyspepsia, heartburn, indigestion or any other gastric disorder, since solving my heartburn disorder was ultimately responsible for all but eliminating my Premature Ventricular Contractions, its well worth covering it in relative detail here.
One post on a medical forum I visited talked about the various processes of the stomach. One very interesting point that was made is that in many cases (more than you would have thought), heartburn is the result of not enough acid rather than too much of it. Sounds crazy doesn’t it? And this is exactly why much of the medical industry refuses to buy into it as this theory turns their entire strategy on its head.
There are a number of conditions that can have an impact on the efficiency of the stomach’s ability to properly digest food. One as mentioned above is the lack of stomach acid. Stomach acid is only one digestive requirement. There is also bile which is stored and released from the gallbladder for the emulsification of lipids. Then there is the pancreas which produces digestive enzymes that pass to the small intestine to further aid digestion. And on top of all this, you need good old stomach acid. The basis of many digestive problems is a condition known as hypochlorhydria. This is very simply a result of under production of hydrochloric acid (also known as HCL), or stomach acid.
One theory of how the stomach works is that the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) constricts in response to the production of HCL. If there is not enough HCL then the LES remains relaxed but the gallbladder and pancreas will overproduce the enzymes which then reflux into the esophagus thus causing heartburn. If you want to read more about this, then enter the phrase "Low Acid Stomach" into your favourite search engine.
When PPIs (Proton Pump Inhibitors) are used, it is believed that it stalls the production of all gastric enzymes and acid. With the complete absence of all of these essential substances within the stomach, of course you will not get heartburn. But then nor will you be absorbing all of the essential nutrients that your body depends on including macronutrients, vitamin micronutrients and electrolytes. Also, you may notice many other disorders from undigested food and fats appearing in faeces to vomiting where bacteria has found its way into your food and your stomach does not produce enough acid to neutralize the bacteria.
NOTE... Having written the above paragraph, please remember that your doctor may have prescribed PPIs for other medical reasons and not just heartburn. So if you decide you want to try an alternative to PPIs like the one I will suggest in the proceeding paragraphs, check with your doctor first.
Having said that, if you tell him it’s to explore the correction of a low acid stomach, he will probably smirk and try to give you an alternative prescription. So ultimately, the decision has to be yours.